Weekly journal-miner., 1913-12-17

about her mouth she steadily neg lected to heed the questions of Assistant County Attorney Morgan through the interpreter. Her eyes were fastened upon the floor di- rectly in front of her. The court became impatient, the audience amused and the attorneys disgused
 Finally she decided to talk. Tn barely audihae voice she an swered questions in the "Yes" and No" language. She said that she was born in San Geronimo, Chihua- hua; didn't know her age; didn't read Spanish; didn't know what of fcer of State Judge Smith was; didn't know what a court was; didn't go to church last Sunday and didn't know the difference between the truth and a lie.
 At the noon hour all hands went up and adjournment was called to decide whether the witness was in sane, terror-stricken or ill At 2 o'clock she was recalled to the stand and commenced the same tactics. Counsel for the defense, J Ralph Tascher, moved that the wit ness be excused as incompetent to testify. Judge Smith, however, de- cided that the law didn't permit such a course. Another attempt .o question proved somewhat success ful. The assistant county attorney grasped the grain of hope as a drowning man does to straw. Lit tie by little-~the witness regained her composure and answered ques- tions put to her.
 She told of Fernandez'S absence from the camp during the night of the murder. She identified the deer handled knife found in the mur- dered mans hand as the one used by Fernandez at the camp in his cobbler profession.
 On cross-examination, Mir Tas- cher made the witness admit that she was telling the untruth in sev- eral instances. He also brought out facts to show that the woman had lived with Jose Reinosa, the father of three boys and that they had not been married. Reinosa IS now in the penitentiary She ad- mitted also that after the end of her residence with Fernandez she went to live with a man named Ventura and that she had never been married. While the evidence she offered is highly discriminating the character of the witness offset the strength of the testimony.
 Mrs. Bishop, wife of the propri- etor of q local secondhand store. testified to selling the knife found in the murdered mans hand. Un- der Sheriff Charles Raible and Deputy Sheriff Blake Baker told of the arrest of Fernandez, the tracks leading to and from the camp to the grave and of the other connec- tions between the accused man and the tragedy. Undertaken Lester Ruffner and his assistant, w. E Drake, also testified. Kelly Wilson an Indian, told of the fight earlier in the day.
 Argument over the proposed in- troduction of the desposition of Maria Gonzales taken at the pre- liminary hearing, ended the days session. This important witness for the State has fled Arizona. She was conceded one of the star wit nesses, having witnessed a fight between Fernandez, the murdered man, and third party and being intimately acquainted with the mur- dered man. She is believed to know great deal more about the mur- der than she made public at the time of the hearing. Judge Smith has taken under advisement the matter of introducing the deposi- ton.
 Just how much longer the trial will continue now depends upon the defense. The prosecution has prac- tically finished with its witnesses.