The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-15
Witness in Greek Murder Case
Creates Sensation in Dis
trict Court.
PECULIAR ELEMENTS OF
THIS PECULIAR CASE
John Zaroran Named as the
Man Who Attempted to In
timidate Witness.

Pete Scranich, witness for the de-
tense in the Maerovich murder case,
on trial before Judge Armstrong Of the
third district court, declared Saturday
that witnesses for the state who were
friends and co.religionists of the muT-
dercd man had attempted to intimidate
him from giving testimony in favor Of
Maerovich under threats and insinua-
tions Of violence.
Scranich g charges created the first
sensation in the case. He named John
Zaroran, a six.foot Austrian, who was
one Of the early witnesses for the state,
as one of the friends of Popich who had
Wackstine, the negro checking inter
prefer for the state, in his charges.
Zaroran, he said, approached and
threatened him in the corridor early
Saturday morning, insinuntingy in
curing what he was testifying in the
case for, anyway, Wackstine, ScranIch
said. had told him he would be in Jail
testified TO. 'EThe county attorney will
get you if you don't be careful as to
what YOU say,' Wackstine told him.
Scranich said.
Jury Excused.
The charges of intimidation, or at
tempted intimidation, were so strong
and made with such impressiveness that
the court excused the jury to make an
investigation. WackstiDe was called 20
The stand. and denied that he had said
ANYTHING about the county attorney get
ting Scranich if he WASH t careful as TO
what he testified. Both Scranlch and
Wackstine were administered stern
rebuke.
The Greek Catholic faction, TO which
Popich belonged, far outnumbers the
Roman Catholics at Bingham, and the
threats alleged wonld be particularly
effective on this account. The de-
fenses counsel claim that the states
witnesses have been interfering with
Maerovich S witnesses all through the
trial.
Scranich, when the trial of the case
was resumed, said that he was in
Forbes's salon four months before
the shooting, when Maerovieh came IN
one day crying and said that Popich
had threatened to kill him. Popich, he
said, had broken in his door and threat
ened his life Maerovich appealed to
Forbes for protection, but ScTanich
didn Z know whether be got it OF not.
The state tried TO discTedit Scran-
ich's testimony supposedly on the
grounds that Scranich had been IN jail
at one time himself, charged with muir
der for the shooting of Pete Bogdan st
Bingham. Bogdan recovered, but IN q
supposed dying confession he exonerated
Scranich.
On the Porch.
George Popovich was on the porch
of the second story Of Maerovich g
house when the shooting occurred. AL
though be could see Maerovich he could
not get in sight Of Popich, he declared.
The state, on cross-eXamination, tried
It's best TO get Popovich off the porch,
out did not succeed. According to Popo-
vich. Popich declared that be was 60
ing TO shoot Maerovich before Maero-
yicb ordered him away.
Popovich was still on the stand when
court adjourned until 10 O'Clock Mon
day morning. The Vance case was set
for trial then, but it looks now that this
hearing will have to be postponed
again. The Maerovich case will not be
finished before Wednesday or Thurs,
day, as the charge to the jury and
other similar steps will have to be trans
lated TO Maerovich if he insists upon
hearing them in his native language.
A peculiar circumstance of the trial
is that although Forbes arrested Furko.
vich and Blokovicb for the murder Of
Popich. charging them with first degree
murder, and that although they were
present al the shooting. the state failed
90 call these men to testify against
Macrovich, but placed other witnesses
on the stand who we're co-rel'gionists of
Popich and WHO were not in sight of
the shooting, according to much of the
testimony