Amador ledger., 1901-07-26
J. G. McGregor Tried for a
Misdemeanor.
SHERIFF GREGORY ATTACKED BY THE DEFENSE
The Fiery Eloquence of Macquarrie
and the Beautiful Sarcasm of
District Attorney Vicini.

Monday in the supervisors chamb Der,
Justice Goldner presiding. The case
was called promptly at 10 a. M, and
the work of selecting jury was COM
menced. The first panel was exhaust
ed at noon, with only four jurors &C.
cepted. A second venre was ordered
summoned, and court adjourned until
one o'clock.
District attorney Vicini represented
the state, while attorney Neil Nc
Quarrie appeared for the defendant.
After couple of hours spent in select
ing the eight remaining jurymen, bust
ness commenced.
The first witness put on the stand
was the little girl-the little snake
charmer-whom McGregor was accused
of exhibiting contrary to the laws of
California. She simply testified that
she was nine years old, and that her
name was Ethel FELTON,; that "Queen
May" was her mother. Attorney
Vicini asked her if she liked to handle
the snakes, and she said that she was
not afraid of them ''for they won't
bite"
Mrs. McGregor, otherwise known as
"Queen May" mother of the child,
was then called to the stand, and she
was put through the PAGES. She swore
that the child was her own by former
husband, and that McGregor was her
second husband; that she was the bust
ness head of the house and that her
husband was her employee or business
manager, and that her business was
that OF palmist or fortune teller.
During the testimony of Mrs. Nc
Gregor the attorneys had several
pretty passages, and once or twice it
looked like there might be a mix-up,
but they would stop in time. Attorney
Vicini demonstrated that he was a
master at gentle sarcasm, by making
some pretty insinuating remarks that
attorney Macquarrie construed as re-
| Elections upon the character and chas-
tity of his fair client, "Queen May, !"
and like the knight of old he was not
slow to shy his castor into the ring and
proclaim his willingness to do battle in
defense of the good name of the lady.
1t is conceded that in the future the
fiery MAC" will be known as the
champion defender of female honor of
the local bar.
| One witness testified that he saw the
defendant McGregor, driving through
the streets with buggy or light wagon,
and that the little girl was standing
beside him with the snakes crawling all
over her, some around her arms and
one twisted around her neck. The
witnesses were pretty unanimous in re-
gard to the fact that the girl was on
exhibition with the snakes wound
around her neck and arms, also that
the child would put the heads of the
snakes in her mouth.
F. Burgin swore that he would not
know copper head snake or a Jap
anese tea snake if he should meet one
in the road.
Many other witnesses testified that
they saw the girl playing with the
snakes at the free exhibition in front of
Queen Mays" tent, which fact was
not denied by the defense.
One witness swore that the defendant
McGregor, said that the girl had been
bitten in the eye by one of the snakes,
but this was denied by her mother.
The cage containing the snakes was
in court and was placed in evidence.
The attorney for the defense, Mr.. Mac
quarrie, demanded that each snake be
labeled and marked separately as an
exhibit, but the court could find no one
to do it but himself, so he courageously
tackled a paper on the outside of the
cage. Queen May" while on the
stand, opened the cage and took the
whole bunch of reptiles out and into
her arms, showing the court and jury
that they were harmless, and scoring a
point against the court house authori-
ties by calling attention to the fact that
her pets had not been fed since they
had been in jail, and remarking 'if
that is not cruelty to animals l do not
know what is. She testified that her
name was Eva May McGregor. She
was called to the witness chair several
times, and upon one occasion showed
her love for sheriff Gregory by telling
how he struck her husband twice wit
a club when he made the arrest, and
how, when she rushed in to protect her
husband, he, the sheriff, struck her
with his club and knocked her against
a wagon. She also swore that he used
vile and indecent language to her.
That the sheriff struck her was swor
to by several other witnesses, but was
contradicted by his own testimony
also others who saw the arrest said
they did not see him strike the man
nor woman either for that matter.
Several testified that Gregory used
some rough treatment, such as Jerking
and showing him along while on the
way to jail, which was contradicted by
the sheriff and other witnesses for the
prosecution.
Queen May" was somewhat vindic-
tive in her manner while testifying in
regard to the treatment she had re-
ceived at the hands of the sheriff. She
also swore that the snakes were the
property, pets and playthings Of her
child, and she being the mother of the