Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-19

ten letter.
Mother on Stand
Mrs. Mary f. Armes. mother of Jo-
seph Armes, was called to the stand
today in the trial of Alma Bell for the
murder of the son. She testified that
the girl had threatened to kill Manuel
NeVes, a saloonkeeper of Auburn, be-
cause she believed she had circulated
tales of her doings which led to a
quarrel between herself and her lover
Mrs. Armes said that the threat was
made in her presence and the story
was drawn from the witness appar-
entity because the prosecution desired
to prevent the defense from making
use of it as proof of emotional insanity
that afflicted the defendant.
Mrs. Armes said that the Bell girl
lived at the Armes ranch for several
months prior to the killing of Jospeh
Armes, but insisted that she was there
only as a hired servant; not as a guest
or as the acknowledged fiancee of the
son. This was brought out in reply
to the claim made by the defense that
Alma was engaged to young Armes
and that his betrayal of her had un-
balanced her mind.
With the same purpose testimony
was drawn from Joseph Garcia, John
Armes and Frank Peters calculated
to disprove that there was an engage
ment. Each of these witnesses de-
clared that during the time the engage
ment Is supposed 10 have existed the
girl told them that she knew Armes
did not love her,
Testify to Threats
They also testified that she made
threats that she would kill Armes II
he gave her up.
Minnie Foster, who is alleged To
have attracted the attentions of youns
Armes to such an extent th-t the BEL
girls jealousy was aroused, was called
| TO the stand during the day. She told
| of coming to the Armes ranch last
| Nav, accompanied by her mother, to
work among the cherry packers. she
said that her relations with Alma Bel
were friendly at first, but that they
underwent a sudden change.
The confession made by Alma Bell 70
Sheriff McAuley on the day after tle
killing of Armes, and taken down by
Court Reporter A. b. Reading, was m
troduced in evidence today. AFTER de-
scrfbing her visit to the cabin occupied
by the Armes brothers and her EFFORT
TO induce Joseph to accompany mere
the confession continues:
II told him that Manuel Neves had
told a lot of lies about me, and tried to
apologize TO him. He said: I don |
want to listen to you. I don't want 10
have anything to do with you
Then She Shot Him
81 said: Joe, we have been engaged
long time, and I've done everything
for you. Now, why do you go against
me?'
"He said: You could not get along
as wife with me- and showed me.
"'Then we'll die together said,
and shot him.
In the testimony of Evelyn and
Oracle Armes, sisters of he dead man.
aged and 10 years respectively, the
prosecution laid the foundation for the
| introduction of more documentary evil
dence.
The little girls told of seeing Alma
Bell writing a letter on Decoration day,
FIVE days before Armes was killed. She
! told them, they said, that the letter
was for Joe's mother. The letter was
| not introduced, but it is understood
! that it was the message to Mrs. Armes
! in which the girl declared her intention
| of killing Joe and herself.
| The Armes family has been much
perturbed by the receipt of a letter
! postmarked Oakland, and which Is pre-
| pared in the guise of a black hand
! warning. 1t threatens that the Armes
home will be dynamted unless the
prosecution of Miss Bell is stopped, anc
| purports to come from the president oi
| the California branch Of the Camorra
| This is the second letter of this kind
received by the family, and the house
| is being carefully guarded.