Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-25
Mother, Married Sister and Her
Husband to Come to
His Relief
WIDAMAN SLAYER CHEERFUL
Declares He Was Followed by
Men Seeking His Life;
Awaits Fate


terday morning when ray of sun
shine entered the cell and shone into
his eyes, making -the cell appear as
bright as the outside world, for the
prisoners mother, living in El Paso,
Texas, had heard of her sons troubles
and dispatched the following message:
II understand it all and will stand
by you. Love,
From Mother
Shortly after receiving the news from
his mother. Bell received a second
telegram from san Francisco which
read: Will leave for Los Angeles this
evening. Have you arranged for at
torney? When will trial be? Answer
Palace hotel.
Mr. and Mrs. A. p. Coles.
A. p. Coles is president of the First
National bank of lei Paso, Texas, and
Mrs. Coles is Bells sister. The Coles
were touring the coast in their auto
when they heard of the shooting, and
are expected to arrive this morning.
Bell slept soundly during Saturday
night and when ushered into the pre-
sence Of newspaper men yesterday
morning appeared much stronger than
when he stood trembling at the pri-
son door following the shooting Sat-
urday morning.
DOESN'T FEAR OUTCOME
He held his mothers telegram and
it was only at the mention of the dead
attorneys name, that the joyous look
left his features and was replaced
by an expression of talf sorrow and
half relief, as he said, Attorney
Widaman is before his Maker now, in
a court where he has to explain. AS
for myself, l don't particularly care.
l have no home. my wife and child
are not with me, my money is gone,
I'll go before my Maker with my head
up"
His eyes again sought the message
that was flashed out from the Lone
Star state and again his face shone
with hope.
my wife," murmured the prisoner,
and after a short lapse said, Il have
nothing to say against my little wife,
for place any woman in the position
she was put in, and she would act the
same way. Widaman is answering for
her part in this trouble now"
''I don't want sympathy; 1 just want
a square deal. If 1 had been given a
square deal by people 1 trusted this
thing would not have happened"
When Bell informed the newspaper
men that he would relate the incidents
leading up to Saturday mornings af-
fair it appeared that the man spoke
with feverish eagerness. Bells story
follows:
SEES SHADOWS
After being released from this very
same Jail for the third time went to
my old home in Ell Paso, Texas, to seek
work, and tell you 1t was good to be
with mother and sister again.
"It was only for the sake of mother
and my sister that 1 held back from
making a stand here against Widaman
and Sanger, for all 1 wanted was to
be let alone. I wasn't looking forward
to taking anybody's life, though Vida
man continually asserted that would
kill him. Hardly had settled down in
Ell Paso when two men from Los An
geles began to follow me around, and
then I thought that my life was in
danger. Fearful lest they kill me, I
bade mother goodby and left the old
home for Cananea, Mexico, where
obtained a position with the Consoli-
dated Copper company as an cleo
trician. 1 wasn't there two weeks be-
fore they promoted me to engineer
in charge of the electrical department
presence in Mexico become known to
those two men who had followed me in
Texas.
MEN, you don't realize what sort of
feeling came over me when l walked
those mountains to and from work!
Why, at the slightest sound l became
alarmed, and night after night awoke
with fear, for even in my sleep my
mind was always on those two men,
and was afraid they would shoot me
down like a dog.
"A few days after taking charge of
the shops I noticed that one of the two
men who had followed me in Texas
had secured employment in the shops
over which I was boss, and on the
Jo, :, in F11a
He was a man over six feet In height
and weighed over 200 pounds. I could
have discharged him. but did not, for
I wanted to see what his game was.
GIVES UP POSITION
HE always carried a revolver, and
on numerous occasions tried to draw
me into a quarrel. One day as 1 was
passing a deserted shaft house he
grabbed me by the wrist and attempt
ed to draw me in, but I broke away,
and when he again came to the shops
and insulted me, openly accused him
of having been sent there expressly for
the purpose of killing me, ana he did
not deny 1t.
'"The electricians there threatened to
lynch him, but told them that if he
was put out of the way it would be
only a matter of time before they
would send another man out, and then
1t would go harder with me.
"The fear of being killed grew
stronger, and finally I gave up my job.
for I could not stand to wait there
for an assassin to get me. then de-
cided to return here, and I know posi-
lively that one of the two men wired
Widaman that I had left the mines.
Before leaving told the big man that
| did not propose to be killed like dog.
ST arrived at Santa Ana last Fri
day and was very sick and unable to
eat Saturday morning. I bought a
round trip ticket to Palo Verdes.
at wanted to seek work there. When
I looked out of the car at Artesia I
saw Widaman coming toward me,
looking full at me all the while. If
there is truthful person who was on
the car, you will learn that I went
back on seeing Widaman, but he kept
advancing. When he put his hand in
his pocket I turned around and as I
remember it, and from what other
people tell me, / walked into the open
and when / thought he was going to
draw revolver l fred and what af
terward happened l can't remember
I'm depending solely on the truth to
eet me out of this and my only con-
Germ is for mother. When I go to
trial / will have witnesses who can
prove every statement that 7 have
made. The chief OF police at Eel Paso
will come out here to testify to GER
tain things"
AS Bell was led back to his cell, he
again opened the telegram from his