Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-18
A MURDER STORY
Told By Detective wetzier Yes.
terdny.

OF the fact that member OF Ohlei
Cuddy's Detective staff at present, is one
Of the oldest, acknowledged to be one OF
the most astute and most courageous
trappers OF the lawless in the country.
When the Police Commission finally
decided to make detective corps an
auxiliary to the Police Patrol, Emil Har-
ris was appointed 10 the position Of Cap
tain Of Detectives. He chose for Lieu
tenant the man referred to above, Theo-
dore @. Metzler. Metzler came to Los
Angeles some months ago in quest of no
less criminal celebrity than Tascott,
alias Gathright, the murderer OF the old
man Smell, the Chicago millionaire.
Metzler did not find the man, but
in Los Angeles he found a town
in which he decided to take
up his permanent abode. He
settled here and, after assisting the po-
lice authorities in several intricate cases,
finally formed a partnership with Emil
Harris. 1t was Met2ler's shrewd work
that convicted Anschlag, the butcher
of the Hitchcock's at Garden Grove
Chief Cuddy acknowledges his ability
and says to him is due great credit in
aiding in the expulsion of the criminal
element here in Los Angeles.
Metzler has handled successfully, and
otherwise, some of the most celebrated
OF coast criminal cases; but recital of
his connection with the capture of band
of Montana and Idaho murderers, made
to HERALD reporter in the police office,
late last night, will undoubtedly prove
interesting.
Metzler, when asked concerning the
MontanaIdaho case, said:
Zone Of the widest as well as the
wickedest parts of Idaho Territory, is that
section extending from forty to sixty
miles on both sides OF Snake river. known
as Snake river placer mining district.
The mines are located on the lofty banks
of the Snake, some of them being as high
as 500 feet above the river bed. In
places sand bars, rich in mineral, extend
from these banks down into the river.
The country is the widest looking YOU
ever saw, bleak and OF rocky iorma-
ton. On top of the banks, as far either
way as you can see, there are nothing
beds and cage brush. This section is, or
was, year or more ago when | was
called there, but sparsely settled.
Only miners lived there, and once in
a while a band of rustlers or cattle
thieves would make OF the place rem
dezvous. From Salmon Falls to the
lower crossing of what is called Payne's
Ferry distance of about fifteen miles,
the country was filed with about as hard
a class of citizens as you could find on
earth. About seven miles below these
Salmon Falls the Melade river joins the
Snake river and about a mile below this
junction, around the bend in the river,
were located a brace of the richest plac-
ers in the district. These belonged to
two old time prospectors named Fope
and Dawson. From Pope and Dawson IS
mines to Payne's ferry, as many brutal
butcheries have occurred, it is said, dur
ing the past five years, as in the whole of
Idaho Territory put together"
The first and most brutal of a series of
murders, for purposes of robbery, COM
mitted in the section here mentioned,
miners were killed few miles below
Salmon Falls. No traces OF their bodies
were found until two years afterward,
when two skeletons were found, far back
from the river bluffs in the lava beds
OlOtiluE lDuuh dbOub IIt sAtltIOnS leu
to their identification as being all that
remained Of the missing men. In each
skull was found a hole, made by rifle
bullet. A great hue and cry was raised
but the murderer or murderers OF the
miners were never discovered. About
month after these men were killed a
miner named Myers, who worked a
placer little below Payne's ferry. was
found murdered short distance from
his cabin. A dozen pistol balls had en-
tered his body. The list of murders
closes in 1888 with the finding of skele-
ton with two bullet holes in the skull,
back in the lava beds.
"ln the spring of 1888, Aaron Morris,
a wealthy Hebrew merchant of Harley,
while en- route to Ketchum to transact
some business, was brutally murdered
and robbed. Something like $500 was
taken from the body, together with a
gold watch and chain. Some months
afterward, Jimmy Joise, rustler, was
arrested and on him was found Norris
watch and chain, He had trial and
succeeded, by the nape of his neck, in
clearing his hands of Morris murder.
He his now doing life for another MUIR
der, committed near Butte few months
ago. Many murders followed that of
Mr. Morris, and when finally Pope and
Dawson, whose rich mines have spoken
of, were found robbed and murdered,
public excitement was at fever heat, not
alone in the district, but throughout
Idaho and Montana, where Pope and
Dawson were widely known and highly
esteemed. This murder occurred in
October, 1886. About two weeks alter
wards received a letter asking me to 90
up there and hunt the guilty parties
down. l went and reached
there from San Francisco early
in November after one Of the toughest
trips | ever made in my life.
l reached the scene OF Pope and Daw-
sons murder November 3rd, and accom-
panied by friend of the men, Mr..
Barnum, entered their cabin. Every
thing was in perfect order excepting that
box that had hung from the ceiling had
been cut loose and was lying on the
floor. This suggested robbery to me.
We searched the cabin and found under
meath a table letter addressed to DR..
Charles Wingate, Denver, Colorado.
Finding this let err led me to believe that
possibly Pope and Dawson may not have
been murdered. but may have quilted
the country. This idea was speedily dis
pelled. We searched about the imme-
diate vicinity of the cabin and soon espied
a mound OF freshly turned earth. We dug
it up and unearthed the bodies Of both
Pope and Dawson. Then had to 90 10
work. 1t took me three months to get a
clue and nearly year to track it down.
Public suspicion was on a rancher, a
man named Briggs, one of the toughest
characters in the country a mon u-bc