The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-15
MURDER OF A JUDGE

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MURDER OF A JUDGE.
A COLORADO PROBATE JUDGE SLAIN BY well
LANTES-A COLD FLOODED CRIME-JUsTICB
DEMANDED FOR THE MURDERERs
The following letter to Gov. Routt gives
the particulars of the shameful murder of
Judge L. f. Dyer, OF Lake county, Colorado.
The governor has issued proclamation, o.
reward for the capture of the murderers,
and the authorities will made every en-
deavor to bring them to iustics. The ma me
OF the writer of this letter is not published,
as his life would be- in danger should he be
known.
FAIRPLAY, Coll, July
To his excellency, John A. Routt, Denver, COL.
My DEAR SIR: L feel it duty incumbent
| upon me TO write you, and give the psTticu-
lars OF the cowardly assassination of E. L.
Dyer, probate Judge of Lake county. AS
you are doubtless aware, he was one OF the
prescribed citizens of that county in the late
troubles inaugurated by so called commit
tea OF safety. On or about the last OF June
al the instlgation, and on the sworn testi-
mOny of citizens who had suffered violence
at the hands of the committee of safety, he
Dyer issued sixteen warrants for their
arrest, and placed these warrants ia
the hands of a deputy sheriff, who is e prac-
ticing physician In Granite. DR.. Dobbins,
the acting sheriff, returned them, with an
excuse, saying that he had shown them TO
John Burnett, for whom one was intended.
Dobbins said that the reason that ne did not
arrest him was that he had no horse to bring
him. Mr.. Dyer then deputized Mr.. Sites
to make the arrests. He gathered posse OF
men and proceeded to Brown creek,
evening, July l, be arrested John
Burnett. The next morning he also arrested
Capt. Chafin, ringleeder OF the mob, and
man named Moore. They refused TO
come unless the deputy would send away any
and all friends of the Gibbs faction thew
claiming that they were afraid that the adj
herents and friends of Gibbs might harm
them. Their request was complied with.
They then refused to come unless they were
permitted to retain their arms This the
deputy also granted. Ny informant, Mr.
Gilliland, seeing the state of affairs, did not
think it safe to remain, and mounting his
mule, proceeded TO Granite. On bis way
there he met Mr.. Sites (who had been up the
river to make arrests) and questioned him
concerning
THE PRISONERS
being allowed to retain their arms. Sites
said that he would disarm them. When
Sites returned to Brown creek he met
Weldon, the sheriff of the county, who told
Sites to give him the warrants, saying "ihRt
be could arrest more men in one day than
he (Sites) could in three weeks" Sites gave
him the warrants, and last Friday Weldon
came to Granite with about 80 men, all
EARNED to the teeth" ell being members OF
the committee of safety. On their actions
they were very threatening. A little before
dark, these men took DYER to the court
room, Dyer having his docket under his arm. |
not allowed to 60 in. The mob remained |
but few minutes in the court room, and |
when Dyer came out he was very pale and |
serious in his demeanor. He went TO the |
store of Johnson Bros. and wrote letter, |
the contents of which are not known. Over
had said that he would not try the mob un- |
less they were disarmed. Mr.. Weldon, the |
sheriff, replied, Z" that he should try them" |
That evening neither Mr.. Dyer nor GILL; |
land could move without being followed by |
the committee. The next morning occurred |
one of the foulest murders ever known in |
the annals of Colorado. The committee |
took Mr.. Dyer to the court house. After a
few moments portion OF them lett the
room. These returned in a few minutes. A |
moment after their return three shots were |
fred. Several ladies visiting ia the vicinity |
screamed, and called Weldon To go up TO the
court house. Weldon appeared to be very |
much excited, and caught hold of man
and said something to him. After the firing |
OF the shots the mob LETT the court room, |
and as they fled out they glanced over |
their shoulders into the room where |
Dyer lay welteridg in mis- blood. In /
brief, 1 have given you Mr.. Gillnand's |
version of the story as l took II from his
lips this morning. 1 will now give you Mr.. |
Wood wards story, who also the shoot |
ing Mr.. Woodward says that on the morn |
ing of the Sd he was talking with Mrs.
Champ and her sister, and told them that |
they 1.-THE mob) were going to kill Dyer.
"The words had scarcely died on my lips
when 1 heard a shot fired. Immediately |
said they have done it. We all ran to the
platform of the house, and saw two shots
fired. The men who fired them were staGd /
ing on the platform. After
THE SHOTS WERE FIRED,
one of the men stopped down and looked
into the court room, and then ran down the
steps where there was four or five of the
mob standing / can identify the men who
did the shooting i'll were to see them. Don't
know who the men were that were standing
at the foot of the steps." Mr.. Leslie Chris,
tison says that after he heard the shots he
ran between some buildings and finally into
the court house, where he found Dyer vel
tering in his blood. Chss. Nslteon and
JOHN ID. Coen we're present. Dyer was shot
in the head, the ball entering Just back of the
right ear and lodged beneath his left eyebrow.
He lived Is inmates: was conscious, but
unable to speak. In giving you the partic-
ulars of this terrible tragedy, / have but
one or TWO observations TO make In the
first place when I visited Lake county in
February, when the excitement was at its
highest pitch, found, on close inquiry, that
the mob had no other evidence of the MUIR
der of Harrington by Gibbs than mere be-
lief found that he had, or was, the means
of maligning the character of Mrs. Harring
ha,a al |
that the mob were determined to avenge the
murder of Harrington and the death of