Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-09
EXPECT SURPRISE
IN PANTAGES TRIAL
Prosecution IntimateS 1t Will
Call "Mystery Witness"
Today.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, October 9-The
prosecution intimated that it would call
mystery witness" today in the stat
utory trial of Alexander Pantages to
corroborate the charge of Euince
Pringle, 17-year-old coed dancer. that
she was the victim of an attack by the
wealthy Snowman.
Testimony of three of the prosecu-
tons principal witnesses already has
been heard by the jury, including that
of Miss Pringle.
The most colorful testimony yet pre-
sented at the trial came yesterday, when
Louis Fisher, 16-year-old copy boy for
a Los Angeles newspaper, took the
stand as a surprise prosecution witness.
Fisher told the court that on the after
noon of August 8, the date OF the al
legged attack, he was in the office OF
William Jobelman, publicity man for
Pantages, delivering advertising proofs.
Jobelman's office is almost directly OPP
posite the "cubby hole conference room
used by Pantages.
Boy Heard Screams.
"I heard screams" said young Fisher.
"They started and continued one after
the other"
the advertising Office and saw the
Pringle girl trying TO pun hersell
through the narrow door OF the room
opposite. o,..
and his Shoulders and hips behind her,
but I couldn't see his face" he con-
tinued.
At the suggestion of Jobelman Fisher
said he then ran rapidly down the
stairs to the street. where he met FREQ
TAYLOR Wise scenario writer who pre-
coded Fisher on the stand as State
witness.
wise ran upstairs and I followed
him." said the boy.
What did you see then2' questloneo
the prosecutor. w
II saw Pantages standing in the little
ROOM"
Upon further questioning Fisher said
he thought there was some one else In
the room with Pantages. but was not
sure.
Fisher was the last State witness
called yesterday. Today the State eX-
pected to call w. C. Sale, who entered
the theater building when he heard
Miss Pringle's screams and intlmatlonS
were made that Sale would be followed
by a mystery witness.
Wise Gives Testimony.
Wise, who was the object of the most
bitter croSS-eXamination OF any witness
so far in the PantageS trial, testified
that he was walking by the theater
building shortly after pm. on August
9 and heard screams.
Help! Help! Help! Save mel" came
the cries. Wise testified.
He said he retraced hi" steps to the
theater entrance, where a crowd had
gathered. then ran up to the mezzanine
floor. There, he testified, he saw a
girls hand protruding through the door
and almost Immediately William l..
Gordon, previous prosecution witness,
succeeded in swinging the door open.
"Eunice Pringle stumbled out of the
door and ran down the stairs" cont1n-
ued Wise. when about half way down
she fell into the arms of w. G. Sale,
who was coming up"
Soon afterward Pantages and another
man came out of the door and went to
the main offices. on the second floor, said
Wise. He started to descend to the
street, but met the Pringle girl coming
back with a traffic officer. The three
proceeded to Pantages' Office.
There he is, the beast, the brute!
Don't let him get away" he testified
the Pringle girl said
'PantageS said it was frame-up and
just blacknail" continued Wise.
"Oh. don't let him talk like that about
me-" the girl cried, he said.
Cross Examination Severe.
Wise's cross-examination was lengthy
and hectic. The defense attorneys
establishing, with other things. that in
1926 he was in the psychopathic ward
of the Los Angeles Hospital for obser-
walton. hospital records were produced
describing him as mentally sick. but
not dangerously insane" The defense
also established that Wise at one time
joined the Navy, suffered a nervous
breakdown and was discharged for
constitutional inferiority."
The attack on his mental condition
was combated vigorously by District
Attorney Fits and Prosecutor Stewart,
who contended that it should be shown
that Wise was suffering from mental
illness at the time of the alleged attack
or Is now so suffering They pro-
duced evidence that he had passed
entrance examinations for five subjects
in Columbia university. New York.