The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1909-06-19

A"e Sehsatiohal graft charges wh1c
were recently investigated by the gran
jury of Esmeralda county, and whic
resulted in County COMMISSIONS
Charles Worden, Deputy County PLY
stefan w. ID. Cowen, DIR. Victor E. HiteI
and c. s. Briggs, a druggist. and al
residents of Rawhide, being indiete,
upon charges of conspiracy to defrau,
the county by means of untrue bill
are now being sifted before a jury il
the district court, the trial having com
meneed last Tuesday before Judg,
Peter J. Somers.
The indictment against DR.. Hitcl
was quashed by District Attorney Til
den last night to permit him to testify
for the prosecution.
At the arraignment of the defendants
a hard fight was made to have the in.
dictments quashed, Attorney Hubbard
arguing for the greater part of a day
upon this point. Upon the same day
he also presented special demurrers to
each indictment, which later were fol
lowed by a general demurrer to the in
dictments. The motion to quash the
indictment was denied and all of the
demurrers overruled. He also present
ed a motion to have the case segregat.
ed, and each defendant tried separate
ly, which was fought by District At
torney Tilden, with the result that the
four indicted men are upon trial to-
gether.
Presenting Evidence.
Laying the foundation for evidence
to sustain the indictments began Thurs.
day by District Attorney Tilden in
Judge Peter j.. Somers' division of the
district court.
The case is being strenuously com.
bated by X. l.. Hubbard, chief counsel
for the defense, who has been joined
by Attorney j. +. Douglas, who enter
ed the ease after the court declined to
permit Col. T. V. Eddy, late deputy
district attorney, to appear as one OF
the counsel for the defense. Numer-
Gus objections by Attorney Hubbard
to questions asked by the district at
torney to County Commissioner Chas.
IL. Beesley, the first witness for the
prosecution, were overruled by the
court, and the proceedings were given
considerable spice by occasional tits
between the district attorney and Mr..
Hubbard.
No testimony Of a sensational nature
was brought out during the morning
session, the efforts of the district attor-
ney being directed to laying the foun-
udllOH lOT cNiutnCE tuub 10 w AoacV'
The Jury Completed.
When the court convened Thursday
the following jurymen were in the box:
w. ii. Whitmore, X. II. Page, +. A.
Rowan, Z. Goodrich, G. b. Ports, A. IL.
PAUL, w. +. Irish, William Barrett,
A. p. Wright, w. j. Bradley, A. &.
Brockenbaugh and Donald Ferguson.
District Attorney Tilden announced
that the only opening statement the
prosecution would make would be the
indictments as returned by the grand
jury. The clerk of the court then read
the indictments charging the defend
ants with unlawfully and maliciously
conspiring to defraud the county by
fictitious and fraudulent bills, to which
the defendants had entered a plea OF
not guilty.
Chas. Beesley First Witness.
Attorney X. l.. Hubbard, for the de
Tense, also deferred making any open
ing statement, and County Commls
sioner Chas. H. Beesley was called a.
the first witness.
When Mr.. Beesley had taken thu
chair, Attorney Hubbard asked tina
all of the witnesses be excluded r
the court except while giving testi
mony, and segregated from each Other
The district attorney agreed to this
and the court so ordered. Mr.. Tildei
then gave notice to the attorneys 10
the defense that the prosecution woui'
call DR.. Hitch and Mrs. Hitch as wit
nesses for the prosecution in the cas-
against Mr.. Worden.