Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-20
MAKES PLEA FOR
DESOLD'S LIFE
JURY HEARS EL00UENCE OF
ATTORNEYS
Bavarian Charged with Staying His
Wife in Temeseal Canyon May
Know His Fate To-
day

Attorney A. A. Sturges representing
Anton Besold, the Bavarian butcher
charged with the murder of his wife
I'm Temescal canyon, placed the life Of
the accused man in the hands of the
jury when court closed yesterday AFTER
noon
All day long the a.torneys for the de-
fense were engaged In trying to break
the links in the chain of evidence Of
fered by the prosecution to prove that
the woman found in Temescal canyon
was Glade Besold, wife of Anton Be
sold, that she was murdered and that
her husband was her murderer.
The court room was crowded from
opening until adjournment with men
and women curious to see what plea
the men who are defending Besold
would make for his life. When the evil
dence of tho defense was called for
Monday the statement that he would
offer no evidence, made by Attorney
Sturges, created a sensation, and yes
terday his motive was made clear, for
he tried to prove to the satisfaction of
the jury that the prosecution had
failed to prove the corpus deficit.
Defense seizes Opportunity
The chief objection to the lines of evil
dence advanced by the Prosecuting at
torney was to the effect that the time
in which the deed is supposed to have
been done is so short that it would have
been an impossibility.
The prosecution conducted the trial
on the proposition that the crime was
committed July IL between the hours
of 10 o'clock and / o'clock.
Attorney Sturges argued that If that
We're true the trip from Los Angeles to
Santa Monica and from there to Te-
mescal canyon and back to Los An
geles must have been made in three
hours. Mr.. Sturges said such a thing
would not be possible. DR.. NJ. J. Brown
testified that Besold was in his office
about 1 o'clock July II, when he re-
ported that his wife had gone north.
The prosecution evidently failed to
consider the question of time, and the
defense hit upon it as a broken link IN
the chain of evidence.
Former Deputy Sheriff C. S. Gilbert
whose detective work was the means
of bringing Besold to Los Angeles, was
under fire from the tongue of Mr.
Sturges most of the afternoon and the
attorney left no possible slur antitrust
Mr.. Gilbert was in court and he stood
the onslaught upon him without o
CULVER
May Know Fate Today
Only once during the day did the
accused man seem to show any emo
tion, and that was when his attorney
announced that he pl"ced the life and
liberty Of his client in the hands of the
jury.
II will rest my case, and you, gentle
men of the jury, must decide on the
evidence presented. The life and lib
erty of this young man are in your
hands. Treat him if he were a son
"a brother. Consider his case, as II
you would consider the case were your
son on trial for his life"
Besold heard him as he had heard
him ell day, but for the first time he
was moved from his calm. The lower
part of his face twitched, and it was
evident that he realized thS Importance
of the plea.
He stopped for a few minutes to
speak with his att rney as he left the
court room, and the latter gave HIM an
assuring word.
Earlier in the day David G. Taylor,
assistant counsel for the defense, made
a plea to the jury.
1t was thought that the case would
go to the jury, but it was nearly
when the counsel for the defense
finished speaking. When court opens
at 10 o'clock this morning Assistant
District Attorney McComas will make
the closing address to the Jury and it
is probable that by tonight 3esold will
knOw whether or not he is n free man