Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-23
FIGUEROA FOUND
GU|LTYOF MURDER
IN FIRST DECREE
Slayer of Young Bride Unmoved
as Verdict of the Jury
Is Rendered
WILL BE SENTENCED MONDAY
Killing of Girl Wife Denounced by
Prosecutor as Crucifixion
of Womanhood

George e. Figueroa sat unmoved in
Judge Willis department of the
superior court shortly after z o'clock
last night and listened to the foreman
of the jury which had heard his case
read the verdict of guilty of murder
in the first degree" He will be SEN
fenced Monday.
With the same ST. lid and almost in
soent look he had worn throughout the
trial, he gazed steadfastly at the
jurors when they entered the jury box
after their secret deliberations, heard
them asked If they had reached a
verdict and listened without apparent
emotion to its reading.
All yesterday the jury and the idle
curious who crowded the courtroom to
suffocatlon listened to arguments by
the prosecution and the defense. Every
reason that either side could advance
for taking life for life or not
taking life for a suicide was given.
Arthur Keetch deputy district at
torney, opened the argument for the
people He grew in eloquence as he
advanced in his logic, and step by step
detailed the happenings which led to
the loss of a life. He assured the
jurors that the evidence was not cir
cumstantial-that ii was as plain as
If an eyewitness had told them of Its
every point. He visibly affected his
IuhdIeTS, IOI Only ltl6 occupants VI tAiO
jury box alone, but all who thronged
the court room, as his voice rose high
above the whirr of the electric fans
which labored In vain to cool the
apartment, and he told of the crucitix-
ion of womanhood which braved death
rather than submit to dishonor.
CRUCIFIXION OF WOMANHOOD
"When this young wife was called
from the home of her husbands aunt
to go TO the summer house." said Mr.
Keetch, "she went under every protest
of her womanhood Each step she
reasoned with the husband WHO, she
felt, was trying to degrade her. and
when she finally was forced to the
door of the summer house, she pro-
tested with voice and body against
entering. She planted her feet firmly
together held her head high and
threw out her arms to prevent being
forced into the house-with her very
body she made that most sacred of all
emblems-the cross. 1t was the very
crucihxion of womanhood."
Joseph Seymour, jr., and Fred w.
Morrison, attorneys for the defense,
followed Mr.. Keetch. Considering how
greatly the evidence was against their
client, they made good arguments. Mr..
Seymour pictured to the jury the last
few days of q condemned mans life,
telling the horrors of the death cell and
the few luxuries finally accorded him,
as if an earthly Tantalus were showing
him how the joy of life was to be
taken from him.
Capt. j. d. Fredericks, district attor-
new completed the argument for the
prosecution, calling upon the jurors for
a verdict of murder in the first degree
and without any recommendations. He
said he asked that for the sake Of the
young girls who still are livins-as a
protection for them.
When the jurors filed into the jury
room, where they were locked. That
was at o'clock, after they had heard
five hours of argument. At few min
utes after s pounding was heard
lIpon the door as If the jurors had
reached a verdict and were fastening
to tell it. Judge Willis was summoned
Figueroa was taken back into court,
his father and mother resumed their
seats near him after few moments of
RESPITE in the fresher air outside, and
the throng filed inside to hear If man
were to lose his life.
But the Jury had only fooled them all.
It's members merely wanted to eat their
dinners. 1t is reported that they had
reached a verdict at that time, and
that they only wanted one more meal
at the expense of the county. AT any
rate. one member admitted they had no
trouble in agreeing.
AS thew insisted upon eating, how
ever, Judge Willis declared they could
go, and fixed o'clock as the time when
all interested parties were to return.
1t was only a few minutes past that
hour that the jury rendered the verdict
AS before, all officials had been sum-
moned. Ffgueroa entered without a
culver, his face wearing what was
nearer to smile than the feelings eX-
pressed by any other person present
Perhaps he was thinking of the motto
"Smile!"-attached to the wall by the
side of the door to the jury room.
e. N. Currier, formean, read the YER
dict slowly and clearly. Figueroa sat
nerfectly still, his face absolutely calm
his eyes upon the Jurors faces. His at
torney asked for polling of the Ju-
rors, and still unmoved he heard twelve
men slowly respond to the eaiiing OF
their names with the one word:
GUILTY."
AGONY FOR MOTHER
Judge Willis set Monday morning at
1920 o'clock as the time for passing
sentence, and dismissed the jury. The
idlers in the court room began to file
out, An official turned to escort Figue-
roa back to Jail. Another said: Let
him tell his mother good night"
Figueroa turned to the little woman
in black who almost covered In heI
seat and threw himself into her arms
for a moment. She clasped him close
he is still "her boy" Then the young
man turned to his father, who stood al
hand, nervously lingering his hat RIM
staring at the floor with eyes which
shone, with tears. Father and son laid
cheek to cheek for an instant. The
convicted man went with the jailer
The father and mother, hand in hand
left the room.
Joseph Seymour announced his in
tention of appealing the case. Figue-
roa, as has been frequently reeounted
was tried on the charge of killing his
bride of twenty-four days, Mrs. Sarah
Pugsley Figueroa. with whom he elope6
to Santa Ana to be married, at the
summer house of his aunt, Mrs. Eloisa
Sammann, at ocean Park, the night OF
May %.