The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-05-04
THE CHICO MASSACRE.

ran Confession of the Assassias.
r The following is taken from the San
. Francisco Chronicle:
Il son the night of March ID, 1877, in a
shanty on Chris Lemm's ranch, two
mics east of Chico, on the Humboldt
road, i've undisguised white men en-
tered, and, covering six Chinese occu-
pants with pistols, searched them for
money. They then shot them. spilled
coal oil through the shanty, fired it and
ieit. Three Cinnamon were killed out
night. OF the wounded, one was hurt
but sghtly-Only in the ARMAND when
the murderers left he hastened to the
shanty of a white woodchopper, half
mile away, on the same ranch. The |
chopper and he went to Lemm's, but |
1emm and others were afraid to go to |
the Chinese shanty that night. Next |
Emorning the Chinaman brought word to
Chico. The coroner and jury went
zezs end held an inquest. The verdict
was, Murdered by unknown parties"
On March 16, three suspected boys were
arrested, but discharged. The citizens
formed a meeting of one hundred and
fifty, appointed an executive committee
of twentv-seven, who formed another
committee of three. Sheriff Schneider
and his deputies took as little interest
as if they had never been here. Ex.
Sheriff Daniels took an active interest in
detecting the murderers.. Col Bee,
agent of the Chinese com panies, sent here
R. B. Hall, head of Hall & Co. private
| detectives. On board the train he met
detective James Hamilton, of San Fran
| cisco. Hall and Hamilton arrived here
on the 18th, and consulted with Daniels.
The three agreed to work together, and
this night they fully completed the most
thoroughly and promptly worked out 1
criminal mystery of California. By
their instructions the drop-box of the
Chico postoffice was kept cleared and
watched by F. c. Radcliffe, clerk of
John Bidwell. A suspicious letter was
dropped; Radcliffe ran cut the back i
way, followed the young man who {
dropped it to the house of the Slaughter
family, in town. The letter was then
taken to the person addressed, opened,
and found to be one of threatening
series. On the morning of the 18th l
city marshal Steward arrested Fred Con- :
way, the man who dropped the letter, d
and confined him in the city prison. By d
the direction of the detectives no charge I
was made against him. On the night of a
Thursday, the 23d, Conway made con- d
fession, which was taken down by de- O.
tective r. B. Hall, and subsequently t.
signed and sworn to by Conway. 1t is e,
as follows:
CONWAY's CONFESSION. n.
My name is F. f. Conway The cir tt
cumstances of the murder of the four IN
Cinnamon at Chico, on the evening of dI
the 14th, are these: Myself, Charles
John Slaughter, Thomas w. as
Steinbrook and Eugene Roberts, all re
Chico residents, living near together, fr
started out, not knowing myself what OF
we were going to do. John Slaughter tu
asked me to go along. They did not 1t
ell me what they intended doing till tn
near the cabin, when Roberts said di
Unless we kill the Cinnamon, we will IN
De arrested" The first object was to WI
-ob them of their money, as it was be- in
ieved they had some about them. When W.
We entered, there were six Cinnamon Pi
here. Roberts and Charles Slaughter til
Examined the cabin and the person of de
ZACH Chinaman, while the rest of us tn
leld our pistols to them to keep them su
luiet. I don't know whether either of st;
he boys got any money. Roberts, be- II
ore the shooting commenced, scattered
,oal oil broadcast over the cabin and tn
he Cinnamon from bottle of the liquid tn
which he carried in his pocket. don't Is
NOW as any one set fire to the cabin. Sol
After scattering the coal oil, all fired, an
ach selecting Chinaman. Some of the ga
.rowd fired more than once. Four I'M
Cinnamon were killed, as we learned, by ke
,ur shots, and two were wounded who sir
re alive. AS soon as we fred, we left at
n haste, following down the lumber fol
fume, through the woods, i'm
nd separating near Mr.. Roberts's house. on
The killing occurred about o'clock, as tic
lear as / can tell. We separated about gu
ESQ and went home to Slaughter's, sh'
where we have been living for few TU
months past When the murder became
,nown, Mrs. Polmantier, the mother of tic
he Slaughter boys, accused me and the Ey
Joys of having had hand in it. Rob th'
'rts was the principal man and talker. sin
don't know who suggested the robbery. de-
Tohn Slaughter first mentioned it to me- the
Roberts told us that H. G.. Wright would wo
wear we were all at the stable that sin
light at the hour of the murder His VII
concerning the fires is that arI
here have been several attempts TO fire she
Chinatown. Henry G. Wright first sug- the
ested it, about February Is. 1 am ba:
onfdent that A. NJ. Ames, president of shs
he Labor Union, was cognizant of the onl
Intended burning. The night following ant
Wright told me that he and Jones, the hes
went to Chinatown and laid the
q wait to fire it, but several men were IN
round and they thought they were de- sue
ectives, so they didn't it. The night out
Sidwelrs soap factory was burned saw ira
Wright in the crowd. He called me to ma
ne side and said that he and three or ket
our others had +" done a little job;" he me
id not say who the others were. On 1t
iarch Sd, John Slaughter told me that qu'
is brother Charles, Henry G. Wright, gnl
he carpenter Jones and Thomas Stein ]
rook were to burn both Chinatowns, IN
7hen, he did not state distinctly. When Bo
he boys intention was made known to T
he, | wanted to turn back, but dared bot
OF believing then and now that they dar
Tould have killed me. l make this enl
RELY, voluntarily and without fear, the
lenace, or hope of reward. This state dor
lent is sworn to, on oath, the same as Tn,
he verified complaint, on March "a, ach
S77, before A. Hallett, justice of the