Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-29


Miss Msthewson Testifles
When Miss Mathewson was put on
the stand and Attorney Rogers took
her In hand for cross examination he
found he had caught tartar"
Never again as long as I live will
[ cross examine a woman" said MIR.
Rogers In mock despair, as he clutched
large handfuls from his already thin
hair.
Attorney Rogers found his chief diff
fculty in Miss Mathewson's feminine
contempt for such facts as are adj
mitted In evidence and her disposition
to argue every question to which she
took exceptions.
How long was it after the first
alarm was turned in before you saw
an engine company on the ground ?"
asked the attorney
co. 1t was ages" asserted Miss
Mathewson, tragically and emphatic
ally.
"Very probably, very probably" as
serted Mr.. Rogers, but about how
long was 1t as we mortals reckon time
in minutes"
Miss Mathewson was compelled to
declare she did not know.
In her direct Testimony Miss Mathew
son said she was aroused about
o'clock on the morning of December
and found smoke coming up the ele-
vator shaft. She at once telephoned
the alarm to the central exchange and
ran out into the street, where she
gave a general alarm. After that, she
claimed, she returned to the house,
let a cat out of the kitchen and alarmed
her servants, who were sleeping in
ain apartment adjoining the destroyed
hotel in the rear. She claimed that
after this she looked in the cellar and
saw the fire confined to a corner near
the elevator shaft. She then attempted
to save some of her furniture in the
front rooms and called on Captain Nc
Donald of Engine company No. IL to
assist her. He was busy with the fire,
however, and had no time for furni-
ture and she was compelled to do the
best she could. She declared she sue
ceeded in saving a small table and
a lamp and that these articles are all
the furniture saved from the hotel
proper
Scores Chief Lips
In her testimony she took occasion
to say that Fire Chief Lips had in
suited her the following day.
Fire Chief Lips came out to the
place the day after the fire and said:
1T seems to me you are making a ter
rible holler about this fire.
II answered that I thought l had
occasion to make holler and he said:
This isn't the first big fire you
have been in. You had another Just
like 1t in Colorado Springs"
Attorney Rogers took the witness and
questioned her about fires in general
to which Attorney Brown objected, as
having no bearing on the case in hand.
In answer to the objection Attorney
Rogers said he was laying a line of
testimony and believed he could intro
duce any fire he chose.
ANY fire occurring in Los Angeles"
was the quick rejoinder of Attorney
Brown.
"Yes, or any other fire he pleases to
bring in," interrupted Miss Mathewson.
81 was unfortunate enough to be in the
Colorado Springs fire, which has since
become historic and 1 am not a Mrs.
OLeary," referring to the origin of
the big Chicago fire.
Attorney Rogers intimated that he
might bring up some connection be-
tween Miss Mathewson and the Colo
rado Springs fire that would not re-
dound to the credit of Miss Mathew
son.
Delayed by Water
Captain Mcdonald of Engine COM
pany No. II, the one specifically
charged by Miss Mathewson as being
late to the fire, was the next witness.
He declared the alarm had sounded
were at the scene of the fire at 2:16
but could get no water for three min
utes after they had connected up. The
second company to arrive, he declared,
was Is minutes after his own company
was on the ground and he had a
stream of water playing on the burn
ing building by that time.
''It was a hopeless task to try to
save the burning building" said Cap
tain Mcdonald. "The flames had burst
through the roof of the hotel before
we left the engine house and when we
arrived the interior was a seething
mass of flame. We directed our eff
forts to saving the annex and the
buildings in the vicinity. l put up a
ladder to the window of the room of
Miss Mathewson, because she claimed
to have a pet dog in there and said,
For Gods sake save the dog"
II did not" Indignantly said Miss
Mathewson.
An effort was made by the prosecu-
tion at the beginning of the session to
have the case postponed as d. b. Will
son, the insurance adjuster who made
scathing remarks about Chief Lips In
his report on the Harris & Frank fire,
was not on hand. The commission
had cited Mr.. Wilson to appear and
prove his statements but the insur-
ance adjuster is busy in Portland and
cannot arrive in this city before the
first Of next week.