The morning call., 1891-05-18
MURDER WILL OUT.
A Small Pocket Mirror Reveals q
CHASTITY Tragedy.
Sheriff B. T. Thorn Tells How He Discovered
the Killing Of George Holmes by
James W. smelling.


mon last evening in the mere fact of Sheriff
B. K. Thorn's sauntering up to the gate of
the Central Police Station with an ordinary
raneh-hand kind of looking Young fellow
slouchng along behind him some six feet
back.
Country She riffs saunter up to the gate
daily accompanied by slouchy, young look
ing ranch hands. That is an ordinary, every
day affair. Only very frequently the young
ranch-hand wears piece of household fur
niture known as an Oregon boot or else
he is doubly handcuffed, and the Sheriff
watches him like a hawk and seems to be
very anxious about the safety Of his COM
paniOn.
THE ORDINARY ZEN ROUTE"
Generally the country Sheriff, after reach
ing the desk of the Station Sergeant and
after having fumbled about for long time
unloOsening the young ranch-Eand's hand
cuffs or Oregon boots proudly registers him
as en- route for San Quentin to serve a year
or so, either for stealing lot of potatoes, or
or knocking out with club while tempo
rarily Alphabetically excited some other
| young ranch-hand.
Under these circumstances the arrival of
| county Sheriff with an zen route" does
not produce that wild excitement at the
| prison that even Julia Pershongs advent
! after three days alcoholic enjoyment does
Therefore Sheriff Th0rn's cool way and
the stolid indifference of his companion
| canse no ripple of excitement at the mo-
| ment of his entrance.
THIS TINE A LITER"
But when he reached the desk and re-
! Quested Sergeant Lindheimer to register
! his companion as James w. Smaing,
murder, San Quentin, for life," there was
| little more interest taken in the matter.
After seeing Smalling, who is most in
| offensive, green, country looking young fell
low, about % years of age, safely locked up
| in a cell in the tenderlon section Of the
| prison, otherwise known as the hole in the
wall, Sheriff Thorn, who Is as mild a man
| nered man as ever served an attachment,
| sprung trap or riddled defiant highway
man with buckshOt, gave a CALL reporter
| the following details concerning his visit to
the city:
| A COLD-BLooDED MURDERER.
'Sheep-like though he may appear, that
young man Smalling, whom | have just
| brought in, is about the coolest bl0Oded
murderer that l have ever handled. It's
! only his four-ace luck that has prevented
| his being hung. He was convicted Of the
| murder of his brother in law. George
! Holmes, a ranchman, living, or rather who
| did live, about half mile from BeTsan Sta
tion in Calaveras County.
The circumstances of the murder are
about as l will tell you. in August last
! Holmes, who was some rs years OF age and
! married 10 Smaling's sister, a woman OF
| nearly 40 years, was not seen on his ranch
for several days, and his disappearance
| caused much comment among his neighbOTs
| A search was made, as were inquiries. but
| nothing was heard of the missing man.
| Finally TumOTs OF foul play grew so strong
| that they reached me, and | decided 10 make
| an investigation.
| THE SHERIFF on THE TRAIL
II tramped around the ranch for several
! days without finding any clew, and had al
most decided 10 give up the search, when
| one morning in hunting around the chap
| paral, close TO the ranch, | came upOn an
| old abandoned mining claim, on which a
shaft some 40 feet deep had been sunk
| There was something about the tramped-
/ down condition of the brush around the
mouth Of the shaft that stirred my curiosity.
| l looked in the shaft, but at first glance l
| discovered nothing suspicious. was on the
! point OF going away when a ray from the
! partly obscured sun glanced half way down
| the sides of the shaft The glimmer Of the
| light gave me hint
AN IDEA STRIKES HIM.
IL had with NE one of those small, round
pOcket-mirrors that 1 notice are sometimes
given away in this city with ready-made
| s. 20 suit of clothes. didn't buy the mir
|
| all made to order. l bought the mirror for
dime, think.
ANYHOW that 1O-cent mirror brought
Smaling's crime home to him, and showed
how great things often hinge on even the
! most minute. Well | focused that sun
ray and sent the light down the shaft. 1t
found resting place on the white, partly
| decOmposed face of the missing man.
CRIME UNEARTHED.
Satisfied that a crime had been commit
ted | hurried away, and getting assistance
| from some ranchers living near by, returned,
and, by the aid of a large wooden box and
| ropes, raised Holmes body TO the surface.
" A brief examination told the whole story
| at once. In the back of his head there was
| q bullet hole as big as dollar piece, and
| the powder marks and Singed condition of
the hair showed that the pistol or gun from
which the bullet had been fired had been
held in the closest proximity to his head.
" Some suspicion had already attached TO
Smalling and l at once arrested him and
| locked him up. After considerable de-
tective work we secured certain and deter
minative evidence against him and con-
frOnted him with what We had discovered.
sMALLING CoNFEssEs.
"He weakened and made full con ession.
| II was learned from him that he had lured
Holmes into the brush to look at the Shaft
ana while the deceased was peerlng down
its recesses had deliberately placed a pistol
at the back of his head and fired. Holmes
fell headlOng down the shaft.
after making sure that his victim was
dead, Smalling returned to the deceaseds
house and took up his residence with his
sister, Holmes wife.
AS to the motive for the murder can
not exactly express my own opinion, as it
was not clearly possible to introduce it as
evidence at the trial. But this | will tell
y0u-it may or may not have been marital
troubles that caused Smalling to be nsti-
gated to murder his brother-in- law"
THORNE's "PERsUADER."
When Sheriff Thorne was asked by the
reporter why he seemed apparently so conf
dent about the security of his prisoner
while bringing him up TO the prison, aud
did not handcuf, shackle or OregOn-b0ot q
lifeT," lie drew the reporters attention to
the light overcoat hanging over his left arm
Yes" said the reporter " | see the coat
but if Smaling had started to run the coat
would not have stopped him."
NO." said Sheriff Thorne, "righy you
are; but this might" and he displayed a re-
v0lver with a muzzle like blunderbuss,
snuggled in the crook Of his left elbow and
hidden under the coat.
The trigger was convenient as could be,
and with the aid of the elbow the Sheriff
would have had dead rest to shoot from
He knew l had my gun ready, and he
also knew that can hit the ace of hearts at
twenty PAGES. He was wise not to make
break, or he'd never have reached San
Quentin. though ! don't know that such an
alternative was preferable" and then the
Sheriff left the prison for his hotel.