Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-10-13
MURDER WILL OUT.
AN INTERESTING CASE OF SKILL.
FUL DETECTIVE WORK.
Unrayelling the Henderson Murder
Mystery-The Arrest, Confession
and Sentence of Sykes.

The facts connected with the murder o.
George S. Henderson, in Shasta county
and the pursuit, arrest, confession and sen.
tence Of the murderer, Sykes, is one of the
most interesting that has been presented
10 the readers Of the REcRoD-UNIoN:
About 6 P. NJ, October q, 1887, the
stage from Redding, Shasta county, for
Bieber. Modoc county, left Redding.
When abont four miles out, a man with
revolver in hand ordered the driver to
halt and almost at the same time fired a
shot which passed Just in front of Palmer,
the driver, and penetrated the stomach
and bowels Of George S. Henderson, a
passenger returning from the Masonic
Grand Lodge held in San Francisco, and
who was occupying 4 seat with the driver.
A man named Williams was the only
inside passenger the stage contained. After
the shooting, Palmer drove in great haste
about four miles to LOOMS Corners. where
Henderson was removed from the stage
and a messenger dispatched to Redding for
4 physician. Henderson died, however,
about A. NJ, October 22d. At the inquest
the fatal bullet was removed from the
body Of deceased and proved to be a
swedged bali which had been fired from a
45-calber Colts improved pistol.
Before daylight the news of the shooting
had spread throughout the region, and all
good citizens We'd with each other in their
efforts 10 obtain some trace of the assassin.
but the endeavors were futile. At ) A. NJ,
the 24,h, J. b. Hume, special officer of
Wells, Fargo q Co., arrived at Redding,
and, IN company with Mr.. Allison, who
lives in the neighborhood of Loomis' Cor
ners, proceeded to the scene of the at
tempted robbery and murder, and spent
five days in that region. The murder was
committed on the unimproved land of A.
NJ. Goodenough, and within one mile of
his residence.
Mr. Goodenough was engaged in cutting
and hauling wood to market at Redding.
He had in his employ for that purpose
Leslie Jones, Ed. Buck and Lee Sykes
GOodenough also employed as an assistant
and companion to his wife, who is an in
valid, Clara Wright, young lady whose
parents live about eight miles from Corn
ing in Colusa county
From the free bridge crossing the Sacra-
mento river to Millville there are three
roads, any one of which might be taken by
a stranger for the stage road, but in reality
the most northerly of the three roads is
the one travelled by the stage
The attempt to rob the Redding and
Bieber stage ON October q, 1887, was
made at point where the road was level
or q little inclined to down grade, and where
the stage team would naturally be on a
trot One hundred aud fifty yards before
reaching this point was heavy up grade.
where the team would certainly be walk
ing slowly. \ person at all familiar with
the business relations existing between
Redding and Modoc county would know
that but little money is sent out of Red
ding on the up stages, and that treasure is
IN nearly all cases carried into Redding on
the down stages.
OF the numerous stage robberies COM
mitted on this route during the past four
teen years, but one of that number has
been upon an outgoing stage and that was
perpetrated by Stonewail Jackson Arthur,
half-breed Indian, in which he realized
what TO one of his tribe would be bonanza,
tie inconsiderable amount of 500.
Taking into consideration the foregoing
facts, Hume concluded that the murder
was committed in an attempt at robbery
that the assassin was acquainted with the
road which the stage travelled that he
was wholly ignorant of the business rela-
tions between Redding and Modoc county,
and that in selecting the point on the road
for stopping the stage he exhibited total
Ignorance Of the stage-robbing business,
for had he known anything of the ethics
of "the road" Or of holding up" he would
know that by killing the driver he would
be unable to obtain the express box, and
would have, in addition, an embarrassing
charge of murder to answer, etc
For days the entire region was inves j.
gated, and no word could be heard of any
stranger being seen in the neighborhood.
To have learned which was the road trav-
eled by the stage, stranger would have
had to make inquiry, or have learned by
actual observation. 1t was demonstrated
that nc such inquiry had been made.
Thinking it possible that the murderer
might be a half-breed Indian, Hume sent
out men on that theory, but soon demon
strated the fact that no Indian could be
found having in his possession, or who
could have obtained, pistol carrying the
bullet which was found in the BODY Of
Henderson. There ensued a lull in the
investigation, but on March u, 1883, Mr.
picion toward two of the men employed by
Mr.. Goodenough, on whose premises the
murder had been committed, viz: Ed
Beck and Lee Sykes.
On The morning of the 18th of October
Sykes left the premises Of Mr. Gooden-
ough, rs he said, to go to Idaho. About
eight or ten days later, Beck professed to
have received letter from Sykes, pur-
porting to have been written from Silver
Star, Ada county, Idaho. This letter was
read by Leslie Jones and Clara Wright
who entertained no doubt at that time, of
its genuineness.
On the 2lst of November Leslie Jones,
Clara Wright and Ed Beck left the en-
ploy Of Goodenough and departed from his
premises, Miss Wright going to her faith
er's home, near Corning, and Jones
and Beck to Fresno. Hume had is
sued circulars and posted number of
them in the town of Redding, reciting the
details Of the murder and stating the re-
wards offered for the arrest and conviction
of the assassin.
After leaving Goodenough's house and
and before leaving Redding, Beck, as is his
custom, filed himself pretty full of beer,
and while walking along the street toward
the depot in company with Jones he tore
down three of these circulars and put them
in his pocket. Jones asked him why he
did this, and Beck replied Il know who
killed Henderson, and harbored him in
Goodenough'S barn the first four nights af-
ter the murder" More than this he would
not divulge, saying he 'was afraid to tell
in Redding"
Beck had no money, and in the hope OF
inducing him to tell all he knew of the
murder, Jones bought his ticket to Fresno,
and they left Redding together on the first
train. Beck positively refused to give any
further information, but adhered to his
first statement that he knew the murderer
and had harbored him in Goodenough's
barn. Jones fully believed that what Beck
said was true and upon his arrival at
Fresno Jones told Deputy Sheriff with
whom he was acquainted of Beck's state
ment, and asked the Deputy to try to in
duce Beck to tell all he knew of the affair.
The Deputy told Jones that he had Just
seen d telegram from Redding in the pa
pers saying that the murderer of George
S. Henderson had been arrested in Or
egoD." Jones then, believing that he had
been imposed upon, let the matter drop.
In the early part of March. however. in