747 Sheet – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

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Reading Time: 4 minutes [548 words]

Here is the translated text as follows:

PEDRO GIBERT AND OTHERS

The boatswain had a distinctive appearance with a long nose and black, curly hair. If he were alive, everyone would recognize him by the scar across his nose. He was of medium height and sometimes wore a straw hat, sometimes a cap, but generally a light felt hat with a low round crown. I never saw other felt hats on board the schooner. I don't recall what shoes he wore at the time; sometimes he wore yellow shoes, sometimes black. The crew wore shoes of both colors. Yellow shoes were made of untanned skin and sold for six and eight riels (equivalent to seventy-five cents and one dollar) in Havana. I don't remember what shoes Boyga wore; the officers wore black shoes, and one or two of the men also had black shoes. I do not remember whether the boatswain wore a jacket on the day of the robbery. He was a poor man and could not afford to wear a jacket at sea. Sailors on board Guineamen seldom wear jackets but usually take one with them in case they should go ashore at any port. I do not know what color the jackets were that the sailors wore, as I did not look particularly at their backs. I do not remember whether any of the crew wore monkey jackets when they went on board the Mexican. The boatswain had a black jacket. Ruiz, the carpenter, had a pair of Nankin trousers—I think he had a cape on. The day we boarded the Mexican, the captain ordered us to shift about; some to wear hats and some to wear caps. I cannot read Spanish but could distinguish the letters on the boxes brought from the Mexican because I know four letters of the alphabet: P, D, O, and U.

Peres became concerned that the questions he was asked were intended to make him incriminate himself, and he became very agitated. He spoke in loud and rapid tones, struck his breast and the rail of the stand where he was placed several times with great force, and said he wanted to tell how the captain had divided the money and made him and others take it. His objective was to exculpate himself. The court was thrown into great confusion and was unable, for a considerable time, to stop the witness's outburst. He was eventually taken out, and being in a state of great exhaustion, refreshments were procured for him.

The court remarked that if the witness believed he was incriminating himself by answering Mr. Child's questions, that misconception should be corrected.

Mr. Child objected, arguing that even if the witness was under such an impression, he was still bound to speak the truth. He thought that, given the weak defense materials available to the counsel for the prisoners, having no witnesses, they should be allowed the benefit of anything that might be revealed by the witness under his current state of mind.

The District Attorney stated that the honor of the government had been pledged to the witness that if he spoke the truth, no harm would come to him. He felt it was his duty, both for himself and the government, to dispel any such misconception that might be affecting the witness's mind.