The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1900-10-26
MDONALD WAS HELD.
The Judge Under Bonds of Thou
sand Dollars.

sand Dollars.
As result OF the three DAYS trial of
Judge Mcdonald upon the charge of at
tempted subOrnation of perjury brought
against him last week by j E. Nessly,
Justice Kirkland held the defendant to
trial in the superior court, with bonds
of $1,000, which were promptly fur.
nished The Judge is to appear for argu-
ment before his own bar of Justice No
Vember 10. Court opens November II.
The Judge who is to preside has not vet
been named.
In the hearing of the case there were
many bitter tilts between NJ. 0. Reed for
the prosecution and j. T. Brown for the
defense.
NJ. L. COffman, who testified to hav-
ing been employed as a special deputy
sheriff in the winter of 1897 9S, told in
detail that he was sent to British CO.
lumbia to induce VIM. Keech, fugitive
from justice to come to COlfax, and
when be should appear to testify in the
caRe Of DR., Harrington, charged with
cattle stealing and bank robbery, that a
pardon for keech, previously secured
and sent to Judge Mcdonald, was to be
delivered to him; that before the case
was called Judge Mcdonald took Keech
to his private room, and in the presence
OF the witness COffman, Prosecuting At
tOrDey Mai hews ard Mrs. Kcech, refused
to deliver the pardon to keech unless he
would testify to something connecting j .
E. Nessly with some crime; that Keech
refused and declared he knew of no
criminal act of Nessly's; that Mcdonald
| insisted he should SO testify, but Keech
| equally insisted he could not truthfully
do SO, and at last grew indignant and
exclaimed: II will not swear to lie if |
never get my pardon" Mcdonald still
insisted he should so testify against
Nessly and the witness himself then
interpOsed and said: "FOr Gods sake,
Judge, don't force tile boy to swear to a
| lie," or words TO that effect. Mathews
said TO keech: "Keech, you are not
here to convict anybody at all hazard;
you are simply to tell the truth" This,
SO the witness said, ended the interview;
but afternoon Mcdonald again called
Keech to his office and again tried to in
| duce him to testify against Nesely, but
Keech still refused, on the same grounds
| that he could not truthfully do so. That
| afterwards Judge Mcdonald sent COff-
man (the witness) to the jail to talk to
| Harrington and try to get the latter to
come to his office and meet keech and
| let Harrington and Keech see if they
could not fix up some evidence against
! Nessly.
Cross examined by Brown, Coffman
said he had never told Mcdonald that
Nessly had something to do with bank
| robbery, cattle stealing, horse stealing
or some other crime.
The Second Day.
n " Durham, editor the Spokes
| man. Review, testified that Nessly had
been in the employ of that pa per for
three years as Whitman county CORE
| spOndent; and that beginning in the fall
of 1897, Judge Mcdonald had made per-
| sistent and repeated attempts, both in
conversation with and in letters to, him
| to secure Nessly's dismissal from the
papers employ. charging him With vari-
GUS crimes.
Mathews Roasted Mcdonald
Former Prosecuting Attorney Mathews
testified, cOrrObOrating Coffman's evi-
dence as to what transpired in the
! judges private room while he was at
| tempting to induce Keech to connect
Nessly with some crime. He also told of
securing Keech's pardon in considera-
/ tion OF his coming to COlfax TO testify in
the Harrington case, but after it was
obtained it was learned Keech could
give no substantial evidence against
Harrington; that ne learned this by tele-
! phone conversation with Keech Keech
asked who had the pardon, and he told
him Judge Mcdonald Keech then asked
to talk with Mcdonald. Witness told
Keech unless be could give substantial
evidence he need not come, for the coun-