OCR Text |
Show PRELIMINARY HEARING OF ERNST POSTPONED ON THE REQUEST OF THE DEFENSE. Four Days Granted the Attorney to Prepare for the Hearing Colored Col-ored People Disagree. Clarence. Ernst, tho colored maa charged with murder in the first degree de-gree for killing "Kitty" Charles Staples, Sta-ples, also colored, was brought into court for preliminary hearing this morning. Attorney DoVino, for the defense, asked for a stay of ten days in which to prepare a defense for his client, claiming that ho had Just undertaken the case the day before and was, therefore, unprepared to handle the same on bo short notice. County Attorney Jensen objected on behalf of the state, stating that several sev-eral of the witnesses for the state wore transients and if the postponement postpone-ment for ten days was granted these persons might bo out of his reach. Tho court stated that a postponement postpone-ment for tho length of time suggested was rather impracticable, and, while ho desired to grant all the time to tho defense that was consistent under the circumstances, he did not think that four days, as provided in the statutes, would be too short notice. He, therefore there-fore ordered that the preliminary hearing be held at 10 o'clock Monday morning , Ernst, who is well known In the city, having been employed at the Weber We-ber club for a number of years previous prev-ious to his going into the pool and billiard room business, seemed cheer-, ful today, and was confident that a preliminary hearing would result la his exoneration for the shooting of Staples. Ernst is a married man, but has no children to sliare the trouble in which he has become involved, i Tho colored population of the city seems to be divided in opinion regarding regard-ing tho killing of Staples. Srnne do not hesitate to express their condemnation condem-nation ot the deed. Others are of the opinion that Staples, after having the altercation with Giles, the dealer In the card game, and chasing the latter down the street, returned to the pool room for tho purpose of breaking up the place. It is stated by nearly all witnesses that Ernst was a badly frightened man. and that hi- conversations conver-sations with the police, togel sr with tho fact that oOlcers were at the time searching for Staples in order to place him under arrest, influenced him in thinking that he had tho law upon his side. |