Los Angeles herald., 1906-12-08
Faced by Wife'S Skull
He Trembles
Dramatic Scere at Court
Examination
Alleged Partial Confession Read--sur-
aeon Identifies Remains-Woman's
Jewelry Exhlblted-Prisoner
Sent Back to Cell

Following one of the most grewsome
and horrible scenes ever witnessed in o
Los Angeles court room, Anton Besold,
q Bavarian butcher on trial on a charge
of having murdered his wife, Glade
Besold, was yesterday held over to an
swer the murder charge in the supe-
rior court by Justice Young, who re-
fused bail and committed the prisoner
to the custody of the sheriff.
With staring, colorless eyes Besold
stumbled out into the bright sunlight
of New High street following the de-
cision, and scarcely noting the restrain
ing handouts or the officer who walked
by his side, the accused man hurried
toward the county Jail building, con-
stantly looking back as though expect
ing the very ground to open and the
spirit of his wife to descend upon him.
Produces Bone in Court
Yesterday morning when the case
was called there were not more than a
dozen pepole present in the court room.
The first witness to be called was DR..
N. G. Brown, who attended Mrs. Besold
just before her disappearance and death
in the Temescal canyon on July II.
DR.. Brown testified that Mrs. Besold
had called at his office and. that he had
treated her for tubercular condition
in her left arm. He testified that the
day before her disappearance he had
put bandage about her left forearm,
over an old wound where the flesh had
been opened so that the bones might
be scraped.
He produced the stump of mummified
flesh and bone, with specks of cartilege
still clinging to it, and there, still
tightly bound about it, although discol-
ored by the oil from the body, was the
bandage and peculiar brand of safety
pin used by DR.. Brown in manipulate
inb bandages and dressings. it
proved beyond all doubt the
identity of the decomposed body
found in the Temescal canyon,
and was the only link needed to confirm
the story of the identification of the
clothing found on the mutilated body.
BesoId Acts Calmly
When the stump of an arm was pro-
duced in court the spectators shuddered
at the grewsome exhibit, but not so
Besold. He was sitting just inside the
railing but behind the attorneys ta-
y
leaned forward so as to obtain a better
view of the remains, he also stood up
and craned his neck In an attempt 10
see. Later pictures taken of the ex-
huming of the body were shown him,
but he hurried over them as quickly as
possible.
Then Deputy Sheriff Gilbert was
called to the stand. He produced a
sensation in the trial by offering for
evidence partial confession to the
crime, signed by Besold The state
ment had been secured from Besold on
the train while he was being brought
back to Los Angeles following his ar
rest in Washington The confession
wound up with the statement. after
Besold had told most of the events lead
ing up to the murder:
"You know the rest, Mr.. Gilbert; If
my mother had not been alive / would
have gone myself at the same time"
Grins When Confession Is Read
During the reading of the partial con-
fession Besold, who had recovered his
nerve, grinned at times and seemed to
be amused, but little did he realize
what was in store for him at the after
noon session.
Promptly at 1 o'clock the prisoner
again appeared in the court room and
marched over to his seat with jaunty
air. He smiled at the pleasantries eX-
changed by his attorneys and Deputy
District Attorney G. c. McComas, and
when the case was resumed he seemed
in the best of spirits.
Sheriff White was the first witness
called to the stand. 81 met this man
Resold for the first time in Washing
ton" testified the sheriff. "At that
time he was under arrest on charge Of
having murdered his wife, and l believe
that murder | asked him why he had
been in such hurry to leave Los An
geles and where he had left his wife
He told me that he was hurrying east
to join the army. ! secured at that time
some hat plumes of ostrich gathers and
white boa from a woman in Wash
ington, and also ring, and she said
that Besold had given them to her,
and at that conversation Besold told
me that he had given the stuff to the
woman. l believe that is all we had
to say to each other at that time"
Are you sure that you cannot re-
member anything else that you said TO
him?" suggested Attorney Thompson,
representing the accused man.
Said ResoId Was Champion Liar
Yes" continued the sheriff. Il believe
l remember one other thing. told
him at that time that he was the big
gest liar in the world. / think he said
that he didn't believe he was, but we
didn't argue the question.
THE next time | saw him was when
we got his jewelry nine rings and two
watches, from the officers there, and he
identified the stuff as jewelry belong
ing to himself and his wife.
1--WE next talked on the train, and he
told me the same thing he told Gilbert
about his trouble with his wife and /
asked him where he had got the gun
with which he had killed her and he
said that II was her gun, one that she
and bought to shoot squirrels with
when she had lived in Washington
state. When / asked him why he took
her to the canyon to kill her he broke
down and asked me not TO ask him any
more questions.
Later he told me another story and
! again thought he was the biggest liar
/ had ever met, but didn't tell him so.
sConsinued on Page rsvoJ