Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-20
FOUND GUILTY;
ALLEGES PLOT
CONVICTED OF MIsTREATING
STEPDAUGHTER
MAN SAYS HE HAS FOUGHT TO
OPLIFT HUMANITY
Declares Enemies Have Left Nothing
Undone to Send Him TO Prison.
Is Sentenced for
Life

One OF the most remarkable state
ments ever heard in criminal court
in Los Angeles county was made in
Judge Davis court yesterday by Dr.
e. e. Duncanson. about to be sem
fenced after jury had found him
guilty of mistreating his 12-year-old
stepdaughter, Helen Tyler, in Febru-
airy. Duncanson said ne fully realized
his position, that the verdict might
mean a sentence to life Imprisonment,
and still maintaining his innocence,
declared he was the object of a we'll
laid and long-existing plan to perse-
cute him, plan the effects of which
he had felt for years.
Il want only few moments to
state my position, not that I believe
what | say will result In leniency be-
ing shown toward me, but that I may
be placed Alright before those who
know me-" said Duncanson.
Fights for Humanity
For many years of life I have been
fighting for the uplifting Of humanity.
That has naturally created many enc
mics, as well as friends. Never have
these enemies hesitated to curse me on
the streets or to injure my business.
They even went so far as to attempt
to poison members of my family and
my livestock. Persecution of this kind
never changes. I have been arrested
nine ties within one year on abso-
lutely false charges, thrown into jaiI
without an opportunity to give bail,
and have listened to the testimony
against me of biased witnesses. Two
men who testified against me in a
former case were at one time interested
in a dispute boundary line between
their property and mine, and one of
these men was a supervisor in San
Bernardino county.
Judge .Bledsoe of San Bernardino is
antagonistic toward me, because 1 ran
against him in 1900 in the election for
superior judge. His father cursed me
for this while we were among a crowd
of people.
Alleges Perjury
"One of the men who tried to get on
the jury in this case testified against
me in another case and perjured him.
self when he said he did not know
me.
Eight charges were brought against
me in San Bernardino and the Judge
who presided at the hearings said if I
was not convicted on any one Of them
he would see to it that 1 was convicted
on some charge"
Referring to his recent trial, Duncan
son said that he had never placed his
hand In questionable manner on the
child. After his arrest, he said, his
enemies filed the neighborhood of his
home at Chino with baseless charges,
among them that he had murdered a
number of persons and placed their
bodies in graves dug on his land
They circulated reports that l had
murdered my first wife, who, in fact,
died in an insane asylum he COLI
tinued my last wife died in a Los
Angeles hospital, and 1 was subjected
In
far as to say killed her. The autopsy
showed she died from natural causes.
Before her death she gave me her
child to care for, and have done my
duty. If anyone had mistreated that
child I believe I would have killed him.
believe the persons who circulated the
reports that I killed her mother have
instilled in the child's mind the idea
that she must testify as she did In
this court"
Impresses Audience
Duncanson stood with one hand on
the lawyers table, in the attitude of a
man delivering an address. A number
Of spectators were in the courtroom
and were impressed with his earnest
ness, and doubly so with the manner in
which he asserted the truthfulness of
his story
"Now, your honor" he said, 'this
statement is as truthful as any man
can make with death before him--for a
life sentence is equivalent to death
would rather hear the death penalty
than one committing me to life impris-
onment Every movement for human
ity's sake has its victims, and L feel
that I am one. 1 am not praying for
leniency but am speaking for the pur-
pose of upholding my reputation in this
last opportunity"
Judge Davis. after a lengthy state
ment, in which he reviewed the testi-
mony taken in the case, sentenced
I Duncanson to life Imprisonment at San
Quentin.
"It has been my endeavor," said
Judge Davis, Ito so direct the trial of
: your case that you might have the
! fullest benefit of all your rights under
the law. Able counsel have been vigil
liant at every point in guarding your In
terests, and it is my belief you have
had a fair and impartial trial. The
jury, by its verdict, has pronounced
you guilty, and have seen no grounds
for disturbing that verdict.
Judge Delivers Lecture
For the purpose Of fixing the punish
! nlent, the circumstances of the crime
! should be largely controlling. These
Z circumstances show that the victim of
your lustful nature was within your
own household, your stepdaughter.
: child only 12 year old, whom the death
of your wife, a few months previously,
: had placed in your exclusive control
} This little girl, bereft of a mothers care
: and counsel, looked confidently to you
for home and protection, and every
instinct of manhood and honor required
that you should have been her pro-
tector against the vipers of the world
Instead, as the evidence shows you
made her the prompt subject of your
own designs, and shamelessly continued
these relations until the child was
taken from your custody by the officers
!, of the Humane society.
"a man of your age, possessed of a
liberal and professional education, who
would be guilty of such revolving con-
, duct is certainly a menace against
which society is entitled to be pro-
tected"
Duncanson heard his sentence to life
Imprisonment quietly and without =
, murmur bowed to the bailiff his read
mess to be conducted back over the
bridge of signs to the county Jail and
left the courtroom
Fifteen days stay of execution was
granted in order that Duncanson may
remain in Los Angeles to clear up his
business affairs. He was formerly en-
i gagged in the practice of medicine and
4 later owned a ranch near Pomona, from
whence he moved to Chino Later still
he came to Los Angeles and engaged
in the rooming house business
/ -
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