The San Francisco call., 1901-12-20
BATTLE STARTS
IN COURTROOM
Witness and Lawyer
Enliven Proceedings
at Alturas.
Modoc Lynching Case Gives
Promise of Some Sen
sations.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

ALTURAS, Dec. 19.-The impassoned
remarks of lawyers, the frequent faring
up of hot-tempered witnesses and good
sized crowd of attentive and picturesque
auditors made this day interesting in the
Brown case, or as it is more popularity
called, the Modoc lynching case.
The morning session of the court was
pretty much devoid of incident, but the
afternoon developed enough Of sensation
metropolites. 1t was a session brimful
of excitement and the wonder is that it
did not end in serious encounters.
Witness Courtwright was again put on
the stand for cross-examinatio by the
defense. He stated that he never said
anything about halter, ropes or splicing
ropes, "and the record of my testimony
to that effect taken by the reporter is in
error, he declared.
Fight in Courtroom.
Attorney Raker then stated that the rec
ord showed the witness had testified false
ly. The witness rushed from the stand
and struck at Raker, who in turn struck
Courtwright on the head with rod. The
Sheriff separated the combatants and the
court threatened the witness and Raker
with punishment if the offense was re-
peated.
Raker moved to strike out all the testi-
mony of the witness the ground that
the court refused the defense the right
to crosS-eXamine The witness then teS-
titled that John A. Brown and Charles
Auble and some other lawyer were fol-
lowing him around and listening to what
he said since he had been in Alturas.
The court ordered the witness off the
stand during the recross-eXaminatio and
a half-breed child, Agnes Wilson, was the
next witness. She testified that she knew
Hall and Brown. She was present at the
arrest of Hall and stated that the defend
ant swore at Hall and punched him in the
back with a rifle.
Ernest RODner District Attorney 0f
Modoc County, said tonight:
Relative to an article which appeared
in one of the dailies of San Francisco on
Foreman Kistler of the Grand Jury of
bulldozing his fellow-jurors into bringing
indictments against any one. | did oppose
further indictments by the Grand Jury
until such time as the cases now on trial
should be determined. I did this believing
such to be a proper and a bus1ness-like
course to adopt, 1t being estimated that
the trial of three cases now under indict-
ment will leave a deficit of about $4,000
in the county treasury.
District Attorneys Statement.
Il never wrote any article or suggested
any article for any paper of this county
or outside denouncing the prosecution of
these cases and the editors of county pa
pers will substantiate my statement. The
only articles I ever wrote or suggested
are Alturas notes for the Adm Argus and
Cedarville Record and scattering locals
lOT lOCdl papers, IOue VI WHICH lOCdlS Ut
articles have in any way been connected
with the Lookout cases.
''I never denounced the Attorney Gen
erals office except for one thing, publica-
ton of my private confidential commune
cations last October. I have never refused
any assistance requested or desired or
asked in the prosecution of these cases.
D. P. Brown of the Grand Jury never to
my knowledge accused me of being an
attorney for the defense, though he did
state that he did not consider l was taking
the lead in the prosecution of the cases
am perfectly willing that the Attorney
Generals office should be given full power
to make a thorough and exhaustive trial
of the case of James w. Brown and to
that end have been and now am willing
and ready to give every assistance in my
power toward a full and fair trial of said
case I have not considered District At
torney Boyd of Lassen County of any
particular consideration one way or an
other at anY time"