Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-03-08
niLly MONO NatL.
His Arrsst and Experience How he
Came to Los Angeles. and Where
he was Going.


His Arrest and Experimentation he
Came to Los Angeles. and where
he Was Going.
A full account Of the arrest Of Billy
Mcdowell at San Pedro, by Deputy
Sheriff Geo. E. Gard, appeared in the
HERALp yesterday. and also the fact that
he had taken poison. From Deputy
Sheriff Gard we learn that Mcdowell
| told him that when he saw Gard arrive
at San Pedro he knew that he could not
get away, and took a heavy dose Of
strychnine and morphine and went to
bed. He had intended to 60 on the ship
King Cendric for British Columbia, but
the discovery Of his identity by Mr.. F.
Burkle, and the prompt arrival Of officer
Gard, prevented his plans from being
carried out. When Gard went 10 the
door Of Mcdowell, at his boarding
house, he found the door fastened on
the inside. He then waited awhile to
see II he could get out any other way.
and after time, finding no person
moved from the room, he climbed up to
the rear window in noiseIess manner,
softly pried up the sash, pushed back
| the curtain and saw Mcdowell in bed.
His face was but partially exposed, and
his hair had been dyed and his mustache |
cut of, SO that he appeared to great dis
advantage to the officer, but his hands
were exposed and Deputy Gard saw that
they were like the freckled hands Of Nc
Dowell. So with . sudden effort be
raised the window, sprang into the room,
plunged his hand under McDowell's pill
low and snatched out his revolver before
be had become sufficiently aroused from
the stupor that was stealing over him to
defend himself.
Mcdowell told Deputy Gard that he
saw him arrive, and then went to his
room and locked the door. He then
took poison prepared for him in San
Bernardino, consisting Of morphine and
strychnine, but took, apparently, too
large : dose for immediate death.
While Gard was speaking to the pris-
oner, who had risen up, the latter point
ed out Of the window to man
who was hurrying away around the
bluff, and said: 'sThere goes my
companion, Sayer. who came out Of jail
with me-" But Mr.. Gard could not
leave his prisoner to chase the fugitive,
Sayer, and 20 he wandered off.
Mcdowell states that he had nothing
to do with the fire at San Bernardino at
the time Of his arrest, but that they
escaped after the ERE, and went to a
house Of prostitution, kept by Mrs. Jack
son, where they stayed all night, and
got some money, . revolver and the poi
son. The next night they started out.
and were for two days and nights on the
Cucamonga plains without food or shell
ter. They then went to Pomona, where
they were not recognized, and stayed
one night, and then footed It to Los An
geles, arriving here on Sunday night
about midnight. After rest here they
started for San Pedro on foot, avoiding
the beaten line Of travel, and arrived At
| Mr.. Dunn's boarding house on Tuesday
night, to await the sailing Of the ship
Cendric, t. take them to British Colum-
bia. Here It was that Mr.. Burkle rec
ognizsd Mcdowell and notified Deputy
Sheriff Skelton, and he notified the
Sherifrs Office in this city, when Deputy
Sheriff Gard went down and bagged the
game, as has been stated.
After the capture of Mcdowell, Gard
autographed Sheriff Currier, and he went
to San Pedro by the afternoon train to
assist In the business, which was at that
time very interesting. Mcdowell was
in . terrible state. The poison was
getting in Its terrible work, and it re
quirsd two men to hold him and prevent
him from doing great harm to himself
or anything about him. During all the
night the suffering Of Mcdowell was
terrible. but BY the assiduous attention
Of DR.. Briefly and vigorous use Of the
stomach pump the prisoner was 20 far
relieved that he Va placed on mat
trsss and brought on the afternoon train
to Los Angeles. Whom he arrived in
the city large crowd was gathered in
front Of the iail to gst sight of the vii.
lain who had murdered dsfenseless wo-
man and then attempted to murder him
self. To avoid the crowd and to prevent
an attempt to lynch Mcdowell by the
father Of the murderer's victim and his
friends, he was driven to the rear Of the
| jail and carried to cell, being unable
to walk on account Of prostration from
the effect Of the poison.
Doctor Briefly, who came up with the
prisoner, and has taken great pains to
preserve him for the gallows, called in
DR.. J. Harmon as associate adviser to at
tend to the case of the prisoner. Mr..
Gard describes tho sufferings of McDow-
ell during Thursday night a. terrible
in the extreme. 1t is likely that il the
prisoner had known that the sufferings
from poison were 80 great he would have
preferred hanging instead, which pro-
duces only short and not over painful
death. Mcdowell says that he intsndsd
to shoot any party that came to arrest
him, but when he saw Deputy Gard In
the street he know it was all up with
him, and rather than take chance at
shooting with Major Gard, he locked his
door and took poison. and his confeder-
ats took walk. There appears to be
I no special interest In Sayer, his com
| ipanien. He had served his sentence
nearly out. in jail 1t Saa Bernardino.
and
| "Whers he's gone or how he fares,
Nobody knswS and nobody carss."
| Owing to the break in the San Gabriel
river bridge It FL Monte, Sheriff Burk-
hsrdt, of San Bsrnardino, could not ar
rive here yesterday, but telsgraphed TO
Sheriff Currisr to use all needed precau-