San Andreas independent., 1856-11-01
CoWardly Murder.

a cowardly murder was committed, three
quarters of a mile northwest of this town,
near the Gold Hill House by some person
or persons unknown, but circumstantial-
ly duplicating companion, one "Jack
Smith" John Smith The murdered
man was Swede, aged about thirty-two
years, and wasa mining partnerof Smiths.
The parties had been in town together,-
Smith became intoxicated, when his part
ner prevailed on him to return home !;
each carrying Colts Navy revolver
When within few hundred yards of their
cabin, pistol shot was fred, and Smith
Immediately gave the alarm, that his part
ner had accidently shot himself, while
"drawing his pistol on dog" Parties
from the Gold Hill House went out and
found the Swede gasping his last breath
1t was then supposed that the deceased
was shot in the pit of the stomach, and so
did Smith think The parties removed
the body to their cabin, where Constable
Ben. Fuller arrested Smith, taking possess
sion of the pistols; one load having been
fired out of Smiths, and two out of the
Swede's. 1t appears that Smith fred off
the two loads from the deceased's pistol,
after he got to the cabin, but before the
officer arrested him. When arrested, he
still asserted that his partner had shot him.
self. On the post-mortem examination,
when it was discovered the deceased was
shot in the back, the prisoner turned dead
ly pale with fright, and said 'scome, let us
90 up to the house." Smith and the de-
ceased had no quarrel, or ill-feeling at the
time, so far as we are informed, but the
opininion is that Smith either accidentally
or Intentionally fired the ball that killed
his partner,
The prisoner, "Jack Smith," has been
Cumming around this place for several
years, always spreeing about, and carrying
arms--sometimes promiscuously y using them
regardless of consequences. Last winter
he shot at a man, riding up main street,
and hit his horse, injuring it so that the
animal had to be killed. Smith formerly
was Dragon, also New York boatman
The following testimony was given be-
fore the Coroner's inquest
State of California, county of Calaveras, in
Township No. Five. In the matter of an In
quest held before A. Porter, Esq, a Justice of
the Peace, in and for said county, and acting
Coroner, the 30th day of October, A. D., 1856,
upon the body of - Knowler, deceased,
about thirty-two years of age:
hereby certify Ton oath, that l have made
professional examination of the body Of the
deceased. | found pistol-shot wound enter
ing near the spine ranging from it and upward,
fracturing the transverse process of the third
dorsal vertebre, joint of the spinal column.
The ball perforated the Gsphagus, the tube
that leads from the stomach, the trachea, the
canal that conveys air to the lungs, the aorta,
THE large vessel that carries blood from the
IU,
branching from the main aorta, lodging in the
upper end or head of the sternum, breast-bone. |
The wound was such as to produce death in five
or ten minutes 1t is barely possible and high
y improbable that man could shoot himself
in the place where the pistol-ball entered the
body If the deceased had shot himself, there
would think, have been evidences of the pow
der mark upon him; the muzzle of the pistol
must have been against his person or very near
it, if he had shot himself | took the ball from
the body of the deceased near the Gold Hill
House, in this Township.
(Signed,) JRINGO, NJ D.
State of California, Calaveras County, Fifth
Township; Coroner's Inquest: Verdict.
An Inquisition taken for and on the part of
the People of the State Of California on the
30th day of October, A. D., 1856, before me, a
Justice of the Peace, in and for said County,
and now acting Coroner upon view of the
body Of Knowler, then and there being
dead, upon the oaths of John Epley, Charles
NJ Whtlock, r. II. McCracken, w. L. Beach, j.
A. Steadman, c. Conover, j. w. Tyler, Luther
Lee, and John Anderson good and lawful men
of said County, who being duly sworn to en-
quire on the part of the People of the State of
California, into all the facts and circumstances
attending the death of the said - Knowler,
and as to how and in what manner, the said
- Knowler came to his death; also upon
their oaths as aforesaid, that the said -
Knowler came to his death by the hands of one
John Smith, by means of one shot from pistol,
near the Gold Hill House, in the town of San
Andreas, and County aforesaid.
JOHN EPLEY, Foreman,
Justice Porter committed Jack Smith,
in accordance with the above facts, to Jail,
at Mokelumne Hill, to await the action of
the Grand Jury.
The SNAKE CHARMER BITTEN BY A
RATTLE SNAKE.-Mr Wirsen, the ''snake
charmer," arrived in town from Iowa Hill,
Il. l4l Il