Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-26
TRIAL DRAGS FOR
SEVENLONG c HOURS
JUDGE, JURY, LAWYERS AND
WITNESSES EXHAUSTED
Three Men Accused Of Disturbing the
Peace In Skating Rink Are
Finally Fined by the
Court

IL Police Judge Chambers court room
mad been stage and all of the law
yers, witnesses and spectators had been
actors a better burlesque upon a real
trial could not have been enacted than
the scene at the trial yesterday Of r..
A. Raemer, G. F. Tanner and d. L.
Pratt for disturbing the peace
The trial was begun at o'clock and
dragged along for seven weary hours
George Sanders, attorney for the
defendants, agued cross-examined,
called for more witnesses and threw in
sultfng remarks at the police officer in
the case, taking up at least seven
eighths of the time, only to have his
clients convicted and fined $25 each.
The defendants were all young men
and a crowd of more than fifty young
men and boys gathered to hear the case.
AS the trial went on 1t grew more funny
to the audience, who had at times to
be called to order.
For the judge the case carried no
merriment No dinner did he receive
until after 10 o'clock. AS the minutes
and hours dragged slowly by his face
grew stern and once he could not re-
frain from chiding Mr.. Sanders for de-
laying the case so long.
Frederckson Had Reasons
Assistant City Prosecutor Frederick
son almost begged the Judge to allow
the case to be continued until today, but
the judges calendar was too crowded.
Mr.. Frederickson was desirous of get
ting home in order that he might see
his baby girl, not yet two days old.
Even the usually placid bailiff grew
nervous. He wears a mustache So
nervous did he get that he chewed al
most half an inch off one end of 1t.
Every one present laid that blame to
Mr.. Sanders for the case taking such
a long time. So obdurate was he that
all of the witnesses for the prosecution
were not telling the truth that seven
teen witnesses were summoned His
cross-examination of the witnesses
took up so much time that the prose-
cution did not rest until 6:45 o'clock.
AT this time the attorneys pleaded
that the case be continued today. The
judge was compelled to steel his heart
and say that the case must be finished
even though 1t took all night.
Sanders Pleads, Too
Mr.. Sanders pleaded that he had
worked hard all day and that he desired
to go home. Judge Chamb bers responded:
"Candidly, Mr.. Sanders, think that
this case could have been finished long
before this"
No Subpoenas
The defense was then called upon to
put it's witnesses upon the stand 1t
was then discovered that blunder had
been made. The witnesses had not been
subpoenaed. They had sat in the court
room all afternoon listening to the
trial and had gone home.
The judge was then called upon to
act as judge, clerk and bailiff. The
clerk had gone home and the bailiff had
been sent outside the court room. The
judge issued the necessary subpoenas.
Information was then vouched that
one of the witnesses lived in Long
Beach. The judge isued orders to go
after him.
After few minutes delay the, de-
fense put two Witnesses upon the stand.
At z :45 o'clock the star witness had not
come to court. A thirty minutes delay
was taken up by Attorney Sanders de-
livering bitter TRADE in low tone
against Patrolman Busse.
At 8:15 o'clock an officer returned
to court saying that Clarence Blessing,
one of the witnesses. was not at home.
"stay All Night"
The judge then issued orders to the
patrolman to go to the mans home and
to stay there all night If necessary to
secure the witness.
The lawyers and officers began get
ting nervous, for it looked as though
an all night session of court would be
held. A compromise was made in
which the defense decided to submit
the case without the witness.
When the case had been closed, At
torney Sanders argued for half an hour.
The three young men on trial were
charged with disturbing the peace on
the night of July 1S at the Pacific skat-
it1Ir af Iii 1,ILT a,
ton streets. officer E. Busse attempted
to quell the disturbance and was COM
PEELED to use his night stick
Public Places
The three men are said to be mem
bers of a gang that frequently
caused trouble at places of public en-
tertainment.
Raemer, who is a stenographer, is
claimed by the police to have been
among a crowd who threw rocks at
Officer Charles Craig several weeks
ago while he was trying to quiet dis
turbance at a merry go-round on YER
mont avenue.
1t is alleged the young men frequent
the Rialto pool hall at Pico and Albany
streets
Tanner is an architect. He acknowl-
edged on the stand that the officer was
not big enough to lick him.
Pratt's father is a member of the
grocery firm of Roach & Pratt. Dur
ing the trial an attempt was made to
throw the blame on him, but the judge
considered that he was but Is years of
age and that he had been influenced
by the older boys.
Mr.. and Mrs. Pratt sat through the
trial and asked that the boy be given
a fine instead of Jail sentence.
Judge Chambers was of the opinion
that the outcome of the trial was of
great Importance on account of the
large number of boys who listened to
the trial