Arizona republican., 1906-04-21

first charge was begun yesterday A very large part of the population of Wiekenburg appeared in the capacity of witnesses. The testimony was wholly circumstantial. but some of the circumstances were of the most dam againg character
 It was shown in the first place that Wilson had been a resident of Wick enburg for about two years. and thas in that time he had had very little re- munerative employment. He had worked for a short time as track walker under his father. who was a section foreman on the s. r. P & P. and that he had worked a little while for Grant Bros. on the A. &. c. He ap- peared also to have been connected in some way for a brief period with a stud poker game.
 The post-office at Wickenburg at certain hours of the day appears to have been left unattended. The popu- lace. or that part of it which had rented baXes, went in and out at it's pleasure, and there was nothing to prevent anybody from doing likewise.
 On January -12. about o'clock in the afternoon, Wilson was seen to en- ter the office, and, some time after. the same man who saw him go in saw him leave it. It was later dis covered that SIS had been taken out of the safe and that a registered package containing a small sum had been taken from a larger package. This registered letter had been mailed by Sam Franklin to a merchant in this city.
 Access to the compartment contain ing the safe was by a door fastened a Va1 r. this lock had not been forced. and it was known that nobody had a key to it except the postmaster, J. l. Bach tiger and his daughter. At length it was discovered that lock box near this door had been tempered with. The box was not occupied. An indentation was found in the woodwork at the side of the lock. the indentation amounting to an accurate impression of some sharp -cornered instrument
 All the time Wilson had been un- der suspicion, and when he was taken into custody there was found in his possession a flat brass key, which fit ted exactly the impression made on the door of the lock box. by which it had been sprung open. With the door of this box open, one could reach through the box and manipulate the lock of the door between the two com partments.
 This was the most damaging fact against Wilson. He had owed about S7, and that was paid on the morning following the robbery Two other debts of his were paid about the same time, and it was found that ne had bought an express money order on Los Angeles for s2O on January 13.
 On the night of January F. in conversation with a man named Grif- fin. employed in a saloon Wilson had shown him a couple of registered packages, which he said he had receiv- ed from Fl Paso, where he had $500 deposited in a. bank. He said that the packages contained money enough to enable him to pay his debts and have something left. The bartender did not notice the names on the packages, but supposed that they were addressed to Wilson.
 Another more or less damaging fact against Wilson was proof that he had known that the registered package mailed by Franklin had been put into the post-Office. All this is the sub stance of the evidence brought out yesterday.
 There was one witness for the gov
 
 ingness. He was Charles Born, a miner. a friend of the postmaster. He had just come in from his mining camp and as passing along the street when he saw Wilson enter the post office He was about loo yards away when he first noticed the defendant, and he walked slowly in the direction of the office. When ne had passed the office about 100 yards he saw him come out; in fact, ne had turned around somehow to see how long ne was going to stay in, for he felt that a crime was being committed. On cross examination, he was asked why he had thought so and why he had taken particular notice of the entrance of the defendant, when everybody was accustomed to enter the post office at all hours of the day. The witness replied that when ne first saw Wilson he had a strange feeling" In reply to a question by Attorney Jones for the defense. as to how long this strange feeling" preyed upon him. he said until he had gone to BachUiger's house and told him what he had seen. He was also asked if he had not re- gently been discussing the case with another witness for the government, offering to bet $1OO that Wilson would be convicted. The witness said he re- membered no such conversation.
 The other witnesses, to whom refer ence is made, was Jesus Grosco, the proprietor of a saloon opposite the post-office. He, too, had seen Wilson come out of the post-office and Will son had saluted him. as he had often done, Soon after that the witness saw another man go into the post office with a lot of letters and come out again.
 Orosco was asked about Born's of fer to bet $10O on the conviction of Wilson. The government objected on the ground that it was improper eX animation The objection was sustain ed and the attorney said that he would put Orosco on the stand for the de- fense at the proper time. The evil dence for the government had been