Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-30
JAXON DISCHARGED
BY COURT ORDER
EVIDENCE LACKING IN MURDER
CASE
Judge Refuses to Permit the Defense
to Even Produce Testimony.
Mother of Murdered
Man ColIapses

The trial of J. c. G. Jaxon, a Pasa-
dena negro, under charge of having
murdered James H. Logan, mulatto,
came to a sudden terminus yesterday
morning in department 1 of the su-
perior court when Judge Smith instruct
ed the jury to acquit, even before the
defense had a chance to put in It's case.
There has been much hard feeling
manifested by warning negro factions
throughout the case, and it is thought
that later developments may arise,
since many of the negroes present yes
terday showed their hatred of the de-
fendant only too plainly as they left
the court room.
Logan was one of the best known
and best liked young negroes of Pasa-
dena. He had fine tenor voice, was
well educated, good looking and hard
worker. Unlike most of his yellow
kind, Logan never attempted to force
himself where he was not wanted and
never for a moment was he disrespect-
full. He was known as a good boy and
aside from Jaxon had few enemies.
AS result of the action of the court
yesterday Logan's friends-and he has
a host of them-are grumbling. They
form one faction and look toward the
dead mans mother and brother as their
leader. There is another faction, small
er in numbers. and that faction is
headed by JaXon, the defendant.
Throughout the trial Mrs. Young,
the murdered mans mother, expressed
her belief that Jaxon had killed her
boy. She muttered an imprecation
against the man as she left the stand
and when notified that Jaxon was to
go free she fairly collapsed and would
not be comforted
Yesterday Miss Ida McDaniels. for
60, NT,,1 I ,fNff sAIr
ars of Pasadena and former sweetheart
of Logan, took the stand and testified,
but her evidence was worthless. She
had been brought from Chicago to be
a witness in the case, but she seemed
unable to explain her ideas of certain
conversations and all she managed to
say was that Logan had been her
friend and that JaXon seemed to have
become angered because Logan acted
as her adviser.
AS soon as her evidence had been
taken Major Donnell for the prosecu-
ton stated that he knew the evidence
was not strong in the case, but that
the district attorney had decided that
a question of as great importance as
the guilt or innocence of a man in a
murder charge ought to be decided by
a jury and that therefore the case had
been taken to court.
Judge Smith thereupon instructed
the jury to acquit without hearing the
defense and the verdict was returned
without the jurors leaving the room.
JaXon was congratulated by many
friends as he arose to leave the court
room, but he did not seem as elated
as one might have expected under the
circumstances.
The evidence was mostly Of cir
cumstantial character. 1t was limited
throughout the case that white families
of Pasadena had interest in Logan s
death to suppress some imaginary
scandal, but little of that sort of evil
dence came to light.
1t was proved that JaXon and Logan
were not friends, that on the night of
the murder Jaxon was absent from a
meeting in his office and that he came
in late and put suit of clothes in
soak. 1t was further proved that a
"puffer," which had evidently been the
weapon of death, had a sawed-off
handle like the ones used in Jaxon's
shop, but aside from these facts there
was little or no material evidence.