Arizona silver belt., 1888-03-24
JusTIFaaBIE HOMICIDE.

A. A. Lea, an ex.convict and for merly resident of Globe, has at last had his light of life snuffed out by a bullet fired from pistol III the hand of T. E. Fox, in saloon at Silver King The shooting occurred on the 18th inst, and from the meagre in- formation received here, if seems, was iustiGable, and a Coroners jury and the committing magistrate pronounced it so and exonerated Fox. Lea had threatened hiS life on several occa- sions and in the aItercation preceding the killing, reached his hand to his pistol pocket with the intention, as supposed hy Fox and others of "get- ting the drop oa him. when Fox drew his weapon and tired with fatal result.
 A letter to the BgLr from Silver King, states flat the nplnion there Is that Lea received bis just deserts, and that feeling of security now exists as Lea had threatened the lives of others besides Fox, and particularly the se- nior editor of the BELT who, when oe- casion presented itself, never failed to refer to Lea's lust for killing. The feeling against Lea at the King is shown in the refusal of citizens to vol untarily assist in his burial, and in order to place the remains beneath the daisies, the sheriff was forced to order a detail to do the disagreeable job.
 Fox, upon whom it dsvolved to give Lea his quietus, is well known in this community, and IS regarded as an ex- emplary young man, discreet, and averse to luarrels,
 The crime committed by Lea on the Eth of May, 1880, in Globe, was the killing of Charles Skirdin, blind man, and for which, instead of passing from time to eternity at the end of a rope, he was given homeopathic dose of penitentiary life. The 'olInd man anti-moltem statement, made in the presence of C. A. Swasey, a Justice of the Peace, and reduced to writing is, in brief, that he warned Mrs. Johnson, the mother of little girl of Lea's at tempt to corrupt her child, and It was for this that Lea shet him,
 Immediately after the shooting Lea was arrested and csnhded to the care of constable Tom Kerr who, dlvining the intention of cltlzans to lynch Lea, secreted him under bunch of hay in corral, where, however, he was dis covered and taken by citizens with the view of hanging him, but it belng suggested to at least go through the form of trial, A. H. Morehead was made presiding justice, and attorneys were appointed and acted for and against the accused Witnesses gave testimony, and arguments were made, but nothing was said that conveyed the belief that Lea ought not to Je hung. While tEe vote was being taken for tue fua! disposition af tie case, l. was amount d that the hiInd man was still liyns which deter mined tue court to surrender the Of fender to the legally constituted aU. thority for trial Ills victim died the next day, and nc one then being wii- ing to accept the responsibility of ad- ministeriug summary justice, Lea was taken to Florence and farcically al lowed to plead guilty 10 manslau9h- ter, and was sentenced 10 brief term in the Territorial prison, when noth. ing sbort of his death would haze atoned for his great cume.
 Lea did not serve the full time for which he was sentenced Executive clemeney was successfully invoked : not by Globoites however-and the felon was turned loose upon the com munity, and since which time his acts have, upon several occasions, justified his being killed; and now that It has been done, there is general feeling of thankfulness that his wicked life has been ended, And now all that is wanting in thIs connection, to com plete the record, is the names of those who signed the petition to the Cover nor for Lea's pardon.
 One-half interest in the Fame silver