The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1886-09-18

To Secretary 3say0rd In the
matter Of the killing Of Five
Cinnamon In Sh0shOme County.

| WASHIN0TON, -. u:
SHIN compliance with your instruc
lions to proceed to Orc Elmo mining distric
and investigate in person the alleged out
rage committed against certain Chimes
} subjects at that place, left Boise City, tin
capital of Idaho, on the eth day of July
1886, via Lewiston. where ! was joined b,
James II. Hawley, L. s. District Attorney
We at once started for Orc Fine, where ",
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 afiidavits &C
company this report Pierce City is an
old mining town in the Orc Fine mining
district, situated in the high mountains Of
Idaho, and about two hundred miles from
Murray, the county seat of Shoshone coun
| ~. All the white men but about twenty OF
thirty have left for other places, leaving
the mines mostly in the hands of Chinese
who mine pack in goods, sell supplies and
merchandise to miners and others, and are
doing very lucrative and profitable bust
ness.
| ID. NJ. Fraser was a merchant long a resi-.
dent 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 afterwards shot When this terrible
news reached the surrouning country, that
Fraser had been thus brutally murdered.
the citizens of one accord hocked to the
scene 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
Kee Nam & Co., for the sole and only pur-
pose of closing up the American store,
thereby giving the entire mercantile trade
TO the Chinese merchants.
After an investigation of two days by the
citizens and those of the surrounding coun-
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 instruc-
tons to take them safely to Murray, the
county seat of said county, end deliver
them to the constituted authorities for
trial. All the citizens of the surrounding
country then left for their homes. On
Che 18th day of September the deputy
Sheriff with posse of six men started with
the prisoners for Murray, the county seat
81 Shoshone county, distant about two hun
dred miles. When they had gone about four
miles on their way, where the road passes
through a dense growth of timber and
underbrush. they were suddenly halted and
surrounded by large number of blackened
and masked armed men, the sheriff and his
party were disarmed, and the prisoners
taken from them and hanged.
The statement made to the Chinese Con-
sui General THAT Fraser was the keeper
of a restaurant " is not true, for he had
been heavy merchant and dealer in gen.
eral 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
foundation. Also the following statement
is entirely erroneous: "On the 10th day
of the same month a man by the name of
Faninger went and searched all over the
Chinese stores and houses without saying
word OF explanation. After the search
he started for Lewiston, returning on the
same day to Orc Elmo" No man by the
name of Faninger, or OF a similar name,
has ever lived in Orc Elmo for the last twen-
ty years, and the distance from Orc Elmo to
Lewiston is one hundred and twenty miles
The following statement is also an I'M
truth: "All communication between the
Chinese and the natives, or among the Chi
nese themselves, from all quarters wa. pre-
vented"
The Cinnamon had every opportunity to
consult together, and every avenue was
open for them TO prove their innocence.
Several who were held in custody proved
their innocence and were discharged by
this pretended judicial body.
The unfortunate difficulty occurred be-
fore i became Governor of Idaho, and /
deeply regret that the people of this section
should, in a moment Of great excitement.
have taken the law in their own hands
and while ! have not the least doubt that
the Chinese hanged were the identical par
ties who so cruelty, shockingly and brutally
murdered, without the slightest provoca-
ton Except jealousy one of the best cti-
zens of Idaho. the laws of the Territory are
ample for all offences committed therein.
On examination of the evidence it is
clearly shown that not dollar of the prop
erty of these Chinese merchants, or any
other Cinnamon, was stolen, wasted or
destroyed; but instead, it was looked after
protected, kept and delivered to the brother
of the Chinese merchant; that this large
amount of merchandise of many thousand
dollars, and also several thousand dollars
of money and gold dust, should have re-
manned undisturbed, while the place was in
possession of more than hundred armed
excited and desperate frontiersmen, clearly
shows that the object was not to plumber or
destroy property, but to punish the devils
who had done this deyilish, cowardly and
brutal act
The Orc Elmo country is but few miles
from the Neg Perez Indian reservation.
These Indians are the best educated and
most intelligent of all the Indians west of
the Rocky mountains, and number about