Imperial Valley press., 1919-01-03
OPE n |GH 7.
FOR LIBERTY
Of HINDU IN
MURDER CASE
First Days Session of the
Preliminary Hearing in
the Albert Joe Killing Fa-
vOrs the Defense.


Accused of the murder of Albert
Joe Singh in dying statement made
on the slain mans deathbed, Rnlia
Singh is today defending his life in
a preliminary hearing before Justice
Norrlsh IN the Holtville City Hall.
Evidently the defense expects to
clear itself in this hearing, which,
therefore, takes on all the features
of a trial, for from the line of ques-
tioning by Dan holland, counsel for
Rulia Singh, he plans to show that
there is no evidence which will war
rant the justice in holding the ac-
cused.
The principal evidence so far pre-
sented is the statement of Albert
Joe that Rulia killed him, but DR..
d. A. Stevens, who was the princi-
pal witness, said that Albert Joe
admitted that he did not see Rulia
shoot him, but that it must have
been he because he was the only
Hindu with whom the victim had any
trouble.
The prosecution, represented by
District Attorney Simon and Special
Prosecutor Joe Seymour, had collect
ed mass of testimony which they
believe will be corroborative of AL
bert Joe's dying statement to prove
either that Rulia did the actual kill
ing or else conspired to have the
Staying done.
The principal fact developed by the
defense was that Albert Joe nor any
one else-so far as has been learned
saw who it was who shot him, if
shot he was. DR.. Stevens said any
kind of an instrument could have
made the wounds, but he also stat
ed that he and the officers found
hole in the screen where the bullet
could have gone through from a
point outside the milk house where
footprints were seen, to the position
in which Albert Joe is alleged to
have been standing when he was
struck down.
DR.. Stevens also told how he re-
turned to the Holtville Hospital aft
er Albert Joe had been cared for and
found Rulia in his room, which he
had engaged that day on the plea of
being ill.
The doctor was unable, however,
to fix definite hours when all these
incidents took place. This is an i'm
portant item, for the prosecution ex-
poets to show that Rulia could have
left the hospital and gone to COM
nit the deed, and then returned to
his room and be in bed when the doc
tor and officers returned.
Yesterday afternoon the Mexican
wife of Albert Joe was on the stand
and testified that she heard Rulla
Singh threaten to kill her husband
on number of occasions. and that
on the night of the shooting she
neard a buggy drive up and after
shot was fired it was driven away
again, hotly pursued by their dog,
which barked furiously.
Rulia Singh, charged with the muir
d~r Of Albert Joe, Hindu rancher in
Number z district, south of Holtville,
was bound over to the Superior court
this afternoon after preliminary
hearing which occupied the better
part of two days.
Seven witnesses were introduced by
tre prosecution, directed by District
Attorney Simon, to weave the web
of circumstantial evidence about Ru-
liza, and the case, when complete,
formed what was regarded as al
most a perfect chain involving the
defendant.
The defense offered no rebuttal to
the testimony that Rulia had threat
ened the dead man, that the dying;
statement of the victim incriminated
Rulia and that bad blood existed be-
tween the two men.