The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-12-20

ONtT anu COuutGu bWelNt DllCh-bDOb uOltS
in the small of the back. The body of
the other Morrison lay outside of the
fire line where he had dragged himself,
his right arm shattered from gun-shot
wound; he was mangled and bruised but
still alive. put my lips to his ear and
asked him, who did this He said, "It
was Ed. Watson, the lawyer, who had
killed his brother"
abused the Morrison's in court ut the
suit of Lyons, and had poured out on
their heads the bitter invective of
deeply injured client, but that he should
followit up by murder most foul, which
should glut its vengeance by committing
to the wrathful flames the bodies of his
victims and their earthly habitation, I
could not conceive.
1 knew Watson had no pecuniary in-
terest in the suit; 1 knew he did not
expect verdict in his favor, but that he
had tried it as much to satisfy these men
that an effort would be made to right
their wrongs, as anything else and to
prevent, if possible, anything like the
very trouble which had occurred in the
terrible vengeance on the Morrisons.
This was my firm belief, and when he
told me "Ed. Watson, the lawyer, did
it," was more shocked and surprised
than when L heard of the principal oc-
currance, the killing of the Morrisons
and the burning of their house.
/ had been afraid something like that
would overtake them, and its realization
only brought confirmation to my uneasy
apprehensions. The eye for eye, tooth
for toeth, life for life doctrine had been
practiced there every day, but here
three lives were sacrificed, might say,
to their own greed. Here was retalia-
ton, not in kind, but with dreadful ac-
cumulations. l thought of course Jim
Lyons had done it, but as if to add new
trouble to that already wrought, the
gasping, dying man said, "Ed. Watson,
the lawyer, did it."
Several of the best known miners or
| residents came close to the man and
| heard his declaration.
| L mounted my horse and rode back to
town, reused the lawyer and made him
go back with me to the scene of the fire
and murder, brought him up where Nor
rison was laying and putting my lips
close to the wounded mans ear, asked
him to look up and see whether this was
the man Morrison opened his eyes for
an instant and then shutting them tightly
said, firmly:
I" Yes, sir ; that is the man who shot
my brother" Watson went almost wild
at this he clutched his long beard with
both hands, wheeled about once or twice,
and coming closer to Morrison, said (:
my God, sir, is there no possibility of
your being mistaken ?"
The dying man opened his eyes and
said, firmly: "No, SIR"
knew if let Watson remain there
many minutes longer they would lynch
him, and very likely roast his body in
the burning ruins of the building.
| plucked him by the arm to come, and
as we turned the glare of light threw
his shadow on the wall. I was trans
fixed with astonishment. stopped
Watson and pointed with speechless
anxiety to that shadow which thrilled
me through and through. He stood mo-
tionless, apparently not comprehending
my feelings, too much terror-stricken
| by this accusation to be more than half
alive.
The first words / could utter were as
if had been tongue-tied for an age. I
raised myself up, and struggled as if 1
was being smothered, and my voice broke
out in loud call" Bob Pore and Sam
! Lyons did this"-The shadow on the wall
was the exact picture of "Bob Pore, the
half-breed," who worked evil with
Lyons, and it seemed as if some other
voice than my own spoke through me. l
was in perfect ferment of excitement.
There was the wounded man who had re-
cognized the lawyer as the murderer
and there was, the sheriff of the county.
with the accused in my charge; and yet
that shadow on the wall compelled the
loud exclamation from my lips, from me,
who should have been the last one to &C.
cuse any one, but should have waited in
calm dignity the deliberations of the
law; in fact, was there to see that such
deliberation was had.
suppose the fear that an innocent
man would be executed, together with
the knowledge of the bad character of
the half-breed, Bob Pore, and of Lyons,
who had real grievance-I suppose
these things heightened my nervous ap-
| prehensions that a great wrong would be
committed if that crowd hung Watson.
These feelings must have invested the
shadow on the wall with what then
seemed to be almost supernatural
apparition. 1t went through me like an
electrical shock and compelled me in.
stantly to cry out, "It was Bob Pore and
Jim Lyons who did this" l hurried the
accused back to Jail and started with
warrant o. arrest for Lyons and Pore.
found them in the meantime about day
light the following day. said to Lyons
~ want you as witness in case, and
asked him if he had seen Bob Pore late
ly." He said he had not seen him for
several days, but that he was at the up
per ice-house. The snow was deep, but
l started up. I came across ditch
tender, who told me Bob Pore had lust
passed up a little while ago from the
direction of the upper dam, where 1 had
Just left Jim Lyons, and that he was all
drabbled and wet.
Ipushed on and little further up I
spied Pore. He began to run when he
saw me, and I called to him that wanted
him as witness on that old case,
referring to the one he was in. This
seemed to quiet him, and he returned
with me. We called back for Jim Lyons
and brought them both back to Jail. In
the meantime the coroner's jury had
met, the suspicious against Lyons had
been cleared up and the murder and the
burning fixed on the lawyer. When 1
returned with the two prisoners. I
locked them up in our somewhat inse.
cure jail and the coroner continued the
investigation. He had previously given
out warrants to arrest Bob Pore and Jim