Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-08-21
.GRlEST BOY
BOUND OVER
Mother Gives Testimony as TO
Manner in Which Boy Sc.
cured Gun
Preeoeious Youth Does Not Waver
Under Searching cross-ExannIna-
tion--Expresses no Regret for
Awful Aet-General Opinion that
Boy Should 90 to Reform School.

The preliminary hearing OF Gordon
Griest, charged with the murder OF
the fourteen.year.old girl. Rosana
Velasquez, terminated at . o'clock
Saturday afternoon.
In defense the attorney for the boy
introduced as his first witness. the
mother Of the defendant. She tes-
titled that she had stated u few days
prior to the accident, she wanted a
gun TO use In killing one OF tho
neighbours cats. Her son, hearing
this remark, went to the ranch OF .
Luis Hoban, at the Montezuma Gar
dens and borrowed a shotgun from
Mr. Hoban and seven cartridges. That
he brought the gun and cartridges to
town and took them to the second
hand store OF w. Il. Critics where he
exchanged the gun for .22-calibre
rifle. He then went to Biehl's store
and bought 200 small 90 calibre cart
ridges for the rifle and took the rife
and cartridges home. When She saw
them there she asked her son where
they came from and he told Her the
above story. She then took the boy
to Mr.. Critics place Of business and
there found the shotgun and carr
ridges and she exchanged the rifle. TOR
them and took them home. On sun
day morning the mother stated She
loaded the two barrels OF the shotgun
for the purpose Of killing a cat ant
then she went into the yard when
her heart failed het" and she re-
turned to the house and deposited the
gun in corner of the dining room.
without extracting the cartridges.
That the gun remained there until the
accident took place the following
Monday.
That she was down town when sthe
girl was shot, and when she returned
she asked her son how 1t happened
and he told her the gun was discharg-
ed accidentally--that he did not know
It was loaded: that he had picked
It up for the purpose Of returning It
to Mr.. HOban and while reaching for
the cartridges on a shelf above . table
in the Kitchen, the gun went Oft acci-
dentally.
Mrass C. n BradleY~and the sllster
S6f the defendant yd&re e)I tn
prove his, character and f1pufatinn,
and they both testified that he was
not quarrels0me. but a boy Of good
reputation In the neighborhood and
among his playmates.
Gordon Griest's statement OF the
transaction was substantially the
same as that Of his mother 40 to
how the gun came to be In the house.
In detailing the shooting, he stated
that he did not KNOW the gun was
loaded. that he held It IN his right
hand and with his left hand he reach
ei f1r the cartridges on q shelf above
the table, when the gun was discharg-
ed and flew back out Of his hands in
to the pantry; that the next thing he
noticed was the girl lying on the floor
covered with blood on her shoulder
! and arm: that this sight frightened
him 10 he could remember nothing
more; he remembers running into the
house and Of seeing DR.. Bradley, but
denied remembering anything further
about the transaction. The boy stood
' the lOu8 CTO05-cxhulluAtlOu u tie UIv'
trict attorney remarkably well, and
displayed considerable adroitness for
one OF his years; his mother testify
ing that he would not be ten years Of
age until January 23. Never once did
he fall to have an answer ready. and
in talking about the shooting and the
appearance Of the little girl as she
lay wounded and bleeding on the
floor, did be eyince the slightest feel
Ing Of regret for the unfortunate oc.
currence.
Judge Mills remanded the case for
examination and investigation to the
Ecxt grand jury, and hxed the bond
OF the boy at $1,000, giving the faith
er until today to complete the bond,
and allowing his son to remain In his
charge until the bond was given. It
was the opinion of those who listened
to the testimony in the case that the
boy should be sent to the reform
school or some other institution for
a long period Of years.