The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-01-08
PSYCHOLOGY OF
SMALL TOWN IS
BEHIND VERDICT
Melrose Park Enjoys
Roman Holiday

and Jose Sanchez, a Mexican, was a
travesty on justice.
So far as the evidence submitted
was concerned, the jury might as well
have returned a verdict of mutual
suicide. While everyone agrees that
Stahl probably shot Sanchez, there
were no eye witnesses and no evil
dence was produced to support such
verdict. Nor evidence as to who
shot Stahl.
But the jury found, first, that San
chez came to his death by a bullet
wound at the hands of Stahl, and that
it was "justiiable homicide" That was
added by way Of gratuity.
Then it found that Stahl came to
his death by bullet wound at the
hands of Agustin Morales, the young
Mexican who was arrested at Oak
Park soon after the shooting. Morales
was thus bound over to the grand
jury and is back in Cook County Jail.
Morales TestifIes.
Morales himself took the stand. He
is q husky, broad-shouldered, young
workingman, dressed with more than
usual neatness and in working clothes
of the best quality. He has a swarthy,
honest face, and a very gentle man
ner.
The Mexican vice-counsul, Amador,
acted as Morales interpreter, and
Mary Belle Spencer was his attorney.
He told a simple, straightforward
story, with no hesitation In answering
every question.
He came home, where he lived with
the Sanchez boys, tired from work, on
the evening of Dec. 9Th and went to
bed. Jose Sanchez came home very
drunk. At about 1890 Sanchez in
sisted on going out to the string of
box cars. Morales could not dissuade
him from the purpose, and went with
him to protect him, fearing that in
his drunken condition he would fall
down and freeze, as the night was
cold.
Arriving at the railroad yard,
Morales knocked on the door of car,
where Jose's godfather lived, hoping
to wake the occupants and have them
take Sanchez in and care for him.
While so engaged, 70 feet away from
Sanchez, he heard shots. Going back,
he found Jose and another whom he
did not identify in the dark, both lying
dead. Near Sanchez lay gun.
Now Morales testified that he him
oov7.iad M o11Y1 fhut ba did nnt
know that Jose did, that he had never
seen gun around the Sanchez home.
On the way to the yards, he had taken
off Sanchez two pints of moonshine,
to prevent his further drinking. He
now picked up the gun lying beside
the bodies.
Then he went home and reported
Jose's death to the elder brother. Get
ting frightened at the possibility of
being implicated, he took a street car
for Chicago, and was asleep in the
car when he was arrested at Oak
Park.
A Gun Mixture.
Then came an astonishing bit of
evidence. Chief Of Police Pein took
the stand and testified that the gun
they had found on Morales had been
identified by its number as having
belonged to Officer Stahl. That Of
course corroborated Morales story
that he had picked the gun up. And
this was the only gun exhibited when
the inquest first convened on Dec. Sth.
In order not to face the ludicrous
assumption that Morales shot Stahl
with Stahl's own gun, the chief put
in evidence at the adjourned inquest
a second gun, which he now claims
the police picked up at the scene of
the shooting and which he has been
unable to trace to its ownership. The
theory Is suggested that after the
shooting, Morales traded. guns, leav-
ing his own behind as discriminating
evidence and taking his victims gun
with him to clinch the evidence
against himself-a very careless per-
Torrance for any criminal.
After failing to produce officer Kol-
WITT, who was wounded at the time
and who claimed to be able to identi-
fly Morales, on the ground that Kol-
WITT had had chill on the day be-
fore, the hearing ended with no evil
dence to show who killed either man.
But the jury had no trouble in salts
flying the mob psychology that is
ruling Melrose Park just now.
But the reasonable assumption, in
view of the new gun evidence, is that
neither of the two Mexicans was arm
ed, that, shooting in the dark, Stahl
wounded Kolwitz and that Kolwitz
killed his fellow-officer, Stahl.
The Climax.
AS soon as the inquest was ended,
the young widow of Officer Stahl
made a furious rush at Mrs. Spencer,
Morales attorney, screaming and
shrieking. She was grabbed by friends
and went into Mysteries. At the same
time, big brute of man brushed
by a representative of The DAILY
WORKER and attempted to kick
Morales. He was seized and uuieted.