Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-22
Hears Verdict Calmly

But Buck never changed color. His
hands remained in the same position
and the same sleepy appearance re-
manned with him. Many of the specta
tors shuddered as they realized the
horror of the verdict and the calm and
indifferent manner in which it had been
received by the one whom it most con-
Cerned.
Charles o. Garfield. son of the mur
dered woman, leaned forward to hear
the verdict and he seemed more ner-
vous than any other man in the court
room. When the verdict was read he
smiled ever so slightly and shook hands
with Attorney Gage, who had been one
of the prosecutors.
Many visiting attorneys and num-
Der of the spectators and court officials
shook hands with Attorney Warner and
complimented him upon his splendid
defense of the murderer
Then minutes after the verdict had
been read, Buck was told to stand up
and return to his cell Sheriff White
took hold of his arm and guided him
through the crowd, but he walked with
the same slow step and showed no
sign of collapsiug.
Nothing was said to Buck regarding
his opinion of the verdict and when he
arrived at his cell he was locked in
and promptly stretched himself out on
his couch.
To the Death Cell
This morning he will be taken to the
little iron death cell on the top floor
of the Jail and guard put over him.
He will remain there, unless he is
granted a new trial, until he is SEN
fenced and then he will be taken north
to San Quentin prison and hanged in
the Jail yard within sixty or ninety
days of the time of sentence.
Yesterday Judge Smith stated that he
would probably sentence Buck Satur-
day morning at 10 o'clock and arrange
ments are being made by the sheriff
for handling the great crowd of the
morbidly curious who always attend
the sentencing of a murderer.
In the meantime, 1t is said Attorney
Warner will file motion for new trial
and if that is refused he may fight the
case to the supreme court.
The crime for which Morris Buck
will be hanged was the murder of Mrs.
Cloe Garfield, wife of Charles A. Cam
field, the oil king, and one of the lead
ing society women of Los Angeles.
Buck was formerly employed as
coachman at the Garfield home.
Ambitious as Baker
From his early childhood, according
to the evidence in the case, he had set
his heart on becoming a baker. 1t was
the foolish mind of the injured boy
the defense maintained, striving in the
darkness of semi-idiocy for some ray
of light and Buck cherished the cook
ing idea when he could remember moth
ing else.
He was out Of work in Los Angeles
n Of 1i 6a
secure none, so he wrote to Mrs. Can
field and asked for loan of $4,000 with
which to carry out his life's plan and
start a bakery. Receiving no reply to
his note he went to the Garfield home
on the evening of January q and asked
to see Mrs. Garfield She was not at
home and Buck returned a short time
later and asked for her.
She met him on the porch and talked
with him and told him that she had
many calls for money and could not
give him what he wanted. He then
drew a revolver and fired, the first shot
striking the woman in. the abdomen
and as she screamed and held out her
hand as though to ward off a blow, he
fired a second Shot the bullet striking
her in the breast and killing her almost
instantly. Then while the body of his
victim rested at his feet Buck leaned
over her, murmuring, IT told you so,
oh I told you So"
He then turned to the crowd of men
and women who had assembled in front
of the home and he put the muzzle of
his revolver to his head and said:
Gentlemen of the jury, shall I blow
my brains out?' and although an an
swer in the affirmative was shouted at
Buck he did not kill himself, and ten
later when he saw an officer
approaching he ran away and took
refuge in the boat house at Westlake
park. He surrendered to Special OIL
GER Foster.