Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-14
FEARS MOB AND
JAILS PRISONER
Frank {. SkeIIy'IS Taken from a
Santa Ana Hospital to
County Prison
REPORTS OF PLANS TO LYNCH
Justice of the Peace SmithWiCk
Denies Prisoner Bail and Sets
Examination for May 19
REPORTS OF PLANS TO LYNCH

SANTA ANA, May 13,-Fearing that
a mob would attempt to take FRANK
u. Skelly from his guards at the Santa
Ana hospital and summarily execute
him, Sheriff Lacy tonight caused him
to be removed to the county Jail.
Throughout the day reports have been
received at the sheriff's office that plans
were being made to lynch Skelly, and
tonight there, was such an undercur-
rent that the sheriff decided that 1t
would be unWise to take any chances
with his prisoner.
Ske!iy was quietly taken from the
hospital and was safely within the
prison doors before 1t was known that
he would be transferred. He has been
In the hospital since the day his wife
received the burns which caused her
death, suffering from burns about the
arms, head and face, which were sup
posed to have been received while try
ing to save Mrs. Skelly from the flames,
and since the return of the verdict OF
the coroner's jury yesterday, In which
1t was directed that Skelly-be held FOR
further investigation on charge OF
having started with gasoline the fire
which resulted in Mrs. Skellys DEATH
he has been under guard.
Skelly appeared this morning before
Justice of the Peace SmithWick ana
his preliminary examination was set
for 10 o'clock Thursday morning, May
10. He was denied bail, and the sheriff
was directed to retain him in custody.
Melrose & Ames of Anaheim and
Williams & Rutan of Santa Ana have
been retained to defend Skelly, and
ATTORNEY Rutan was present this
morning to plead for bail for his client.
The plea was based on the mans burns
and the necessity of looking after his
business. District Attorney $. M. Davis
declared that under the law Skelly
could not be bailed until after the pre-
llminary examination.
The case has aroused intense ex-
citement here and in Westminster,
where the tragedy took place. TWO
men who are expected to be important
witnesses were not called at the IN
quest. at which the only really impor-
tant witnesses were Mrs. L. j. Lewis
the mother of Mrs. Skelly, and Skelly
himself. The men whose testimony Is
expected to be of value are j. r. Ca
vanah and Bookkeeper Cans of the
Celery Growers association. Cavanah
was the first person to aid in putting
out the flames that enveloped Mrs.
Skelly when she ran into the yard. lie
heard Mrs. Skellys words: Frank,
why did-you do it?" He and Cans were
the men who put out the fire that was
blazing in the pantry from which the
burning woman Ileu mere ne anu 1tHS
found the marks of the flames upon the
walls, and a broken Jar on the floor.
Cans had charge of Skelly's book
keeping, doing the work in the evening.
Sometimes after working all evening he
slept at the Skelly home. He did this
Thursday night last, the night before
the tragedy of Friday morning. Friday
morning about o'clock he was awak-
ened by Skelly, who asked If he were
asleep. Cans says he replied that he
had been asleep until awakened just
then. Skelly then want away, he says,
and Cans went to sleep, but was
aroused by screams. Hurrying down
stairs, he arrived just in time to see
Mrs. Skelly brought in from the yard.
It is said that Mrs. Skelly made a
statement to him.