Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-14
PLEADS GUILTY TO
MURDER CHARGE
FRED ELDRIDGE C0NFESSES
TO CRIME
Visiting Grand Lodge Officers Are
ntertaIned-Frult Exchange
Elects Officers for
Next Year
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald.
SAN BERNARDINO, Oct. 1S,-Fred
Eldridge pleaded builty this afternoon
to murder in the second degree, his
victim being Fred Romo, whom he
killed in a fight in the mountains
near Van Ness Springs little more
than a month ago. He will be SEN
fenced tomorrow.
Eldridge believed he would be con-
Victed of murder in the first degree
if. the case went to trial. as Romo was
shot in the back of the neck, and Ell
dridge's two partners, Sam Stanyan
and Harry Jackson, turning states evil
dence and confessing what they knew
of the affair.
Eldridge and Romo had been selling
fruits and liquor on the mountains to
the summer campers and Workmen at
the Arrowhead dam and saw mills, and
finding the venture a financial failure
they agreed to quit and leave the
mountains.
Dividing the profits, there We're sew
eral bottles of whisky left, which the
four men drank and camped for the
night. Romo then demanded pay for
the whisky, which he asserted result
cd i'm a quarrel in which Eldrldge shot
Romo.
He reused his companions, telling
them Romo had suiCided, and with
them loaded the corpse on wagon
and started for the city. Becoming
frightened. Eldridge is said to have
attempted to kill Stanyan and jackson
by running the wagon off steep
grade down the mountain side, but
the plan failed owing to large hufne
preventing the wagon going down
Stanyan and Jackson told what they
knew, which led to the tightening OF
the chain of circumstantial evidence
about the prisoner.
The annual meeting of the San Ber-
nardino county fruit exchange shows
that the growers affiliated with II are
in a prosperous condition, having real
lied good prices for fruit the past year.
Of the 514055 boxes, or 1890 cars,
shipped by the exchange, the average
price for the entire season was Sl34
f. O. b., which is a very favorable
showing.
The exchange next year will not ship
quite as much fruit owing to the with
drawal of the Redlands and East High
lands associations, though their place
is partially filled by the Highland asso-
citation, which has come in with several
hundred cars.
The officers of the county exchange
for the coming year are: President,
James Barnhin, Cotton; secretary and
general manager, e. r. Van Luver of
Cotton: treasurer, San Bernardino Ma
tional bank. The president and secre-
tary, with Dr. ]. e. Scott, Seth Mar
shall. C. f. Tibbott and A. L. Drew,
constitute the board of directors.
The citizens of Cotton have made the
reward $1,000 for the arrest and convic-
izing that community for some weeks,
instead of half that amount as was first
planned. One-fourth of the amount
has been pledged by the city govern
ment while the balance has been raised
by private subscription.
Judge Bennett of Kern has been in
vited by Judge F. F. Oster to hear the
percOlating water suits of Katz VS..
Walkinshaw and Barton VS.. the River
side Water company and will take them
up in the superior court in this city
November s. Judge Bennett is one of
the best known jurists at the Califor-
mia bar and is versed in the actions in
VOlvin@ water rights.
S. McNarney. foreman on the con-
crete work at the Arrowhead reservoir
DAM narrowly escaped instant death
when he fell from the top of twelve
foot embankment onto n gasoline en-
of speed. He was severely bruised and
later internal injuries developed which
necessitated his removal to a Los An
geles hospital.
DR.. Abram H. Moss, a prominent bus
mess man of this city died suddenly
last night after an illness of but a few
hours. He was GO years old and was a
native of Louisiana and was nearly all
his life a prominent practicing ply
sician of that state being a member
of the American Medical association.
A year ago he came to California and
spent last winter and summer in Los
Angeles and Whittier, coming here and
engaging in the mercantile business
but a few months ago.
There was a large gathering of Odd
Fellows from all surrounding cities and
towns last night in this city to greet
Grand Master w. w Phelps of River
side, Grand Secretary George T. Shaw
of San Francisco and Grand Marshal
E. NJ. Sturtevant of Redlands on their
official visit to the two lodges in this
city. Degree work was done. after
which the entire company, numbering
more than 300, sat down to an elaborate
banquet served by the ladies of Mag
nolia Rebekah lodge of this city.
The Knights of Pythias of San Ber-
nardlnO county Will next Thursday
night give a reception to Grand Chan
cellor D. c. Clark of Santa Cruz at Red
lands, the affair being held under the
auspices of the lodge of that city. A
banquet will be a feature of the even
ing.
An examination of the body of the
suicide found on the river bank at
Needles failed to reveal a clue to his
identity, the man having taken every
precaution before swallowing the fatal
dose to destroy every vestige of any
thing that might lead to his identifica-
ton.
The Ladies' Aid society of the First
Baptist church has elected officers for