Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-06
ARRAIGNS EVANS
IN HOT SPEECH
ATTORNEYS CLOSE IN ExT0R-
TION CASE
JUDGE WILL INSTRUCT THE JURY
THIS MORNING
Lawyers Claim Arrest Of Physician
Was Trick on Business Mans
Part to Avoid Civil
Suit

Deputy District Attorney Mccormick,
who is conducting the prosecution or
DIR. J. S. owens, charged with attempt
ing to exort money from j. Whyte
Evans, former president of the United
Railways of Portland closed the argu-
ments of counsel yesterday by denounc-
ing the speech made by Attorney Jud
Rush, counsel for the defendant az
nothing but sentiment"
Both sessions of court were taken
" with the arguments of counsel. AS
the last argument was not ended until
4:30 yesterday afternoon, Judge Monroe
did not instruct the jury, but ordered
them to appear in the court at O'Clock
this morning.
Mr.. Rush continued his argument at
the afternoon session. He laid great
stress upon the words OF Mr.. Anderson,
who accused Dr. Owens of dragging the
name of Mrs, Evans into the case. He
said: "You heard the testimony in this
case i'm regards to the marriage of Mr..
Evans to the former wife of DR.. owens.
That is, you heard Doc say he asked
Evans and his former wife and her
friends IL they had ever been married.
He never found out-no one could IN
form him as to that fact. Now, IL Mr..
Evans was married to her why should
he wish to hide the fact? Why should
he be afraid to tell Ii to the world, ana
in one sentence clear UP all this douptT
hide? Look at the man, and then look
at big hearted Doe robbed of wife. or
home, of child, and then OF the burial
plot he had bought to bury that child,
and all by Mr.. Evans. Not satisfied
with that, he tries to put Owens in
prison. No man but j. Whyte Evans
or one as low as he could think of such
a thing as that
Blames Evans
was 1t Owens who dragged the fair
name of that woman into the mud. as
Mr.. Anderson wishes you to believe?
say II ever q woman had q worse enemy
In the world, IL ever woman was
dragged from the highest and proudest
pedestal q woman can stand on, that
of being a lawful wife, II was done by
J. Whyte Evans.
who brought these letters into court
to be published in the newspapers and
read by thousands, then to be made
public records II not ]. Whyte Evans?
DIR. Owens didn't do 1t, He had a right
to publish those IL he wanted to. He
had a right to publish the prison record
of this man II he wanted to, didn't he?
But, he didn't. Evans on the stand
never denied owing this money, did he?
Here was Evans UP In Portland CIV
ing champagne dinners and posing as a
millionaire, and Owens down here try
ing to scrape up enough money to hire
an office. Evans had money. He said
he had. Then do you blame DR..
Owens for writing q hot letter to this
man and try to collect a debt which
we have proved was due i'm? Can you
show me word In this letter which
looks as though Owens wanted to
extort?
AFTER more than a half century of
unquestlonable integrity, do you i'm
agine he should stop to blackmail? And
If he should, do you suppose he would
tackle such a proposition as j. Whyte
Evans?"
Mr.. Rush ended his appeal by asking
the jury to acquit the defendant.
Mccormick Addresses Jury
Mr.. Mccormick spoke about an hour
He said in part: II don't care whether
the victim Is former convict or a de-
baucher of women, IL you please, just
as long as you have statutes which say
q man shall be punished for exortion
Just so long shall we prosecute with
Just as much vigor as we prosecute
the man charged with petty larceny in
the police courts"
The defendant Is confident of being
acquitted. His attorneys filed a suit
for him against J. Whyte Evans, the
complainant in the case, which Is now
pending, to collect s5S1S, with interest
at the rate of per cent, dating from
May g. 1902.
The suit Is the same one fileu by the
physician in Portland, Ore, against
Evans. When Evans heard of the suit
he is said to have come to Los Angeles
and had DR.. Owens arrested on the
present charge, two days before the
suit in Portland was called. DR.. Owens
was released on bonds. but If he had
left the state his bonds would have
been forfeited. The suit was discharged
from the Portland courts because of
the non-appearance of the physician
1t Ia said this was q piece OF ingenuity
on the part of Mr. Evans, who foresaw
what would happen.
He has been served papers in the
present suit. however, and must face
trial Immediately after the present case
is determined