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Caryl Chessman — Part 2

26 pages · May 09, 2026 · Document date: May 18, 1960 · Broad topic: Murder · Topic: Caryl Chessman · 26 pages OCR'd
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deat eeMored Ter: nova, but he obvi- sly ali: Wanted th. This towel hes on ane a the most pux: enects of Coessma: Laracter, ‘He van who, Upparently, was w Hing , to die aver a chanee te p! 2 Sor clemency, pro- ‘ded he would admit his quilt, His an- wer, fn his own som awhat rowantie Hetoric, wes “vindicxt!on or death.” Chess- mim also adhered, it seems, to the code as regards infonners, Jas., while ad:nittiing we had come Bee h, he reiterated that bo hed wt been “oone to as the incorma- sive dion, He wasn’t, But there are other sides to this ques- loa. We have iaforn o Chat Chessenan mere titereated i protecting: certain cucent parties than ins savin either dis own re putation or his Ete. Anon he ve -entecn-veareedd de ete Was “ese protecting is a sander whose exist- seoruboaan di his death. cit is stive thet hed. iasisting Giet he, Tor- Tule wv owsit ae oaag tea € tase tho Spa i Eb dt Hog be ose t tect oat . it it orgie n aBIER fee heen wer athe hope hat ity pbb tien to fartias information “This Mo dheeisies. or VINe= EEN EE ey our sfc ty to Dewspapers Oefere aibtication poe t it was uray Eee table in the same ; + mlanree - HOW S Cai. i A. papers 3 Pe, the frout page, and some aang PWIA 2 AZIDE] tpressec, by the tio that we : yily bad identified ie va foe tue first tune, bat were able to orravice bis Corunts r (Catfomia crimi- . ident feation £- ther), his FBE ehumber aid 1 copy ob nis criminal record, ked, and aew ins Deus to Alter in through hence ci)s ace infermers. One Leecutes La coud \ oddeld’s wife called alter we pul left Kee, she cad had soy ann ut ost six L. aA. taro all anons tty ts PAeRe co “TT <oice a governor's yet?” the aovvered that he bad. setter ra tan the information dort Tas a face full ci aaid, Kare at you ater that.” [ “x BYES but “ted tet ~ Was us to stick with uy a week to co The yoverper sent “sd not change his yo ection. ecofed back co the Z whee Toit te see Chessman it hes o help ou unre Gil or wae S@ Uw PD one s the right thing,” truth to come (> "What cH rence cat it make? Do you mean te say youd rather die in the gas her than live «ith the reputation of ox. steal pigeon?” ‘ib way seem an anomaly to you,” he said, (but that’s way T feel.” Y mentioned a nane he didn’t know I knew and asked him if he were protecting anyone, “Let's just forget about that part of it, shell wee" he said. seriously shaken. Larrecd. But P want it on the recerd that he died, was thinking of Chessman, wher t mor: Shan his owr. AText day, we started preparing ‘the Ancosy writ—Chessanin’s hist plea For justices. The aratetial we got together for that varit convinced George » Davis, Chess- naaa'’s oten aforacy, for the first tine, Ghat he was imnocent. Until he read this ma- Davis had been Gabtiag tor his client atrichy beeause he bad been Cenled due process of Taw, fos ease, described by the scHous Uironc hed” by, tverWhelpee somos Biveoqwecats. ab Cha , fe ten” mean t fas Ctr, tamed bv the tiation of A. Har te the one tscd by tho Ded } dght Pood. 5. fos Wleged admissions to the police. Here’s what we found at the heart of this “overwhelming” evidence. itive dent ific ation-of: Garyl Chessman. led Light Bandit, questlonable, Tt Chessman was tricd, convicted wnteaced to Cooth for the following and so-called “Red Light” eriines. LL Armed Robbo-ry-of Thomas Bartle 1/is, 33 wan. SiS. Anacd Rebbery—Floyd C. Bailew and Elaine Bushaw 4/18/48, 7:30 pum. $20. 3. armed Rodbery~of Jarnigan Lea. Anned cobbery, kidnaping for the purpose of robbery with bedily injury (a capital offense} and violation of Penal Code See- tion 255.\ (forcing -ictim to oral copula- tien, thus constituting bodily injury in above charze.) Of Regina Johnsen 1/19/45, 9:40 oan, Losmied Reblecrr—Gerald * 42:10 am. $2. Attempted RebberymFre nok Hurlburt, Weng for the purpose cf robbery with bodily i - ithe secoad capital cllense), violation o° seetic 258A Penal Code and the attempted forcible rape of Mary Alice Meza-2 /22,48, 1 am, A ojory of eleven women and cone man found Caryl Ches guilty on all counts. Prestrrs -utification as the Red Light Band it war beyond a reasonable doub:. £ Bet’s Took 22 che Ancosy evidence. 1. aguas Bart in his complaint to the police—ten mivrics after he was robbed by the Red Light Bandit, described the bandit 2s being ” +, age thirty, height Sve fect six Cactue s six feet*, weight 150 pounds, stocky belid, “tan con mex and, added that ndit had “crooked teeth in (the) free Bartle’s companion. Anos Plaskeitz cel, “EL couldn't see bin eat Toheard ' o> talk.” About one wees Srter, two days after Stenc, 1/20- _t ‘Ss Bandit, Chessnian sas described in a ye FF -tcletype as follows: 7 Ww, six, five fect eleven, weigit, les p , dark-brown wavy hair, long narrow nose with bump on bridge of nuse, brown eves,” Although Bartle’s description, given ten minutes followisz the robbery, fails to describe Caryl Chessman, Bartle, a mori: later at Chessman’s preliminary hearing, positively identificd Chessman as. the Red Light Bandit. When Chessman. acting as his own attorney, asked Bartle if he could recezuze any porticular idestifying fea- ture that he might have mentioned to i police, in his origipal repert, Bartle an- swered, “Ll told the officers Crit vou had : Protvacing dower found [thiek seu + find itd the report” . What ‘Uhomas Vardie, a doatig: by pro- fession, had reported was that the Hes Light Bandit had creeked fieat teeth. Caryl Chessinen had remsrkchly strviss teeth-as Dr. Bare tmist rave discover: when confronted by Cheses or i carr, s teeth are, oo Raet | and bhe , Chessinaan’s 2. Miowd GLB. made a pohce thes: hoes robl~ aa uh ary Jagee . ‘ BENG 8 Sth. ine ‘ t ’ praise Msi acl ak oe Seret fan shaw, Mio Bah ss. - ype ce ai: of ¢ pis Cet gaat feet. a. Ghesatian MiB Vrex sap grerecths aussi fooretien fa has door in the wet, iWerdhee Chessta a oat) the pyre finan: hearing, bat refine to identify: Chessimat's race "Bhat’'s the ecloe,” he tested, “bre the (Red Light Vanltit) car was nota fe - passenger<coupes 1. was-a sedan.” Ballow furthers 00 tfed chit he aed telling the police “lat the Red Light Boo was “ehirtv, 160 pounds, and Chad 4 protruding under jaw” This is all Biadlew reco! cted havin teld the police. 3. dornigan Le the companion at in gina Johnson, testibed at the preliminary h ariag in February of 1648 that he bd desetibed the Red Lidvt Bandit to the p- lice as being “between five wet eight ard five fect ten (with 2 hat on), « “pproximat te 160 pounds, with creekcd teeth, stained.” Yet. three mer AE = pos he Tater se Chesser trial in May, with Crossman cross-exansin- ing, anc while ender oath fernigap Lea yelunceered the fein: And fore or toid the police so- had crooked tec.” Furthermore, hough Loa Cains tp have seen the ‘ Light Bandit” wi! amosk, he admitts.i thet, in reporting re ic crime to the police. he had rot mentioned that the bandit 4a a prominent nose ve he positively ident‘fed Carel Chessmar 2s the Red Light EBendit in court. (Chess- man’s hawk-like nose is his most dis guishing feature. Even more disie~ding is ths information to he found in a Las Angeles County Sher. is ece report 4.2637, dated Janusy 27, 19-48, but neeer introduced in evidence at either prelimingry hearing or trial. THs document :-porting the identi§. + tion of Caryl man aw’ David U. Knowles -(Chessime:’s partner whe was <1- rested with himd by Mr. lea and vrs Johrson contain. the folkes i oz: “Suspects Oploe ) pallea up her a (Mr, Lea's) car ccd then spproactss foot and asked boy Wentifiecion, 2.00 ¢ oh rt, fe
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