Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-03-27
CASE
GOES TO JURY
THIS AFTERNOON

-
The fate OF George A. tBertl Bow
er. who has been on trial In the Unit
ed States district court for the past
week on a statutory charge Of adult
cry, will probably be decided today
AT noon the prosecution had conclud-
ed its argument in chief. and at :
o'clock this afternoon the argument
of the defense was begun BY Attorney
E. A. Douthitt. The concluding argu-
ment for the prosecution II is under
stood viii be made by District Attor-
Iney McCarn. after which the case will
go to the jury.
The jury in the trial was not al
lowed 10 separate during the noon
recess. but was taken to lunch In a
body by the u. S. marshal.
AT the opening of the court this
morning, the prosecution called 20
the witness-stand the prosecuting
witness, Victoria Mortensen, in re-
buttal. She stated that she had told
Bower that her sister. Mrs. Evans.
was approaching the Mortensen
house, and that ne had therenpon left
the premises by the back way, return
ing after the sister had departed.
This was in contradiction Of Bowers
Testimony yesterday to the effect
that he had left for the purpose Of
taking a swim in the stream, and
that he did not know that Mrs. Evans
was coming
The court refused to allow the
Mortensen girl to state whether Bow
er had told her mother as we'll as her
father that he was an unmarried
man, on the grounds that the prose-
|cution should have brought this out
in the direct examination.
An effort was made by the prose-
|cution to again introduce witnesses
to testify as to Bowers general rep
|utatiOn, and C. J. Day was placed on
the stand for this purpose. District
Attorney McCarn produced various
authorities in his efforts to get the
testimony admitted, but Judge Glenn
ons abided by his decision yesterday,
and Mr.. Day was excused without
having given any testimony. Other
witnesses OF the same kind summons
ed yesterday were thereupon dismiss
ed. and the arguments were begun,
Assistant Thompson's First Case.
The court room was crowded this
morning with a large number Of spec
tat0rs, including a number Of ladies,
for seeing the conclusion Of the trial.
and Of hearing the closing arguments.
The opening argument was made BY
i j. w Thompson, who recently arriv-
ed here from Nashville, Tennessee,
and who was able to qualify as Dis
trict Attorney McCarn's assistant on
" this morning, upon the cabled no
tification that he had been appoint
ed to the place by the u, s. attorney
general. This cablegrann was pre-
scented at the opening Of court this
morning, and Mr.. Thompson imm6di-
ately took the required oath of Of
| flee, and in this manner became elig-
| ible to take active part in the case.
TIE assistant district attorney be-
gan his address to the jury at ten
minutes to IL o'clock, and closed at
noon. He began by asking the in
dulgence of the jury in his ignorance
of Hawaiian phrases and unfamiliar
lily with local names. He devoted a
considerable part of his time to dwell
ing up the Importance Of the laws
against immortality, and of the resp0n-
sibility of the courts and juries In
these, kind of cases in seeing that the
dignity of the laws is upheld. He then
reviewed the case in considerable de-
tail, urging upon the jury the credib-
ility of the Mortensen girls story as
against that told by the defendant.
This being his first public appear
ance as speaker, Mr.. Thompson was
listened to with keen interest by both
attorneys and laymen, and the con-
sensus of opinion seemed to be that
he is a lawyer Of considerable persu,
asive eloquence, and that he had made
q strong impression on the minds Of
the jury.