Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-01-21
WITNESSED A MURDER.
YET COULD DISCOVER NO
TRACE OF THE TRAGEDY.
A Gambling House Murder In Pioneer
Days That Was Hidden Beyond
observation-disclosures saw
the Man Killed.

early days in the city led mo TO boz
lieve that among tho rough classes
they had very expeditions and thor
ough way OF disposing OF murders by
doing away with the victims said a
I pioneer OF San Jose Cal. to the Gin.
cinnati Enquirer reporter, This
method Oh lated tho Inconvenience
to which murderers are often, in those
days subjected by reason Of tedious
trials not to say anything of the con
tinement in iatls aud danger Of being
| hanged Tho incident to which re.
fer took place in 1850 in an adobe
Mexican gambling house
Il had not been in the habit OF IRE,
quenting such places but as had Il
little time | thought | would look
around town and see whit | would
/ lind in the way OF excitement | was
rather fOolhardy those days and l
pushed my way into this little adobe
hut that was crowded with drunken
I Me leans all engaged in gambling.
There were not many white men in
San jose then. many Of them having
gone to the gold mines in I'll Dorado
and other northern counties and
when / made my appearance among
the crowd OF dark hard looking gam.
blers they looked Ut mo with consid.
cradle surprise
Il made my way to the table where
they were playing game OF cards
| never knew what kind OF a game II
was for the instant l looked on tho
table there happened II startling Incl.
f,st, Lot lfaaNvCnpsaI
me and made me rush from the place
in alarm. The report OF Il pistol
rang out and u Mexican who was
seated on bench next TO the wall
dropped dead with a CHASTITY wound
in his head and number 81 others
scrambled out OF there Immediately
and | went and notified the Alcalda
and several other officers OF the place,
II think the government building
was located then ABOUT where Druid's
hall Is now at the northeast corner
OF Market and III Dorado streets,
Several OF tine officers went with me
to the gambling house. There was
considerable delay thai TO me seemed
unaccountable and it was an hour
after tho fatal shot was fred before
we finally reached the gambling
house. The games which were open
and did not seem to be in the least
prohibited were again in progress as
Il nothing had happened and no
trace OF dead man was 10 DO found
Inquiries OF the gamblers as TO
shooting scrape and man being
killed were met with looks OF amaze
ment and wonder ana denials that
there had been any such occurrence
There were no traces OF blood on tho
wall or on the bench where the mur-
dcrei man sat and found myself IN
the peculiar position OF being entirely
unsupported in my story about
murder then made search for tho
body or other evidence oi the crime
I suspected was more than retarded
in my work b. the licers spoke
Mexican very we'll having been
among them several years.
Il was not satisfied aud demanded
that there must DO some sort Of an
official inquiry into the affair To
this tho officials acceded and the
next day half n dozen Of those that
was sure had seen tho tragedy wore
called upon to testify what they knew
about 4: TO my utter astonishmcut
even under oath all disclaimed any
knowledge OF any pistol having been
fired or any one having been shot ut
the time / claimed or at any other
time that day.
1T was claimed by the witnesses
that no one was missing among their
friends or acquaintance. and there.
fore no one could have been murdered
So unanimous was the testimony
against mo that the officers began to
turn upon me looks as il they sus.
pected me Of insanity and | actually
began myself 10 doubt whether or not
the awful scene | had boheld was
reality or vision. Tho inyestiga-
ton came To nothing and nothing
more was ever done about tho matter
/ aftcrword learned 10 o confidential
sort Of u way that tho murdered man
was a very hard character and swindIcr
at cards and therefore he had long
been marked out among the gamblers
as the victim for a bullet.
ON the occasion in question he had
been doing some especially high
HdHuSh "Dth anu MS Gnu Chn5 now
the body was ever spirited away so
neatly and completely in 50 short
space OF time was a mystery that
could mover solve. The gamblers
never showed any feeling against mo
for my action in the matter Some
Of my friends told me | might be in
danger after that but although FOR
several months subsequently was
around among the Mexicans OF all
hours Of the day and night was
never harmed or oven threatened. ["
Ills Place 81 LABOR.
The Doctor--The point Is what