Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-15
ROWELL FAILS
TO APPEAR IN
COURT ON TIME
ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH BIG
SWlNDLES MISSING
BoNDsMAN SAYS HE MAY APPEAR
FOR TRIAL TODAY
Four Charges Already Are Registered
Against Man Said to Have Claimed
Ownership to Mythical
Mines

The sudden and mysterious disap-
pearahce of Elmer Ellsworth RoWell
the attorney arrested several months
ago. jointly charged with A. c. lie
Baron and r. A. Johnson with obtain
ing large sums of money by false rep
resentations, caused two adjournments
in Judge Davis department of the
criminal court yesterday, and Rowell's
trial, which was set for 10 o'clock in
the morning, was finally continued
until the same hour today.
Rowelps trial was to have begun
Monday. When the case was called there
was no response to his name, and his
attorney, Gen. Johnston Jones, sue
ceeded in getting q continuance until
yesterday and preventing the issuance
of a bench warrant on his representa-
tion that Rowell was i'll.
There was still no response when the
case was called yesterday, and Judge
Davis, after a short consultation with
Attorney Jones and Assistant District
Attorney McCOmas, continued the mat
ter until 2 o'clock. At that hour
Rowell was absent, Warren Wilson, his
brother-in-law, whose name appears
on the $4,000 bond to secure Rowelrs
presence, reporting to the respective at
torneys that he had raked the city for
information as to the absentees where
abouts, but without success.
Heard from by Letter
He reported, however he had re-
ceived a letter from RowelI, In which
the latter stated he would be in court
today, and that he was unable to put
In an appearance owing to the closing
up of his business affairs. A further
unsuccessful search was carried on dur
Ing the afternoon for Rowell.
There are four charges on record
against Rowell two of which are pend
ing in Judge Davis court. The others
have not passed the preliminary exam
inatlon stage in the justice court.
1t is understood to be RoweFs pur-
pose, If he appears in court today, to
plead guilty on one charge, and it is
believed if he takes this course the
other charges will be dismissed.
In one complaint on file in Judge
Davis court Rowell is accused by ]. c.
Benedict of swindling him out of 5000
December 2S, 1908. The representations
on which he is alleged to have OBJ
tained this money were that he had
sold a gold mine near Chihuahua.
Mexico, for $3O0.0OO; that the purchase
money was held in escrow in a bank at
El Paso and that the bank was hold
ING MN up Tor SZU,OOO commissions.
Benedict says he was one Of the men
who contributed to the making up of
this amount, only to discover that
Rowell's statements were false in all
particulars.
Hardware Merchant Complains
In the other complaint Rowell is
charged with obtaining S6S3 from ]. NJ.
Poundstone, a hardware merchant do
ing business on Central avenue. He is
said to have represented to Poundstone
that he owned a gold mine forty miles
from Tucson. Ariz.. that he had pur-
chased the mine from an old German
named Steinberg who had worked it
four years and that the property was
well equipped with mining machinery.
Rowell, it is added, told Poundstone
he had an opportunity to sell the prop
erty to Herbert and Campbell Of San
Francisco, but money was needed to
pay expenses at the mine pending the
sale.
Poundstone is said to have given
Rowell other large sums of money.
and when he discovered the mythical
character of the statements he was
forced into bankruptcy.