Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-14
THE WALL KILLING.
RESULT OF THE HOLDING OF THE
INQUEST.
The Mother of the Young Man Who Was
KILLED Gives Her Testimony-A
verdict which Strongly Favors
walters Side of the Case.

The inquest on the body of Ira Wall,
who was shot dead on Thursday by FL
mer Walters in Horsethief caf1on, was
held on Friday. The cause OF the diff
ficulty was small stream of water, hav-
ing possible capacity of fifteen miners
inches. The Walls, not wishing to be
high handed in the matter took their
grievance to the superior court of that
county and gained a judgment against
the Walters family. That was several
months ago but since then a compro-
each party was to have the use of the
water for the space of four days consec-
utiyelv. 1t is now alleged that Walters
had used the water OF the stream for
inst two days when along came Wall
with spade and began to turn the
water away from Walters bitches into
his own. Seeing what Wall was about
to. Walters ran at him and was warned
off with the spade that Wall had in his
hand. He then ran to where he had
left his gun and sho. young Wall dead,
wounding his motherwh was with him
That is Walters version of the story.
The prosecution has different one,
which ia that, some time last March,
Mics Mary Wall was guarding the ditch
when Emmett Walters, brother Of the
prisoner, went up there and took the
gun away from her. He then started to
break it over rock near by, when the
weapon was discharged and Emmett was
shot in the stomach, causing his death.
Since then the surviving brother has
been constantly deploring Emmett's
death and vowiDg vengance on the
Walls. There can be no doubt but a
good deal of bad blood prevailed on both
sides.
The evidence. at the inquest was as
follows:
Peter Wall, the father of the deceased,
who lives at Elsinore, said that he last
saw his son on Monday, and knew moth
ing of his death until he was sent for on
Thursday morning. He said his son
was native of Ohio, and had been in
California about seven years; that he
was 81 years of age, feet 2 inches in
height, and was light complexioned,
having light hair and light gray eyes.
Mr.. Wall knew nothing of the circum-
stances of the shooting.
Mrs. Wall. mother OF the deceased
youth. was shot with buckshot in her
body and arm, but was sufficiently re-
covered from the awful shock OF seeing
her son killed before her eyes, to give
her testimony in a calm and quiet way.
She said that she had started for Elsi-
more in buggy and that her son and
Young Peck went as far as the ditch
crossing with her, as the crossing has
not been very safe for some time, and
they went to fix it SO that che could
drive across. He took a shovel or two
to throw some dirt in the ditch for her
to cross on. Mrs. Wall said that this
might offend Walters, but her son said
that the road had to be fixed up at any
rate. She drove to within two or three
yards of the ditch and stopped, and her
son went on to fix the crossing, accom-
panied by Carver Peck. Walters at this
time was lying on the opposite side of
the ditch. He looked all around as they
reached the crossing, then reached be-
hind him and picked up his gun and
fred at her son, after which he
shot at her. After being shot, Mrs.
Wall crawled out of the buggy and
over to the body of her son, hoping to
find some signs of life lingering there,
but in this she was disappointed, for
when she reached him he was dead.
After Walters had done the shooting,
he picked up his gun and revolver and
walked over and looked at her son, then
went off down the road.
Carver Peck, a resident of Elsinore,
who has been working most of the time
for the past three months, testified that
he has known Ira Wall for the past six
or seven years, and last saw him alive
on Thursday morning, just before the
shooting. He hauled barrel of water
about $3.50 O'Clock in the morning, and
saw Walters lying under tree, in his
bed, at that time, fifty or sixty feet be-
low where he got the water across the
A. few minutes after he got
the water, he and Ira and Mrs. Wall
went down to the ditch, he and Ira
afoot and Mrs. Wall in the buggy. They
went to fill up the ditch in the road, 80
that Mrs. Wall could cross, and took
along two shovels for that purpose.
They had no weapons oi any kind about
them. The crossing is very bad one.
When they reached the crossing Ira
picked up big rock and told witness to
roll it into the ditch near the box. Ira
was pulling sack out of the lower end
of the box for the purpose of turning
the water when Walters shot. AS they
reached the ditch Walters raised up
and said to Wall: "Do you know what l
am here for?" This is all that was
said, Immediately after which Walters
shot. He was sitting down on his bed
when he shot and used double-bar-
relied shotgun. Ira was standing up
mhan shot He navar I1ttarad a anund
but Immediately fell over backward.
The Jury returned a verdict that de-
ceased was shot by Walters while the
latter was defending his rights. Ae
pOt.IcE MATTERS