Amador ledger., 1906-06-29
THE LEDOUX TRIAL.
Verdict OF Murder in First Degree

The Stockton Record says OF the
closing argument for the defense by
Attorney Fairall.
The bombshelI of the LeDoux case
was fired off shortly after O'Clock
this afternoon. 1t was probably the
greatest surprise ever witnessed in
any trial in this county and unless
there has been some mistake in read
ing the testimony, the prosecution is
hopelessly "harIeled."
Attorney Fairall exploded the bomb
just before he clused his argument
He read from the report of the testi-
mony of the prosecutions witnesses
that the defendant was last seen FRI
day evening at 6 80 o'clock with the
deceased in Patterson's pharmacy,
and that the deceased was last seen
alive that evening at Z: 80 o'clock in
the Old Kirk saloon, that the defend
ant was not seen again until the
following morning at 10 or 1880
O'Clock in Rosenbau IS when she was
buying the trunk. That she went
from there to the II. Z. Shaw Com
pany's and bought the rope, that she
went from there to Breuner's, where
she remained until IL 30 O'Clock, that
she went from there to eXpressman
Berry at II 45; that she was again
talking to Berry at II :15 o'clock, and
in the meantime he had got the suit
case and delivered it, and the trunk
in the hallway at the door of room 81
in the California house. A few
minutes after 1915 O'Clock Mrs LIE
DouX is in Eckstrom & Smiths,
where she remains for an hour. At
l2:15 o'clock she is at the Wonder
and she remains there about an hour.
At . O'Clock expressman Berry takes
the trunk from room 81 to the South
ern Pacific depot, where he meets the
defendant again.
Between II O'Clock and noon that
same day janitor Dohrmann of ii e
California house goes into room 81
and cleans it. He sees no trunk and
no person or body. He finds the
room deserted. The prosecution S ex-
pert witnesses testities that McVicar
died lingering death, consuming
several hours.
Then, where was McVicar and where
was the trunk when Dohrmann was
in the room?. Mrs LIE Doux was out
of the room and the hotel for an
hour before the trunk was delivered
that morning until the expressman
took it with McVicar's body in it
from the room at 2 O'Clock that after
noon. When did she give him the
morphine and where? When was he
put into the trunk and where?
With those questions attorney
Fairall finished his address to the
jury. Then he turned to district
attorney Norton and defied him to
explain the mystery to the jury, and
then he sat down.
Saturday morning district attorney
Norton, like a clever baseball player,
sacrificed one of his witnesses to gain
point. Theodore Dohrmann, the
janltoI of the California house was
the man. whose evidence was dis
credited. District attorney Norton
said he was honestly mistaken as to
| hn in tla
instead of being in there between II
and u O'Clock, when he saw neither
accused nor deceased, he did go in
closer to 3, at which time the bed
was made. According to the pro
secutor there were at least two wit
nesses who testified that the bed was
unmade up to 3 o'clock.
He read and reviewed the testimony
of Hermann Englehardt, who was il
the room about u o'clock and found
the trunk there at that time. The
testimony of Dohrmann was con-
demned by the district attorney
throughout as mistaken in his evi-
dence.
The proposition presented by the
defense that McVicar died through
the administration of quick poison,
and was dead when put in the trunk
was taken up fully and ably by the
speaker. THe attempted to show by
the trunk itself that the pools OF
blood had formed while it was not
in a position as to allow the blood to
| flow from a ruptuTed vessel by gravi-
tation. The evidence and experiments
of the experts we're here called upon
in the effort to show the truth of the
assertions. Many of the propositions
presented by the defense we're taken
up in like manner and unerringly
argued by the attorney.
During his argument district attor-
ney Norton as is usual with any
speaker, many times partook of water
to lessen any irritation of the throat.
On the table near him we're setting
three glasses one containing solution
of carbolic acid and water, another
carbolIo acid and whiskey and tht
third clear water. While still speak
ing he reached for the glass of water
but instead found the glass containing
carbolic acid and water. The mistake
was noticed in time to prevent either
tragedy or serious illness.
While discussing the ''dulI thud'
heard by Mrs Van Landingham nea
MON of Saturday. March 24th. dis