The Lamar register., 1921-11-02
SENSATIONAL CASE
FOR TRIAL HERE
Aguilar Bank Robbery Case Will Be
Tried in Lamar This Month.

Lamar will be the scene of a very
sensational trial at the term of court
beginning Tuesday, November 18th.
The trial is bank robbery case
brought here from Trinidad on a
change of venue, and is set to begin
on Monday, the 2lst. How long it
will last is hard to estimate but sub
poenas are out for ever fifty witnesses
and more than a half dozen of as able
lawyers as ever "hollered" at the
Prowers county bar are already en-
gagged for the fray, so it will be fought
to finish, and may run into .he
next week. District Attorney ]. w.
Hawley and Deputy District Attorney
Erickson of Trinidad and Hiliyer and
Kinkaid of Lamar will represent the
state and Judge JESSE L. Northcut,
former District Attorney Jack Hen.
bricks and o. H. Dasher of Trinidad
and Judge A. ]. Fries of Texas will
represent the defendants.
On the 18th day of last April the
First State Bank at Aguilar was en-
tered by two masked men who held
up the president, w. p. Emperton.
and cashier, L. NJ. Vale, and relieved
them of $lO7O. They then drove away
in car They overlooked rifle in
the bank which Mr.. hyperion seized
and on reaching the street fired after
the car hitting the gasoline tank. Pur-
suit was started at once but the car
was out of sight. However car was
later overtaken that had lost all of
its gas through hole about the size
of r bullet. The car was searched but
no money found. The two men occupy
ing it gave their names as C. l.. Sloan
Jr., and Wilson r. Avery, brothers-in-
law, and said they were returning
home from a trip to Boulder and had
had an accident at Denver which
caused the hole in their tank. They
were identified by bank officials and
lodged in Jail. In few days C. l..
Sloan, Sr., who proved to be wealth.
ly cattleman and banker of Texas, ap-
peared on the scene. He gave bond in
the sum of s15 900 each for the pris-
oners, and employed the eminent coun-
sci now defending them. The case
came to trial before Judge McChesney
in July but he was promptly sworn
off the bench because he had before
being elected judge been counsel for
one of the directors of the bank. Judge
A. F. Hol'enbeck presided and will al
so preside here. The case hinged on
the alleged alibi which the defendants
claimed to prove that they could not
have been at Aguilar at the time Of
the robbery. which was offset by the
positive Identification of both Messrs.
hyperion and Vale. The jury the
majority Of which was Mexicans fail
ed to agree and were discharged on
July 18th. The papers Of the city of
Trinidad were pretty strong in their
denunciation of the jurors and this
was made the basis of plea by the
defense for change of venue. The
plea was heard on September 9Th, and
after hearing much evidence pro and
con Judge Hollenbeck decided it was
best to grant the plea and set the
case to be heard at the coming term
of the district court in Lamar. The
stage is all set for a battle royal. At
torney Dasher has already been in La
marlooking over the ground and it is
expected that large delegation from
Trinidad and Aguilar will be here
when court opens on Monday, the 21st,
ready for the trial. The bond of the
defendants was reduced to $4,000
each and they are now out on bond.
Nauy nHt~aro