The San Francisco call., 1909-11-18
Rage at Being Tilted Prompted
Alma Bells Bullet, De-
ClareS Prosecutor
Sheriff Testifies Girl Said Shoot.
ing Result of Dead Mans
Love for Minnie Foster
Threatening Letters Cause Rel
atives of Victim TO Earri-
cade Their Home
By ARTHUR L PRICE
Especial Dispatch 10 The Call1

I
A UBURN, Nov. 17.-"Alma Bell
~ told me shortly after the muir
der that she had killed Joe
Armes because he had thrown her
over for the Foster girl" testified
Sheriff McAulay today at the girls
trial.
Attorney Lee Chamberlain, repre-
Isenting the defendant, had objected
in vain to the mention OF any names,
but he had been overruled when
George w. Hamilton, special prose-
cutor, had declared: 'It is by that
means we expect to prove the motive
of this case-jealousy.
| So there huttered into the trial the
equation of brown eyed Minnie Fos-
ter. the pretty girl of the sordid story
of Placer county life, and one of the
few uncontaminated characters in the
narrative A curiously simple girl to
be involved in such an unsavory
/ tragedy.
Reputed Affinities Mentioned
On the court records today Minnie
Fosters name was in the sorry com,
pany of the men with whom Alma
Bell was said to have been familisEr
even while she was infatuated with
! Joe Armes Alma's reputed afinit1cs
mentioned today were Ben Keni9on
and Joe Ruth Kenison is of a rood
Auburn family He heft town recrnt-
ly after having trouble with q girl
Ruth has worked around towh in
various capacities. At one tinte he
was a night watchman.
The fight for Alma Bell and against
the activities of the Armes fathily is
not confined TO Judge .Arnot's, court
/ room. As consequence the Armes
! home is every night practically in a
state OF siege. Violent "bIaC5k hand
letters threatening death by dynamite
to the Armcses if they did not cease the
prosecution of their sons mistress.
Alma Bell, were received by the fam
| lily yesterday, and all last night the
Armes homestead was guarded like a
bIockhouse during an Indisfn outbreak.
The letter was incIosed IN an inner
envelope. smeared with ink to make it
wholly black and written on this sur
face were the words. white cap and
black hand mail" II was posted in
/ Oakland 1t was startling enough TO
alarm the Armes family and they ap-
PEAKED in court this morning a dreary
| lot.
Threatening Letter Alleged
Practically every member of the
| Armes family will testify against Alma
Bell. Even the little girls in the house
hoId-Grace and Irene. aged respective
! " and years-will take the stand
and swear that Alma wrote a letter
few DAYS before the tragedy which is
alleged to have been an incriminating
one. addressed by Alma to Mrs Armes-
The children have been in court daily.
incongruousIy listening to the terrible
story.
This was a quiet day in court, al
though important evidence was intro
duced against the girl There were no
| incidents calculated to upset the de-
fendant. and she sat stolidIy for the
greater part of the time Infrequently
she whispered TO her counsel. L. L
Chamberlain and W. j. Prewett- She
had a fresh piece OF ruching at her
throat and the croupy cough which
distressed her yesterday was better.
Her mother was by her all day and
seemed pathetically worn by the ordeal
of Tuesday The girl received many
letters today extending sympathy and
eneoura cement, and ]. H. Cassidy of
Sacramento sent 81 bill and box of
violets.
Violets for Dead Man
Il am going to send the vioIets out
to my sweetheart's grave; there are
in the curiously ingenious way she has
of speaking of Armes.
There we're more persons in the
courtroom than on the previous day.
The large auditorium was almost filed
this afternoon. Few women were pres
ent. on one side of the courtroom is
an inclosure. which the Armes family
and their friends practically NIL
The witnesses today were Manuel
Armes. on cross examination; Tony
Csrinko. who was at the cabin with Joe
Armes just before he was shot: DR.. j.
F. White, who examined Armes' body
after he was dead. and Sheriff George
McAulay of Placer county.
witnesses were put on to establish
the fact that Mrs NJ. F. Fitzgerald. to
whose house Alma fed after the killing.