Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-11
ONE-LEGGED MAN
IS TWICE TRIED
ENTIRE NElGHBoRHOoD APP.
PEARS AGAINST HIM
Aged Resident Of Boyle Heights se-
cures Disagreement on One
Charge, but ls Held for
Trial on Another

TO undergo two trials i'm the SAINT
day and to finally be held to answer q
felony charge iu the superior court was
the experience of y. M. Potter, an aged
resident of Boyle Heights, who yester-
day faced a jury in Justice Youngs
court on a charge Of disturbing the;
peace and later on a threat to kill
charge. X
Potter is notorious for his eccentric
disposition and many Of the residents
of Dittman street, close to the city.
limits on East First street, are said to,
fear him.
He is a cripple, having been injured in
an accident several years ago which
cost him his right leg, but even though
he scarcely can hobble about on a.
crutch, he is said to have been able to-.
keep the entire neighborhood of Ditt-s
man street in excitement, and about
fifty men and women were in court,
yesterday to testify against him.
The disturbance charged was the first
to be tried and Potter demanded a jury. 4
A jury was called and Potter hobbled
,pp on his crutches and began to assist.
his attorney in calling the witnesses.
Beat Down the Doors
Most of them were women who had
DceH at In6 1OlIeI HOIilS LIlTee WttNo
ago when Potter, in fit of anger, beat
down the doors of his home with his
crutches and chased the occupants to
the street
II had gone to the Potter home to
spend the afternoon with one of the
Potter children who was very i'll with
typhoid fever" testified one witness.
II had not been there long before /
heard a disturbance at one of the outer
pntfar N fha
and when she heard the noise she told
me to go and see what the trouble was
because the boy was very i'll and she
did not want any noise about the place.
Before 1 reached the door l couli
hear what was going on. Potter had
arrived home in an intoxicated condi-
ton and wanted to see his wife, She
refused to let him in and he sat down
in the kitchen and began to call her
every bad name he could think Of and
finally when he got tired of that he
made an attack ON the door, and with
the aid of his crutches and cane he
beat the door down.
"Then he marched into the room and
threatened to kill everyone in sight.
and after frightening everyone and cre-
ating disturbance he left"
Gives His Version
Potter was then given a chance to
tell his side of the story He hobbled
up to the stand and announced that he
was going to tell the truth in detail.
which he proceeded to do for more than
an hour.
The panels of the door were lugged
into court by deputies, but Potter de-
MED having broken in the panels.
Finally he threw himself on the
mercy of the jurors, telling them that
he had been shabbily treated. AS an
example of the horrible tortures to
which he had been subjected he an
nounced to the jurors that he had not
changed his shirt for ten weeks, where
at the court ordered the bailiff to raise
the windows on the grounds that the
room was too warm. He contended
that he had not had a chance to change
the shirt for the past three weeks be-
cause he was in Jail and that prior to
that time his wife would not wash his
shirt.
Potter Goes to Lunch
The horrible example of the shirt
went right to the heart of the tender
jurymen and they disagreed on ver-
dict and Potter went to lunch at the
Jail.
He was then given preliminary exam
ination before Justice Young on the
felony charge of having made threats
to kill and he was bound over for trial
in the superior court and his bail fixed
at $500.
His only remark as he was being
taken back to Jail was that he would
get plenty to eat for a while longer.