Imperial Valley press., 1923-02-19
COURT BATTLE AS
HEARING OF TWO
BOYS GETS START
District Attorney Utley
Secured Immediate
Action in Case
LYONS is WITNESS
Case Continued Until
Wednesday Morning
I, Before Justice

At the conclusion of the morning
session in Judge Mayfield s court to-
day, where the preliminary hearing
of Charles Davis and Lawrence
Campbell, charged with the murder
Of Leslie Nichols is being heard, a
continuation until Wednesday morn
ing was agreed upon due to the fact
that Judge Mayfield had another
case booked for this afternoon and
Attorneys Seymour and Randall,
counsel for the defense, have eases
! IL court this afternoon and tomOr-
| row.
The preliminary hearing was
scheduled to start this morning at 8
! o 'clock, but it was nearly 10 o CLOCK
sbofOrc it got under way and the
y first motion to be made was a re-
| quest by Attorney Randall that
further continuation Of the hearing
!. be granted. To this District Attor-
! ney f. r. Utley strenueusIy object
ing, stating that the interests of the
people and the seriousness of the
! charge demanded an immediate
| hearing, that the ease had been al
i! lowed to drag too long, and as one
| continuation had been granted, he
4 was strongly opposed to another.
I Cites Ortega Case
! The objection of the district at
tornoy drew long reply from At
/ tOrney Randall. who cited the ac-
,tion Of the district attorney in the
ireceat Ortega case as reason why
his request for a continuation should
was counsel for Ortega, who had
!, been charged with the murder of
y like Fornasero and the attorney de-
imandcd an immediate hearing. The
! district attorney obtained two con-
because his witnesses
,twcre not ready, and Randall beilev-
Jed the action of the court in grant
! ing combinations in the Ortega case
lshould serve as precedent in the
1present case. The district attorney
1replied that the cases were not SIM
1ilar, inasmuch as his witnesses in
1.-THE Ortega case were unable to at
1tend because of illness and suffic
1ient time had been given to counsel
for Campbell and Davis to obtain
whatever witnesses and evidence
''were desired.
Il Lyons First Witness
\ The court ruled that the hearing
sshOuld proceed, and Coroner w. E.
(LyOns was called to the stand. lie
lrelated the story of finding the
abody, of its condition when found,
Iitl& nature of the wounds and the
developed at the inquest
lover which he presided. The corO-
iner's testimony YVES continuously
liObjected to by both attorneys for
sthe defense, who used every means
lin their power to prevent the intro
iduction of any testimony of evil
idence that might be prejudicial to
itheir clients, anu the examination
iOf DR.. Lyons was long drawn out
|iaffair, that was not finished when
court adjourned ut noon.
Il Campbell and Davis did not APP
|ipear to show any more interest in
|iagain hearing the story of their
crime than they have heretofore.
Campbell sat with his eyes east
down and very seldom looked any
|where but at the. floor. Davis evin-
ced more interest in the proceedings
end closely watched the different
|iofficers of the court and the attor-
|'neys as they talked. His nonchalant
air was still with him and there was
'nothing in his demeanor to show
that he cared what it was all about.
Judge Mayfield's small court was
we'll crowded with spectators who
were drawn to the hearing by de-
F5re to see the youths who were
Jcharged with such terrible crime,
Rand several women were numbered
among those who witnessed the pro
ceedings.