Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-03
CHIEF WITNESS BRANDED A
PERJURER
DETECTIVE IN PAY OF MEXICAN
PRESIDENT
FurIong Violated Constitution in Ar
resting Prisoners Without War
rant, Declares Lawyer
Hartman

Cured yesterday afternoon in the closing
OF the hearing before United States Com
missioner Van Dyke in the Ta5o building,
when Attorney Job Hartman for the de-
fense tore the evidence submitted by the
government to pieces and denounced the
chief witenss for the prosecution, Trinidad
Vasduez. as "damnable perjurer in the
employ of Porflrio Diaz's human blood
hounds"
Attorney Hartman was pitiless in his
excoriation of the prosecutions main wit
ness. and before he had spoken two min
utes every person in the crowded room
was listening tensely.
The scene occurred after the defense
was compelled to close because the COM
missioner refused to allow a continuance
until certain witnesses for whom Harri-
man had telegraphed could arrive to tes-
tify.
United States District Attorney Lawler
opened his remarks, following Attorney
Hartman, by saying: II will not discuss
the probity of the witness Vasquez, be-
cause / believe the evidence is sufficient
without his testimony" Mr.. Lawler hesi-
tatingly ventured that Vasquez had con-
tradicted himself repeatedly because
counsel for the defense had excited himti
Diaz Feare Liberty
Attorney Hartman said in part: 'The
persecution and the prosecution OF these
three defendants are inspired by the Mex
lean government and the Mexican die
tator, Porfirio Diaz, who fears to longer
allow them to plead the cause Of liberty
against his brutal despotism.
"Mr. Lawler can hardly deny this now,
since Furlong who has been bounding
these men, testified on the stand that he
was in the employ of the Mexican govern
nd oil tod a W
them August % h did not have warrant.
We have proved that Furong violated the
constitution, and that he resorted to high
handed search and seizure of these men
and their papers, when he broke into the
house without authority.
Reduced to definite evidence, the gov
ernmert's case rests solely and absolutely
on the testimony of this man Vasquez.
He has lied consistently and thoroughly
throughout
"The record shows innumerable in
stances of perjury. Vasauez testified that
he did not know certain handwriting, and
then he swore later on that Salcido wrote
It, Then Vasquez testified that he was
present when 1t was written, but could
not tel when it was written. Later on
he testified 1t was written August 27.
Then he said it was written August IL.
He testified that the so-called military
appointments of officers were made Aug
ust 27. Afterward he testified all the
appointments were made August II. Vas.
| quez didn't remember whether or not the
letter was read at the meeting when the
! officers were appointed. Later he contra.
dicted himself on that point. Lies, lies
| lies, nothing but lies from this perjurer's
mouth, while he sat here doing his best
to swear These defendants into their
graves, so that he could earn his dirty
money from Diaz
Trapped on Dates
after he saw he had been trapped on
the statements regarding August IL and
August q he squirmed like worm. But
1t was sickening to watch the spectacle
of this cur when we proved by the date
on the paper itself that the instrument
carried the date Of August 81.
"Vasquez never saw that paper until he
got into court. The detectives for whom
this stoolpigeon has been working showed
him the paper, and then he fixed up his
sorry string OF lies. But one thing es-
capped MIN. He became tangled at the
vital point 1t was the date. He forgot
the date and as a result he contradicted
himself time after time on salient parts of
his testimony. After he testified that Es-
pinoza was elected in the meeting, he
turned around anu swore that Espinoza
had received his appointment by mail.
''Vasquez testimony has not been cor
roborated at one single point. On the con-
trary. the witnesses for the prosecution
have shown him to be liar at a score OF
places. Captain Rennng. the Arizona
ranger, was one OF Mr.. LAWYERS best wit
nesses.. But Captain Renning Is man.
and he acted like man. He said he had
seen few men around Douglas at those
supposed revolutionary meetings. He
said that the little stick of dynamite and
the two small calber pistols found there
were not at all unusual in that country,
but that, on the contrary, it was the nat
ural thing there among miners and that
kind of population.
Renning a Man
"Renning, the man. proves Vasquez, the
dog, liar. Vasquez varied in his testi-
mony regarding the number of men at
those meetings, and he switched from
time to time from thirty to twenty. then
to twenty-three, then to twenty-five, then
to twelve, and last to eight. The tran
script of Vasquez' testimony shows these
varying figures. He could not even tell
the truth about numbers. And after this
we notice that the letter telling abou-
the killing of Diaz was not found until
Furlong had located these defendants and
had them under arrest. Then that letter
was flashed for grand-stand play.
Where did that letter come from? ?
Where did all of this rot come from? All
these letters and documents and papers
who got them up? Who manufactured
this tissue of lies and perjury? And who
is paying them for their dirty work?
First. Furlong admits that he is employed
by the Mexican government that he is
paid by the Mexican government. Then
he admits that Vasquez was nothing more
nor less than a spy. What was Vasquez
doing In jumping from Douglas to Cana
nea2 Who directed his movements?' y
Attorney A. r. Holston for the de-
fense battered the prosecutions case
and said in part:
Having discovered that the perjured
witnesses against these defendants are
admitted by themselves to be merely
the paid detectives of the Mexican
government, we are now doing good
deal of wondering as to the source or
the interest of the United States dis
trict attorneys office in this case.
Arraigns Government
what Is there that makes the
United states governments employees
so interested in the Mexican govern :
I. ent's hatred against these men
when did this government take up the
work of prosecuting men whose only