, 1881-11-19
coWARDlY ASSASSINATION.


The mna1 h1Artlona. coWArdly, 2eoased ami
dagrscsf1l murder, s.ys the Aosasa;n Senti-
,sl ths& ever hlackened the criminal calen-
DIR Of Union ooauty. Vas enacted In Wal
lova valley, % the ID ol November. There
~ lived in this county for many years,
mm b. tAs name ef John Hawk. and it may
b assaAsa right hsre with no credit to the
eov.edly dess that took hin life. that his
rspst.tiss vas BY no means = spotless one,
his character wore no features 10 be envied
b. his fellow men, bat On the 'costrary he
had horne the oognomen Of hard character
asd bad been suspicioned rs being the hero
Of the branding iron and thereby converting
to his own use unmarked animals that
ramed the plains of Wallowa valley.
Whetheror not these suspicious were founded
oa fAets, We have no means of knowing. but
certain il 70 that he had been before courts of
jutee and sufficient proof could not be
fmnd 10 convict On the morning Of the ID
inst, the murdered mAn. IN company with
man BY the name of Adams. started from
the Upper Wallowa valley to come to the
Grand Ronde valley for provisions. Night
overlook them st the little village Of Lostins
in Middle valley on the Wallow. river.
Here they canped in some timber near the
waters edge, teneath and probably forty
yards hom the projecting bank of the river
Mr.. Hawks nother-in-l.v was IN company
vith. him also, and. rs the wsather vas dis.
atveeabse, shs sought sheltsr under roof
ssd Msssrs. HsSk snd Adams retired in a
tent. About the hour OF eleven they were
aroused by 4 single gun.shot and Adams says
that Hark remarked What does that
mean :" This shot vas Immediately followed
by volley after volley until dozen or more
ahots had bean fired and all again became
qt,st. Adams then left his eomrade and
sought shelter in neighboring house. bnt
did not make known the facts Of the murder
until morning. On the following morning
Hawk was found dead in his blankets. with
four slight wounds m his body and bullet
hole through tie crown OF his head An IN
quest was helj over the body, the result Of
which it is not nee, ssary to state. Several
blank cntridges were found on the bank
rom whence it was supposed the. shooting
was done. NJ. Wash Bloom, A. {. Smith
md two sans OF Judge Reavis were stopping
over night at Lostine and were sleeiing IN
blacksmith shop. Mr.. Smith informed us
that he heard the firing and spoke 10 MIR.
Bloom about it saying that it "meant ms
sh,ef," TAT he did not know where. or what
it was and did not feel disposed 10 start oat
Just then on tour Of investigation. As Yet
no arrests have been made, but the finger Of
suspicion points undoubtedly toward guilty
parties, and although there have probably
lived more righteous men than John Hawk
let all law abiding citizens scorn with con-
tempt the notions of these viil.inous moon,
sinners, who would, at the peril and disgrace
of civilized community, resort to visilant
law aud commit the NEST henOls murder
ever known in Eastern Oregon. We hope
to see this outrage ON human 1eeeney fer
reted out and the guilty parties .hou.d
stretch hemp until their muI,irnus hearts
should forever cease to throb. No stone
should be left untnrned that might lead to
conviction Of the guilty parties R.-t:ef by
far that our county should be ten thols:.nl
times bankrupt than that such crimes should
60 unpunished-