Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-10
BESOLD FACES
DESERTED WIFE
WOMAN MAKES A DRAMATIC
APPEARANCE
Man Accused Of Numbering Temesoal
Canyon Victim Takes Refuge Be-
hind Statements Against Char
acter of Woman

With accusing finger pointed at the
man whom she had promised to love,
honor and obey, Mrs. Martha ID. Pick
EFT Besod, last wife of Anton Besold,
now under trial on the charge of hav-
ing murdered another wife, yesterday
positively identified Besold as the man
whom she had married, and detail by
detail told Justice Young of the town
ship court the details leading up to
the wedding
When the case was called I'm the little
court room yesterday every seat in the
room was occupied and spectators
eager to catch a glimpse of the woman
witness I'm the case thronged the aisles
and packed every foot of available
space In the building.
As Besold entered, handcuffed to an
officer. he nodded and smiled at an ac-
quaintance and then the smile sud-
denly left his face, for not more than
five feet from him he saw the woman
whom he had married just after the
time he is alleged to have killed one
of his other wives, and her presence
in court and her evident determination
to testify against him did not seem to
please him.
Besold seated himself as far from
the woman as possible and beckoned
to the reporters to draw near him. |
Since his arrest Besold has been taking
pains to suggest to the newspaper
men that they deny or affirm certain
actions alleged to have been committed
by him, and yesterday morning Besold
quickly acknowledged his marriage to
Mrs. Pickett.
MaIIener Of Women
Eyes, l married her." said Besold, |
hIIt cha t,nttc 10 Mo-, I
was. She knew that l was already
married and that l had never got a
divorce, so she was as much to blame |
for my bigamy as / was"
The fact that Besold can never open
his mouth in self-defense without ac-
cusing or maligning some one of his
woman victims has made him so dis |
gusting to those who have questioned
him that but very few of them will
even speak to him.
His first statement upon reaching
Los Angeles after his arrest was that
his wife was woman of i'll repute and
had left him to return to the evil life
she had led before he married her.
That statement in the face of the state
ment from many others who knew the
little woman in her lifetime and who
declare she was a good, lovable woman,
caused considerable hard feeling
against Besold, and even the prisoners
daily in touch have cut his acquaint-
ance for it.
So little more was expected of Be
sold yesterday than that he would be-
gin to accuse or malign some woman.
Mrs. Pickett is good-natured woman,
rather plump and about middle aged.
y Yesterday she wore becoming suit
of gray and heavy brown veil OBJ
scured her features.
She was the chief witness of the case
r.I1 4 A.I- 4
during the afternoon.
Denies the Murder
Without preliminary examination she
leaned forward and pointed her finger
at Besold.
There" she said, sis the man who
married me on August 81 at Santa
Ana and whom / lived with for ten
days before he deserted me-"
The statement admitted of no cross
examination and the woman was al
lowed to leave the court room while
the case was continued for further
hearing Monday morning, when Coro-
ner Trout will be called to the witness
stand.
Yesterday Besold boldly acknowl-
edged his marriage.
"I am guilty of bigamy because was
lonesome and wanted q home after my
wife had left me-" he said. but they
can never bother me by accusing me
of having murdered my wife. Why, I
never even so much as slapped a
woman"
All the same, according to the state
ments of the prison guards, Besold Is
bothered a good deal and takes refuge
to inquiries behind the statement that
the question is a matter of his own
personal business.
Corroborative evidence of Besold's |
marriage to Mrs. Pickett, to show a |
possible motive for the crime, was
taken yesterday in the justice court
before adjournment until Monday |
morning.