Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-10-06
FROM WYOMING.

A Green River special to the Cheyenne
Sun says that some evidence OF a very
startling nature was given before the
Grand Jury there yesterday. The start
ling testimony is given by the Rev. Tim
othy Thirloway, the Congregational min
lister at Rock Springs. This startling tes-
timony says that the Chinese themselves
set fire to their own houses on the day OF
the Rock Springs massacre, for the
purpose OF saving them from pillage,
and to prevent the dirt floors from
being dug into for the purpose
of finding any hidden treasuse that the
Chinese may have buried there. Well,
and what of all this? If it be true it will
relieve the miners who massacred the
Cinnamon OF the charge OF arson, but in
no way mitigate their crime OF murder.
II man sees mob OF murderers ap-
preaching his dwelling for the purpose of
killing him and plundering his house, is
it any crime for that man to set fire TO his
house and flee to the hills for safety ?
Among the heinous crimes charged
against the inoffensive Cinnamon ut Rock
Springs is the fact that in one instance
when the ruins of the Chinese dwellings
were being excavated after the massacre,
some six thousand dollars were dis
covered. The accumulation of such
a sum clearly proves that its owner
or owners had been industrious
and frugal. 1t is very doubtful whether
the white miners at Rock Springs had so
much money in store on the day OF the
massacre. Ii the Cinnamon burned
their dwellings to save the money hid
within them, they are to be commended
for their act, and not condemned. Miss
Eleanor Thirloway, the daughter of the
Rev. Mr.. Thirloway, testified that /;
Chinaman, All Quong by name, said
"China boy no likee American boy catch
him things, and China boy set fire tC
houses" China boy showed his sense. Blu
how does it come that the evidence tina
the Rev. Mr.. Thirloway and his wife ant
daughter gave before the Grand Jury
is made public? Such proceeding
seems little queer, does it not? Arc
the Rev. Mr. Thirloway and his wife ant
daughter given Il special indulgence tc
divulge to the public the evidence which
they gave to the Grand Jury that preju
dice against the murderers OF the Chi
ncec at Rock Springs may be removed
and the old hatred and dislike OF tn,
Chinese be renewed? The next thing II
do to relieve the Rock Springs assassin
of the odium attaching to them and thei
crime, is to prove, and doubtless it car
he done, that the Chinese hired men t,
assault their part OF the town and driv,
them into the hills and kill some twent,
or thirty OF them merely for the purpos
of creating public sympathy il
their behalf. Such theories fin,
ready credence in Utah, an,
we have it ''on authority tina
certain Federal officials committed, o
caused to be committed, some mos
beastly outrages upon their dwelling
merely for the purpose OF creating publ
sympathy in their behalf and to create
prejudice against the community. w
recommend this method to our Wyomin
neighbors, believing that they will b
able to convince the majority OF thei
people OF the correctness OF the theory
the same as the majority OF the people {
Utah are convinced OF this theory in re
gard to the outrage upon Dickson, Varia
and Mckay. 1t will do for home cor
sumption, but don't try to export it.