The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-11-29
BELIEVE JAP WAS
.FOULLY MURDERED

The theory of selfdetense. put forth
so boldly by George Kawshata at the
time he confessed to Detectives Pen
der and Chambers that he had fired
the shot killing ORi Okono. is now
staggering under the weight OF con-
Trajectory evidence 1t now seems
almost certain that when the coro-
ners inquest Is held tomorrow morn
ing the imprisoned Jap Will be held to
the courts to answer TO the charge oil
murder.
Web of Circumsta ntial Evidence.
kawshata is already enmeshed in a
web of circumstantial evidence, which
In part has been spun by his own
statements and which is being
strengthened by every turn OF inves
tigation. Unless the strands op this
web can be broken by Attorney De
Vine and Willis. who Will defend the
slayer, It will hold him 10 the gallows-
Kawshata so self-coniident when hrst
placed under lock and key and so
ready 10 talk of his act is now mo-
rose and sullen and when seen yeSter-
day evening by a reporter OF the stan
dard appeared unable to understand
the questions put 10 him. He reiter-
ated the statement. however, that he
had made Il few moments after his
arrest on last Friday to the effect
that the shooting took place about
twenty minutes before he made his
appearance at the police station and
gave himself IN to the officers.
Gun Had Three Empty Chambers.
According 10 the story told by Kaw-
-. L. &, l. a. ~ N a
at the police headquarters at 10 o'clock
last Friday morning he had shot a
man a few moments before at the
Japanese rooming house on Twenty
fourth street. He said that the shoot
ing had taken place in the kitchen OF
the house and that Okono had shot
at him before he was able TO wrest
away the revolver and fire the fatal
shot that felled his assailant to the
floor He brought with him a revoly
er. with which he claimed the shoot
Ing had been done. This gun had
three empty chambers the shells hav-
ing been removed
Called Deceased Criminal
Kawshata vowed that Okono was
desperate criminal and that he had
killed Il man in Denver few months
before Knowing the dangerous char
acter of the man. Kawshata spranG up
on him as soon as he drew his reNolv-
er, striking his arm in time to save
himself from the bullet which Okono
fred In the scuftle which followed
Okono again fred and then kawshata
got possession of the gun and shot
his assallant The quarrel which
caused this shooting affair was due to
an argument over the Japanese-AmeT-
ican wrestling match held the night
before in the Ogden armory This is
the story which will be told by the
prisoner at the inquest to justify the
killing of his Countryman-
Had Been Dead for Two Hours,
Tho circumstances surrounding the
case will not bear out this story. The
state may first attack the statement OF
Kawshata that The shooting took place
Immediately before his arrival at the
police station. Herbert HieGans. the
assistant undertaken at the Larkin
establishment. took charge Of the dead
man about thirty minutes after the
supposed time of the shooting. Hig-
gans states that the body was then
cold and rigid and that the great mass
wound I'm the head had CONCEALED upon
the floor According to the undertak-
er's statement the mau had been dead
for at least two hours. This is Hig-
gan's conservative estimate of the
time required for the coagulntiOD OF
the blood on the floor and about the
wound and for the cooling aud stiffcn-
ing of the corpse This contention Of
Hiegans IS borne out by the statement
OF L. A IGarkim.
Did Not Hear Any Shots
A timer who was at work on the
roof OF the adjoining house has stated
that he was at work for two hours |
previous to the discovery OF the body |
by the police and heard no shots fired |
one OF the Japs rooming in the house
states that he heard shooting. but
that il was much earlier in the morn |
ing. There is apparently sufficient |
evidence TO prove that the shooting |
did not occur later than 7:30 Friday |
morning. two hours earlier than the |
time stated by Kawshatn.
OetectiVc pender's View.
Detective PendeT fixes the hour OF |
the shooting somewhat later than the |
undertaken and is not positive that