Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-29
ON
TWO CHARGES
RICH TEXAN TAKEN AT DOOR
OF COURT ROOM
Perjury and High Misdemeanor Are
Charged Against Wealthy Property
Owner, Who Must Face
Criminal Suit

Frank M. Bell, former general man
ager of the Franco-American Automo-
bile company and a wealthy property
owner of Ell Paso, Texas, was arrested
as he emerged from Judge Hervey' S
department of the superior court yes
terday on two charges, one of perjury
and another of committing high
grade misdemeanor. The charges We're
filed against him in Justice Ling S
court.
The perjury complaint was sworn to
by Bells brother-in-law, A. r. Sanger,
member of the Los Angeles-Nevada
Mining exchange. The second charge
is made by Frank Cochran. constable
in Justice Ling's court.
Bell was taken to the county jail in
default of $4,000 bonds, Justice Ling set
ting the date of his examination for
July 9.
The perjury charge grows out of the
arrest on May IS, 1907, of A. r. San
ger and o. P. Widaman, prominent
attorney of Los Angeles, who were
accused by Bell of threatening to kill
him when he refused to sign paper in
his room at the Hollenbeck hotel two
weeks before. The complaints against
the two men were dismissed by Police
Justice Chambers, and Bell went TO
Mexico.
After the case ended in the police
court the matter was turned over for
investigation by the district attorney
to S. L. Browne, chief of detectives in
the district attorneys office, and when
Bell appeared yesterday to take part
in a civil case in which he was inter-
ested the warrants for his arrest were
in readiness to be served upon him.
Tn, tho h o1 ora do TnigdAmP9nOr COM
plant Constable Cochran charges Bell
with retalxing the little yacht Aloha
June "a last year while the vessel lay
at anchor in San Pedro harbor with
deputy constable on board. The depu-
ty, Frank Lichner, had attached the
yacht after judgment had been rem
dered in justice court against the
American Garage and Manufacturing
company, in which Bell was supposed
to be financially interested. Bell, re-
turning from the city with supplies for
the boat, found the officer in charge
and forcibly elected him, put on steam,
it is said, and sailed away.
According to Sanger, Bell swore
falsely when he obtained the COM
plants against Widaman and himself
more than two years ago. The alleged
assault complained of--by Bell took
place in Bells room at the hotel late
in the afternoon of April 80, 1907. Bell
in his story of the affair to the police
said the two men entered his room UNI
tremendously and that Sanger covered
him with a revolver while Widaman
searched his pockets.
Widaman, he said, then commanded
him to sit down and write what he die
tated, Sanger keeping the revolver
pressed against his temple. He was
told to write note to his wife about
a deed to certain property, and when
he demurred one of the men fired a
shot, the bullet passing through his
coat. Widaman and Sanger. he said,
then left the room.
Bell added that Widaman was the
cause of his separation from his wife,
a statement that was later denied by
Mrs. Bell who stated that after her
husband had decided her large
amount of property he demanded its
return.
The couple have lived apart for sew
eral years, and, according to Mrs Bell,
her husbands antagonism toward the
attorney arose over the latter's efforts
to compel Bell to support his wife and
child.