San Andreas independent., 1857-11-14
Horrible Murder.

day, the 9th inst, publishes an account of
most brutal murder upon the person of
Martin V. B. Griswold, residing near
Jackson, in Amador county The deed
Is supposed to have been committed by
three Cinnamon, one of whom was en-
ployed in the house as cook. Mr. Kill
ham went few days previous to Sacra-
mento, leaving his house and business in
the care of Mr. Griswold, who, with the
China cook, were the only persons about
the house. On Saturday morning, (the
7th inst, the cook and two other China
men were seen on the stoop of the build
ing conversing, shortly after which two
OF them were seen in jackson, where
they hired horses, and left, as they said,
for the :" Q Ranch, in lone Valley, since
which time nothing has been seen or
heard of them or the horses. Mr.. Kilham
returned from Sacramento on Saturday
afternoon, and entering the house by the
back way, found the front door locked ON
the inside and the curtains down; when
ne went to the safe he found it had been
opened and robbed of it's contents. In
dust and coin, the amonnt of which he
could not tell, but it ranged from So 900
to $4,000. There being two keys to the
safe, one of which was carried by Girls
void, ne made inquiries of the neighbors,
and found the last time he had been seen
was about o'clock that morning. On
going to Jackson to inquire for the China
cook, he learned that he (the cook had
left there on horseback about 10 o clock
A. NJ. He then returned home and with
the assistance of others, instituted search
about the premises, but tnotlling was found.
On Sunday, becoming still more uneasy
IN regard to the safety of Mr. Griswold,
new search was instituted when the BODY
was found under the bed of the China
man, board having been nailed on the
front part of the bed, and reaching nearly
to the floor, supposed to have been put
on for the purpose Of concealing the body.
There were two wounds upon the back
part of the head, either of which would
have produced death, and two ON the
forehead, all supposed to have been caused
by slung-shot found under the bed, and
upon which shot the Chinaman was seen
at work some weeks previous. There
was also small cord around the neck of
the deceased, and drawn tight, with two
half-hitches. There is no doubt but the
deed was committed by the China cook,
with the assistance of others. The de-
ceased was formerly from Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, and left that place in 1913
for Oregon, and in '49 came to this State.
He is said to have been an industrious
and worthy man. The Lelger, after
publishing the evidence, says:
From the above the conclusion is ire
sistably arrived at that the plot to commit
the robbery and murder was deep laid
one, and that the Chinese cook was the
leading spirit. The degree of coolness
which he manifested in making his prep
aratlons-for instance in the manufacture
OF the s!ung-shot, (Which was, beyond a
doubt, the instrument with which the
skull was fractured) is astonishing. The
plot was as ingenious as diabolical, and
furnishes the strongest evidence that this
murder is not the first one committed by
the guilty parties
The inquest was not held until after
night yesterday-although at the earliest
moment possible after the finding of the
body-and there are many known facts
that do not appear in the testimony, that
90 strongly to fasten the guilt upon the
cook, and the two other Cinnamon who
were seen at the house shortly before the
enactment of the trrgedy; but there were
so many evidences existing at the prem
ises and in view of the jury, that further
testimony upon which to find the verdict
they did find, would have been supcrhuous.
The murder was undoubtedly commit
ted between 8 and 10 o'clock Saturday
morning The two strange Cinnamon, in
the garb of miners, doubtless had provi-
ded themselves with little dust, which
they offered for sale and while Griswold
was STOPPING over weighing or blowing it,
or making ca cu1ation of its value, he
was struck in the back of the head, and
the cord Immediately placed and drawn
tight around his neck, to prevent all dan
ger of his giving alarm, and also to pre-
vent bleeding.
He was dragged to the cook S room
and hid away under the bed, in order
that the murderers might have, as they
doubtless hoped, two or three days at
least the start of the discovery. The board
spoken of in the testimony was nailed to
the bed to hide the corpse after it was
slowed away. Marks of blood on the
bed-rail, over rhich the board was nailed,
could only have been put there while the