Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-08-20
Report Of Gov. Stevenson to
Secretary of State Bayard
in the matter of the KILL
ing Of Five Chinamen
in ShOshOne County.

Hon. I. F. BAYARD, SECRETARY OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, d. G.
Sir In compliance with your instruc.
tions to proceed to Orc Elmo mining
district and investigate in person the
alleged outrage committed against
certain Chinese subjects at that place, l
left Boise city, the capital of Idaho, on
the 9TH day of July, 1855. via Lewiston,
where was joined by James II. Haw-
ley, U. s. District Attorney. We at once
started for Orc Elmo, whore we arrived
ON the 18th instant.
We made a thorough investigation of
the entire transaction, and took the
evidence of all the white men and
Chinese who were cognizant of the facts.
(said affidayits accompany this report.)
Pierce city is an old mining town in the
Orc Elmo mining district, situated in the
high mountains of Idaho, and about two
hundred miles from Murray, the county
seat of Shoshone county. All the white
men but about twenty or thirty have
left for other places, leaving the mines
mostly in the hands of the Chinese. who
mine, pack in goods, sell supplies and
merchandise to miners and others, and
are doing q very lucrative and profitable
business.
d. M. Fraser was a merchant long a
resident of this locality, and had lived
there with his family for nearly twenty
years, respected, honored and beloved
by all who knew him. On the 10th day
of September, 1885, said Fraser was
murdered in his store in the most brutal
manner, being actually chopped to
pieces with knives and axes, and after
wards shot. When this terrible news
reached the surrounding country, that
Fraser had been thus brutally murdered,
the citizens of one accord focked to the
seen of the murder and endeavored to
find out the wretches who had done
this terrible deed.
Facts and circumstances clearly
showed that the murder was planned,
concocted and instgated at the Chinese
store of Lee Kee Nam d Co., for the
sole aud only purpose of closing up the
American store, thereby giving the
emf mercantile trade to the Chinese
merchants.
After an investigation of two days by
the citizens and those of the surround
ing country, they held FIVE Chinese
guilty of this foul murder, viz: Lee kee
Nam, Lee Quong Nam, Lee All Too,
Sum Sum, and Loo All Wong, who were
delivered by the citizens to the deputy
sheriff with instructions to take them
safely to Murray, the county seat OF said
county, and deliver them to the consti-
tuted authorities for trial. All the citl-
Gems of the surrounding country then
returned to their homes. On the 18th
day of September the deputy sherln
with a posse of six men started with the
prisoners for Murray. the county seat OF
Shoshone county, distant about two
hundred miles. When they had gone
about four miles on their way, where
the road passes through dense growth
of timber and underbrush, they were
suddenly halted and surrounded by a
large number of blackened and masked
armed men, the sheriff and his posse
were disarmed, and the prisoners taken
from them and hanged.
The statement made to the Chinese
consul general THAT Fra ser was the
keeper of restaurant" is not true. for
he had been heavy merchant and
dealer in general merchandise there for
twenty years, and never was connected
with a restaurant in any way. The
further statement that the white
miners became displeased with said Lee
Kee Nam because some of them were
refused the privilege of obtaining goods
on trust from him" is also without foun-
dation. Also the following statement
is entirely erroneous; "On the 10th day
of the same month man by the name
of Faninger went and searched all over
the Chinese stores and houses without
saying a word of explanation. After
the search he started for Lewiston, re-
turning ON the same day to Orc Fino.'
No man by the name OF Faninger. or OF
a similar name, has ever lived in Orc
Elmo for the last twenty years, and the
distance from Orc Fine is one hundred
and twenty miles.
The following statement is also an
untruth: "All communication between
the Chinese and the natives, or among
the Chinese themselves, from all
quarters, was prevented.
The Cinnamon had every opportunity
to consult together, and every avenue
was open for them to prove their inno-
cence. Several who were held in GUS
tody proved their innocence and were