Imperial Valley press., 1931-01-30
THREAT IS
RELATED
IN TRIAL
Witnesses State Hodges
Expressed Wish To Rid
County OF FilipinOs.
ATTORNEYS CLASH
Damaging Evidence Civ
en- Against Accused BY
Imperial Blacksmith.

Evidence intended by the prosccu-
tion to link A. L. Hodges with the
fatal bombing of an old barn in I'm
perial December 8 was introduced
into the trial of Hodges and E. T.
Mccoy on murder charges, for the
first time in the trial late yesterday
afternoon, and the evidence carried
still further this morning.
Testimony OF a number of wit
nesses was to the effect that Hodges
had been heard to threaten the Fill
pinos living in Imperial, and that he
endeavored to take up a collection
for the good of the county, The
Inference drawn by the prosecution
from this phrase is that Hodges
wished to rid Imperial county OF
FilipinoS.
Other testimony was by witnesses
who saw Hodges in an Imperial pool
hall at the instant the explosion was
heard. The state contends that
Hodges threw the bomb, and imme
eiately returned TO the pool hall
where he was awaited by Mccoy
and Anthony d. Patton, third men,
ber of the accused trio. Patton will
be tried for alleged murder after
the present trial is over.
Questioning of another witness as
TO the length of time required by a
dynamite fuse to burn brought the
answer that the time figured by
miners and others who handle dy-
namite and fuse is one foot min
lIte. but that this estimate. under
certain conditions. might be wrong.
At one point in the trial this
morning Harry w. Horton, attorney
for Mccoy. and District ttorney FL
mer w. Heald engaged in verbal
battle. This occurred when Horton
questioned Samuel McGaughy. I'M
perial barber. as to whether he had
received any coaching by the dis
tricc attorney on the evidence he
was to give. The witness denied
that he had been coached.
Warned BY Court
Hot words between Horton and the
district attorney were cut short by a
warning from Judge Finney that he
would not tolerate any wrangling
among the attorneys.
Dana aging testimony against
Hodges was given by an Imperial
blacksmith yesterday afternoon,
when he asserted that Hodges had
entered his shop and asked for a
piece of pipe. He told Hodges where
he could get the pipe, said the wit
ness, and a few moments later
Hodges was back to procure a piece
to solder onto one end of the pipe.
The blacksmith cut piece of metal
for the purpose, and Hodges went to
another shop to get IL soldercd.
Later he brought the pipe back TO
have a small hole bored III IL. &C
cording to the witness. The pipe III
question is that claimed by the pros
ecution to have been used in con-
struction of the bomb which killed
Ariston Lampky and injured two
other Filipinos.
Witnesses in the case yesterday
afternoon we're c. l.. Gillett, former
sheriff; Jack Bradford. who testi-
tied that he was in an Imperial store
on three occasions when Hodges
tried to buy dynamite caps; James
Heath, from whom Hodges tried to
borrow money to buy dynamite, and
Harry Ditto, blacksmith.
Witnesses called this morning
we're S. o. McGoughy, barber in I'M
perial: l.. M. Mcintyre, II. c. Dole
and Frank Graham, who were in
the pool hall at the time of the ex-
plosion, and who had previously
heard Hodges remark against the
Filipinos; W. D. Stokes, F.. j. Barnes,
I. D. Snoddy, Harry Riddle and w.
c. Dodd. who were playing poker
with c.. M. Hunter, unapprehended
ON a murder charge, when the eX-
plosion occurred; j. w. Poor; Mrs.
Josephine Hansen, who lived in a
house next the old barn, and A. b.
Smith.
Smith testified that, in CONVEX
sation with Hodges, the defendant
asked Smith if he would buy him
a mailed milk If he Hodges "knOCk-