Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-17
PANTAGES WITNESS
HELD FOR PERJURY
District Attorney Declares
Others viii Be Brought
Before Court.


LOS ANGELES. october 1T.-Inti-
nations by District Attorney Buron
Fits that perjury charges will be fileo
against more witnesses in the case of
Alexander Pantages heightened inter-
est today in the trial of the theater
magnate on charges of criminally at
lacking Eunice Pringle, 17-year-olo
dancer.
Fits statement came after a day
of startling turns in the trial. featured
by the indictment of Garland Bif1le,
first defense witness for Pantages, on
. perjury charge.
Bifie. who was arrested Tuesday
after he testified he had overheard
Miss Pringle say to Nicholas Duneav,
a writer, just before she visited the
theater mans Office on the day of the
asserted attack, that Pantages would
be sorry II he did not book her vaude-
vile act. The State cortends that
Duneav was not in the theater at the
time referred to by Biff1e.
Father and Son Accused.
During a courtroom argument over
the Biffle testimony Fits asserted that
in all his experience he had never
seen such cold-blooded. deliberate at
tempts to suborn perjury as have been
made by Alexander Pantages ard his
son. Rodney. in this case"
Contention of defense attorneys that
Bifie's arrest in the presence of other
defense witnesses had been delib-
crate attempt by the prosecution 10
irtimidate witnesses drew an order
from the court that any future al
rests should not be made in the pres-
ence Of persons waiting to take the
stand.
C. H. Heard, optician. with offces
In the Pantages Building, was the flrst
defense witness examined yesterday.
Heard testified that only three or four
minutes had elapsed between the time
Pantages and Miss Pringle went into
the little conference room where she
said she was attacked and the time
he heard the girls screams.
Version Of Time.
Prosecution witnesses previously had
testified that they were in the room
more than half an hour before the
way of the theater building.
Under cross-examination by Deputy
Prosecutor Robert Stewart, Heard ad-
rnitted that he had known Pantages for
nine years and that they were well
enough acquainted to give each other
the high sign" when they met IN the
Railways.
Previous prosecution testimony that
Miss Pringle was assisted from the little
Office by w. L. Gordon, State witness,
was hit by Heard, who said she was
alone and standing before the ONCE
door when Gordon appeared on the
scene.
Duneav, author of Miss Pringle's
dance sktt. the next witness, identthed
q copy of the vaudeville act script and
said he sold it to Mrs. Pringle for her
daughter Efforts of the defense to In
troduce the transcript into the evidence
were overruled by the court.
Ordered to Remain.
Duneay's examination was brief, but
he was ordered to remain in the wit
ness room, to be called later.
Leo Zlaket, groceryman. Of Garden
Grove, Calf, testified that his home
adioined that Of Mrs. Lou Pringle,
mother of Eunice, and that he had
known the Pringles for about two years.
do you know Nicholas Duneav?" the
witness was asked.
Eyes, sir"
"How many times nave you seen MIN
IN IdTu6u 1EONC!
About so or rs times" he replied.
This contradicted the testimony OF Miss
Pringle and her mother, who declared
Duneay had not been at their Garden
Grove home more than four. or nve
times.
Questions by defense counsel intended
to elicit testimony that Duneav and
Miss Pringle had been close associates,
and thus bear out the defense conten-
ton of a conspiracy to blackmal Pam
tares. were successfully opposed by the
prosecution. The court ruled that no
evidence had been submitted to show
there was any conspiracy and warned
the defense against any further ques-
tioning along that line.
ZIaket was on the stand when court
adjourned and was to resume his testi-
mony today.