Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1891-01-16
PRICE YANDELL TAKES THE FLOOR,
And Gives His Version of the Late Shooting
ARRAY at Cottonwood.


| CuIToNNOODi Idaho, Jan. IL 1921.
EDITOR FREE PREss;-As there was
falsehood published in your columns \
few weeks ago thought it not impoiite
to write and have yon rectiiy, first, that
went to Chambers and tried to run
him out Of his house at the point of
pistol. Now, every one that knows me
knows that | carry no pistol, and Lean
prove by some of the best citizens Of
Cottonwood that | had no pistol that
night. and Chambers himself knows
that | had none, for | showed him that
| had no pistol. Had l had pistol he
would never have shot me, and eYen il
he had shot me | could have killed him,
because had the advantage OF him, and
would cei itainly have taken advantage
of it after he shot. He shot me very
unexp pected to me, as | wasn't qnarrell-
ing nor hadn't been. | was not very
drunk at the time, and thought Cham-
! bers friend of mine, but since he shot
me have been told that he said was
there one day while he was gone and
! broke up some dishes, kick ed the table
over and played the devil generally.
! Now, | could not say whether his wife
| had broke some dishes and told him
that had done it, or whether he made
it up himself, but it don't make any
difference, there is not word of truth
about it.
| do not know what he shot me for,
but there is one thing | do know; he
never shot me for what he says he did.
! | suppose | can say what thought it
was done for. Mr. Chambers is man
/ xxbn Nxnull lii tn havA snnah0Au
afraid of fiim-would like to have tho
name of bad man. lie thinks it
would be some honor to him, and he
/ thought he would shoot me dead and
then tell just what he pleased, and get
| out of ii most any way he wanted to.
| But | was Mt the shooting and | know
| it was a cowardly trick. The item you
| put in your columns stated that had
been on the rampage, and terrorising
tue town for several days past. just
rectify that, il you please. | had been
drinking a little, but had not been a.
round Cottonwood but very little. Mr..
| Chambers is "A man who drinks as much
AS 1 do, if not more. and / have seen
him as drunk AS ever was, and | ta-
ken care of him one time. | and Riley
Rice, when he was in trouble with Bob
Nugent Mr.. Rice will doubtless re-
member the time. | say that Mr..
| Chambers had no right TO shoot me,
and if he had the nrst principle of man.
hood about him he never would have
shot. He claims that he was sober and
| was drunk. Well, then why diden't
he order me out of the house, and if i
did not go then he could have put me
ont. He is a larger man than myself.
| No, he shot me, and then went to
| Grangeville with great long string
| I,nt tcY At nrI - frIt in. In.
string around among strangers who
don't know but what every word of it is
true, and | think a lawyer with any
sense could pick him all to pieces.
Another lie is going, that | would kill
Chambers. | have never made such a
threat while in my right mind. | may
have said so when | was first shot, but I
don't remember ii. am not quite an
IDIOT yet, but there is always some
tattler or vile leech sucking the life
blood of human happiness, black
greedy vulture feastlng on the carrion
of society, busy body who listens glad
ly to see what they hear, and if they
should happen to hear anything, carry
it magni6ed and patched.up to suit
themselves and pour it scorchng hot
into The ears of everybody they see, and
send word to other nninteresfed parties.
Yours truly. w. P. YANDELL.
p S. There is a dozen different warns
going; one, that insulted Mrs. Cham
bers. which is a lie, IL palpable black lie.
Such has never been the case. | asked
her to give me an introduction to Miss
WEIGH. She might have got insulted
at that. Another yarn going is that /
fed Chambers "a year when he had no
friends nor money. Such was not the
case. | didn't feed him to exceed three
months. The reason l showed Cham-
bers that / had no pistol was that Nu-
gent and myself had had some trouble
few days before this occurred and he
claimed that l was carrying pistol.
| will give the young men of this
Prairie little advice. especially those
who drink and are little quarrelsome
when tight. First, if yon get tight and
have little fHss with someone at
Grangeville, no difference if it didn't
amount TO anything, by the time i6
reaches Cottonwood it will be magnified
and patched-up to snit the people, per-
haps that you jerked mans arm of,
and knocked four or fye men down
with it. and after you get tight a few
times and have few such quarrels
everybody will think you are quarrel
some, and there will be some one that
| you tilInk is u Irlehu, tnat Is laying back
/ for you; maybe he has a grudge at you
/ and wants to kill you Say he is run
ming ii hotel, for instance. He waits
patiently. He has fiot the thing all
studied out. how easy he can get out of
it, and maybe you will go in to see your
supposed friend. Well, he knows that
everyone in town knows YOU have been
drinking and there is nobody in the
hotel but him and you. He will pick
up Spencer rifle and blaze away at
YOU. Of course he intends to kill YOU.
Perhaps you and him never had word,
but you see several knew you were
drinking some that night aud know
that you are inclined to be quarrelsome
when drinking. Next morning Mr.. Ho-
1 tel man will get up and tell a great yarn
that you came there drunk aud insulted
his little wife. scared the cats and had
the dogs a bowling, hen he will GO
before judge Case and give himself up
and swear to this yarn that he has had
fixed up perhaps six months before he
shoots you. He will also hire lawyer
to defend his case. OF course, Mr.. Law
yer will at once have piece put in the
paper making it appear that you are a
/ desperate man in order to turn the pub
lie sentiment against you. You may be
good man, never stole. always paid
your debts, and good man in every
respect. and a man that most people