Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-26
WOMAN FINED FOR
TALKING TO JUROR
BERTHA CHASE PUNISHED FOR
CONTEMPT
Ordered to Pay One Hundred Dollars
or Go to Jail for Five Days,
She Chooses the
Former

Found guilty of contempt of court by
Judge James in the superior court yes
terday Miss Bertha Chase OF santa
Monica was fined $100 or the alterna-
tive of five days in the county jail.
The specific charge against MISS
Chase was that she tried to lnnuence
Juror Charles L. Palmer. who was
serving on the jury in the McComas
murder trial a short time ago, py
reading to him extracts from letters
she had received from McComas ten
years ago.
palmer testified that Miss Chase.
who lives across the street from MIN
in Santa Monica, came to his home one
evening and read to him almost the
entire contents of a four or five-page
letter. and after finishing told him the
letter was received by her from Nc
Conas. He declared she had not told
him who the letter was from until
after she had read it. He claimed MISS
Chase told him Mrs. McComas was
either dead or divorced and that both
were nice people when she knew them
in Mexico ten years ago.
The second time he met the defend-
ant was Thursday, May 2S. He was
walking along Broadway near the city
hall when Miss Chase, who was on the
to where he was and said: "Will you
escort me home tonight?" The wit
ness said he told her she had better
take a car and go home, but she replied
that she was going to see the end OF
the trial. This, he stated, was be-
tween $3.50 and o'clock in the even
ing. After the evening session of court
adjourned at about S;45 o'clock, he de-
clared, he met Miss Chase at First and
Broadway, and when he approached
her Miss Prizgint, who had attended
the sessions of court with Miss Chase,
left. He and Miss Chase boarded the
9:O5 o'clock car and sat in the same
seat.
When questioned as to the conversa-
tion while on the car Palmer said Miss
Chase told him Mrs McComas was
alive and in San Francisco. He said
he noticed the young woman carried
some letters in her hand and he re-
marked to her: "Are you still carrying
those letters?" and told her she had
better tie them up or she might lose
them. Then she took her handkerchief
and tied it around them. When asked
If she read extracts from the letters
while on the car that evening he said
he was not sure. that he was tired at
that time and die not pay much atten-
ton to what she said.
On cross-examination he testified
that the letters from which she read
extracts to him were dated In 1885,
He declared the woman's conversation
with him did not influence him In the
least.
Deputy District Attorney Fleming
testified to the events leading up to
the arrest of Miss Chase on the day
he had her brought into his office.
Miss Chase took the stand and re-
lated the circumstances of her ac-
uuaintance with McComas In MaZat-
Ian, Mexico, ten years ago. She told
why she had read portions of the let
ters to the two jurors and said her
reason for doing SO was to explain her
regular attendance at the trial of Nc
Comas. She denied that she tried to
influence them, and declared that it
was only to protect herself that she
told of her friendly relations with MI
and Mrs. McComas In the past.
The defendant was represented by
Attorney Hugh T. Gordon, who argued
that the affidavit sworn to by Fleming
and which was the cause of Miss Chase
being brought into court to show cause
for contempt was insufficient. At the
beginning of the trial yesterday morn
ing Attorney Gordon argued on the
remurrer, which the court overruled.
Deputy District Attorney Fleming
made forceful argument at the COM
Miss Chase guilty as charged and fixed
her fine at 500 or five days in Jail.
Miss Chase paid the fine.