The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-27
HIDING THE MURDERER.
Good Story OF Early Days in Cali
fornia Town.

Form the San Jose NetC&
In early days my experience in this city
led me 10 believe that among the rough
classes they had a very expeditions and
thorough way of disposing of murderers by
doing away with the Victims" said
pioneer to NelOs reporter. This method
obvi6ted the inconvenience to which MUIR
derers are often in these DAYS subjected
by reason Of tedious trials, not to say any
thing of the confinement in Jail and danger
of being hanged. The incident to which |
refer took place in 1850, in an adobe Mexi-
can gambling house. AS near as can judge
it stood little to the rear and south of the
site OF the new postotfice building. II l
am not mistaken portion Of the walls of
Of the building were standing not long ago.
II had not been in the habit of frequent
ing such places, but as had little time |
thought | would look around town and see
what l could find in the way of excitement.
was rather foolhardy those times, and
! pushed my way into this little adobe hut
that was crowded with drunken Mexicans
| all engaged in gambling. There we're not
many white men in San Jose then. most of
them having gone TO the gold mines in Ell
Dorado and to her northern counties. and
when l made my appearance among the
GROVE of dark. hard-looking gamblers, they
looked at me with, considerable surprise.
81 made my way to the table where they
were playing a game Of cards. L never
knew what kind of game it was, for the
instant looked on the table there happened
a startling incident which completely dis
concerted me and made me rush from the
place in alarm.
THE REPORT OF A PISTOL
rang out andIa Mexican who was seated on
a bench next tosthe wal, i dropped dead with
a ghasUly wound in his head. l and a num-
Der of others scrambled out of there imme-
diately, and l went and notified the alcalde
and several other officers of the place.
81 think the government building was
located then about where Druids' hall is
now, at the northeast corner of Market and
Ell Dorado streets. Several of the officers
went with me to the gambling house. There
was considerable delay that to me seemed
unaccountable, and it was an hour after
the fatal shot was fired before we ii ally
reached the gambling house. The games,
which were open and did not seem to be in
the least prohibited, were again in progress,
as it nothing had happened, and no trace OF
| dead man was TO be found.
Inquiries of the gamblers as to a shoot
| ing scrape and man being killed we're met
| with looks OF amazemenL and wonder.
| and denials that there had been any such
| occurrence. There were no traces Of blood
| on the wall or on the bench where the
murdered man sat, and l found myself
! in the peculiar position of being entirely I'M
| supper ted IN my story about murder. l
then made search for the body or other
evidence of the crime. l suspected that
was more than retarded in my work by the
officers l spoke in Mexican very well,
! having been among them several years
Il was not satisfied, and demanded that
there must be some sort of an official in
| Quiry into the affair. To this the authorities
acceded, and the next day a half-dozen of
those that l was sure had seen the tragedy
were called upon 10 testify what they knew
about it, To my astonishment, even under
oath, all disclaimed any knowledge or any
pistol having been fired OF any one having
been shot at the time l claimed, or
AT ANY OTHER TIME THAT DAY.
at was said by the witness that no one
was missing amoug their friends or ac-
quaintau ceS, and therefore nobody could
have been murdered. So unanimous was
the testimony against me that the officers
began to turn upon me looks as If they sus-
pected me Of insanity, and actually began
myself to doubt whether or not the awful
scene had beheld was reality or vision.
The investigation came TO nothing, and
nothing more was ever done about the
matter. l afterward learned in a confden-
tial sort of away that the murdered man
was very hard character and a swindler
at cards, and therefore, he had long been
marked out among the gamblers as a vic-
tim for a bullet.
"On the occasion in question he had been
doing some high-handed work, and his end
came. How the body was ever spirited
away so neatly and completely in so short a
space Of time was mystery that / never
could solve. The gamblers never showed
any feeling against me for my action in the
matter. s Jme Of my friends told me l
might be in danger after that, but although
for several months subsequently | was
around among the Mexicans at all hours Of
toe dav and night, was never harmed or
even threatened"