Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-15
BUCK TEST|F|ES
TO PAST CAREER
WITH EXASPERATING DELAYS
WITNESS TALKS
Doctors Say Murder Defendant Is
Shammlng Because He Has Clear
Recollection of
Events

With head bowed and eyes shifting
furtively before the insistent gaze of
the attorneys Morris Buck, on trial
for the murder of Mrs. Cloe Garfield,
whispered out the story of the murder
and the events leading up to it, on the
witness stand of Judge Smiths court
room yesterday afternoon while more
than 800 spectators crowded about
eager to hear the tragic details from
the lips of the murderer himself.
For three hours Attorney A. D. War
ner, representing the accused man,
stormed and ragged at him and did
everything but swear, in an effort to
make Buck talk, but it all failed and
the whispered answers were all that
could be obtained from him. These had
to be relayed to the jurors by the
court reporter, and in that way the
entire afternoon was taken up by di-
rect examination.
When Buck was called to the stand
yesterday afternoon, there was a rush
for the door by spectators, and for a
moment the deputies had hard time
to keep the crowd out. The seats and
aisles were filled in a jiffy and several
hundred people were turned away.
Buck had to be led to the stand. His
face bore the same foolish look and he
allowed his attorney to guide him as
though he were child. On his way
to the stand Buck passed Charles A.
Garfield, husband of the murdered
woman. 1t was Mr.. Canfield's first ap-
pearance in court since the beginning
of the trial, but he paid no attention
to the slight, stopped figure as it
passed by him.
Answers in Whispers
Buck did not heed the formalities
of the court room and mechanically
raised his hand when he was called
upon to take the oath.
From that time on 1t was manual
la Dor to make him talk, for he thought
over each answer from three to five
minutes before giving it, and then it
was whispered so low that none but
the court reporter could hear it.
Time after time Attorney Warner
tried to hurry the accused by saying:
Come on, Buck, everyone is wanting
to give you a fair trial, so what is the
sense of doing this way? Why don't
you talk up?" but Buck paid not the
slightest attention and took his time
about answering. Repeated vociferous
urging from the court failed to inspire
any enthusiasm in the man and he
whispered his answers without the
slightest show of interest.
By constant urging Buck told of his
early history. He was born in little
town in Illinois, and according to his
statements he fell out of a wheelbar-
row while he was only a tiny youngster
and struck his head on a rock. He
sustained a severe cut and showed the
jury the long scar on top of his head.
AS he was led down the line of jurors
by his attorney, who had hold of
Bucks thick crop of hair, the accused
man stumbled and grinned in a foolish
way, but made no attempt to show the
scar until his attorney assisted him.
Buck then told how a few years
later he had fallen out of a cherry
tree and landed on his head, sustain
ing a severe cut over his left temple.
He showed that scar to the jury and
another long scar on top of his head,
sustained by kick from horse. He
was twelve years old when the horse
kicked him and since that time, ac-
cording to his statements, he had felt
dizzy.
The witness related several other oc-
currences when he had been injured on
the head and then started to tell of the
incidents leading up to the murder of
Mrs. Garfield.
Doctor Objects to Knife
"I bought that knife" whispered
Buck as he pointed to the long, keen
edged deer knife taken from him the
day of the murder while I was in
Chicago. 1 bought it to protect myself
with"
"How did you carry the knife?"
asked Attorney Warner as -.e held out
the keen weapon to the accused mur-
derer. But like a flash DIR. Cohn, the
insanity expert from Napa, had stepped
between them.
''You are trying this man on a de-
fense of insanity" he said, land 1 cam
not allow you to hand him that
weapon"
"Oh, let him have the knife and see
what he has to say" said District At
torney Fredericks, who has lived in the
southwest for while. Buck then ex-