The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-18
MURDER At HAMILTON. !
J. L. Warner, Manager Of Elec-
trio Light Co., s. Sot Dead.
BY a YOUNG 3tspERAOo.
-H
No Provocation Except trhat His Vic.
tim Had Called Hem Lazy.
First Impulse OF the Cz!iEsns Was to
Lynch the Fiend. hut xsetter Counsel
Prsvailed-Ama1ins t1einess OF the
Murderer.


lest evening shooting at Say occurred at
the power house of the HSSlilton electric
light works that resulted IL the almost in
slant death of James l.. arner, at the
the hands Of Dave Moody. night watch
man at II. L. Edwards ACo.'s shingle
mill. Although there were a number Of
witnesses to the shooting. 4 seems almost
impossible to get at the un4rlying motive
prompting it. Warner " the grantee
of the Hamilton electrlc light fran
chise and manager of the Hamilton
Light and Power Company. Power was
furnished for lighting the streets by II. l..
Edwards & Co.'s mill. For some weeks
there has been perplexity ever keeping a
head of steam for lighting, duty that
devolved upon the night w&tchman at the
mill. The man filling this position was
Dave c. Moody, young n1an. a native
of South Carolina. who had been in this
vicinity nearly two years. coming here
from Tennessee. On Sunday night War
ner went 10 the power house, as
was his custom, to attend to the dynamo.
While he was there Edwards took Moody
to task for failure to keep UP steam, and,
as Edwards tells it, Warner joined in the
complaint. Moody offered complaint in
return of having to carry wood across the
street to the fire. Warner called him lazy
and said he would not give him 81 day.
Edwards said: mo, you are not worth
your salt" Moody resented Warmers
assertion and grew impertinent.
Warner placed his hand against Moody's
breast and cautioned him to give him no
back talk. whereat Moody pulled 3S-cal-
iber revolver and fired, the ball piercing
Warmers left breast. Warner fell in his
tracks, exclaiming: "You have shot me
through and through" and died almost
instantly. Dr. Hopkins probed for the
the ball and found it lodged just inside
small end of the heart.
Warner was about AZ years old, and
leaves a wife, to whom he had been mar
ried twelve years. He had been hotel
keeper In Milwaukee and San Francisco
and real estate speculator on the Sound
for some four years, operating at Fair
haven, Blaine and II Hamiton.s He had re-
sided here over two years, and, though
poor, was among the most >enterprising
citizens.
Moody made no attempt to escape, but
was promptly arrested and kept under
guard until tonight to await the prelim-
mary trial. The wires could not be had
to summon the coroner and. prosecuting
attorney, so these officials did not arrive
until o'clock tonight. Justice Behrens
subpenaed witnesses and jury and set
the hearing for tonight. The largest hall
in town was filled to Overfowlng to listen
to the testimony. The judge read the
complaint of Ii. l.. Edwards, charging
Moody with murder in the sirst degree.
The prisoner stood immovabse as stone,
seeming to feel no regret at the rash act.
His counsel waived examination, and the
prisoner was removed to jail.
To the PosT1NTELLIGENCER correspond
ent Moody said today that he shot Warner
because Warner took him by the chin and
threatened to "kick the c. d CUTS
out of him." He is a WORTHLESS young
scapegrace and seems to have.no sense of
the.enormity of the crime he has COM
mitted. He was asked today now he felt.
to which he replied: Pretty good; only
I'm getting tired" at the same time
twitching nervously at the bracelets on his
wrists. He is small and boyish in appear
ance, with light blue eyes, long, slim
Roman nose and defective chin. He bears
the reputation among his associates of be-
ing quarrelsome, and on several occasions
has threatened drawing knife on an ad.
versary. Once, two months ago, a con.
stable took knife from him When drawn
in anger. 1t is reported that last winter,
when he lived with ]. J. Zook,. a rancher
near Lyman, the two quarrezed over a
game Of cards, and Moody pressed the
rancher into corner at the point of a
revolver.
At the inquest tonight several witnesses
were examined, stating the facts of the
murder substantially as set forsh 1t was
shown that Warner had cob oipe in his
mouth during the conversation and when
shot, which tends to show that ne was not
prepared to fight. The murdes is looked
upon as practically unprovokef. Warner
was never quarrelsome, and al the testi-
mony shows he was not in tse least ex-
cited. There was strong talk last night of
lynching, and rumors of violence are afloat
again tonight. The pIisonee is well
guarded. and should any attempt at mob
law be made the officers will bss strongly
supported in the attempt to spare the
community this additional disgrace. The
jury has not yet returned verdict, but il
can only be verdict of murder IN the first
degree