Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-15
ROBE Gull TY
OF MURDER IN
FIRST DEGREE
JURY CONVICTS ACC0MPLICE
OF MESKIL
PRISONER RECOMMENDED TO
MERCY OF COURT
Verdict Brought in After Four Hours
DeIiberation and Time for Sem
tence Fixed for Sat-
urday Next

di0AJ 'NSNS
AS he occupied his little iron-barred
cell IN the county Jail last night Rolla
Robe, the accomplice of Daniel +. Mes-
Kill. looked into the future and It's dark
shadows gave no hope to his heart In
his mind there was pictured the GRIM
forbidding walls Of the state prison.
where the balance of a life which has
passed but twenty-five years on TINS
earth must be spent, far from the loving
wife and child who have sat with him day
NV day in the crowded court room en-
deavoring to aid him in his trial or cheer
the last few hours of comparative liberty
The twelve men who have listened Tor
almost three days to the testimony or
many witnesses in the trial left the court
room for the little chamber at the west
side of the hall at 4S0 o'clock yesterday
afternoon there to consider and decide on
a verdict Almost four and half hours
later they returned to their seats and
the verdict, which was reached only after
much argument, wa read, finding the
prisoner guilty of murder in the first
degree, but with recommendation for
mercy.
Robe sat with staring eyes and pale
cheeks as the verdict was read, while the
little brown-eyed wife gave way to the
grief she has checked during the long
hours of her husbands trial.
Both Sides Argue
The day in court was taken up with
argument for and against the prisoner
Deputy District Attorney Edward j..
Fleming addressed the jury first. He told
the twelve men they must weigh the EVIL
dence brought forth regarding the move
ments of the defendant on the night OF
November 30, and explained to them that
he and they were acting as servants OF
the county. Referring TO the prisoner
wife and baby, he declared that II the
Jury did not enforce the law because OF
mawlIish sentiment life and liberty woulo
not be safe in the community.
Mr.. Fleming gave statistics to show
that there were more murders committed
in Chicago in 1905 than in either LONDON
or Paris, with their larger populations,
and said the reason was because the law
is enforced in the British isles and in
France.
''There has been interjected in this case
an incident" declared Mr. Fleming, ''for
the purpose of arousing sentiment. This
little child that has been toddling
around the room was brought here for
that purpose, and the child is not the
offspring of Rolla Robe
Mr.. Fleming declared a look over the
audiences in all great cases would show
faces OIL Hltn WHO are dl hCdii -
who are there to learn whether the au-
thorities are in earnest, whether the po-
lice are easy or whether the jury is in
huenced by mawkish sentiment.
ut is no defense for a person engaged
with another in robbery to say that he
did not intend to take human life. This
defendant is either guilty of murder in
the first degree or he should be given
his freedom"
NTr fho avid in
detail and ridiculed the idea that Robe
could not find employment after living
nineteen years in Los Angeles If he had
lived an upright life, He declared the
evidence proved that Robe had engineered
the robbery of the Garlemsn grocery.
Speaking of Robes testimony he said
his experience in the district attorney s
office and as city prosecutor had proved
to him that man who tried to tell a
falsehood on the stand could not make
good"
Reviews Evidence
He went over in detail the mad ride pf
Robe and Mesl1il and ridiculed Robe S
story that he wanted to go home then
but was forced to continue by Meskil.
Arthur L. Veitch of Robes counsel
followed Mr.. Fleming. He related the
circumstances of the meeting between
Meskil and Robe and declared the former
had fed his companion on whisky for
hours before the robbery in order to place
him in a condition where he could not
resist. He had discovered Robe had no
money, said the attorney, "and at last
You can imagine the boy saying. All
right, I'll do it
Then, TO keep the young man from re-
GREETING his promise, he fed him on in
toXicants."
Mr.. Veitch declared the district attor-
ney had not shaken the testimony of
xNr1f fl1 h.Dr L,
only made his statement appear the more
truthful
The failure of the Garleman robbery
and the fall from the buggy on Central
avenue. said Mr.. Vetch, sobered Robe
and when he told Meskil he was going
home 1t was evident the boy had with
drawn why did he follow Meskl?" he
demanded; because Meskil said, All
right, come on, and the boy believed they
We're going home, and he went"
Says Police Misstated Facts
Mr. Veitch closed at O'clock and was
followed by Mr.. Spring, with whom he is
associated Mr.. Spring pointed out what
ne termed the discrepancies in the testi
mony of the police officers, and declared
they were especially interested in the
case because the dead man was also a
police officer Il do not say they lied
he said, but ] say they made mistakes
in their statements"
IN many of the details of the story OF
Robes movements, he said, no dscrepan.
cies are found, but he declared when a
man is taken to the city Jail he is moi
given the opportunity man is given ir
the superior court to make his state.
ments. In the jail. he declared, his state
ments are made under abnormal condi.
tlons.
Referring to the testimony of witnesses
he said that of Miss Miller, who was nea,
the scene of the crime, proved that she
was misled as to what She saw, and he
declared that Alfred S, Hamilton, ths
fireman, was visionary and had no con.
ception of what occurred, except the one
fact that he recognized Rolla Robe in a
glance Maybe he did not lie," said the
attorney but he didn't know what he
was talking about"
He believed that when Robe ran from
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