The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1894-01-06
Death of John W. Harris.


Another murder has been comrnitted
in Owyhes. Another woman has been
made widow. Two more children
have been made fatherless. The MUIR
derer walked lesurely out of town. More
| than dozen men stood in "Bona's" sa-
| loon on the Goth day of December and
saw Gideon Lewis draw knife and cut
Harris and not one of them made an eff
fort to stop him from walking away a
free man. When the news reached the
justice of the peace complaint for as
sault with a deadly weapon was made
out and warrant issued and given to
| the constable, but by that time the
criminal was out of town. The Sheriff
accidentally beard of the affair three
days later snd sent a deputy to the
wood camp, where Lewis was supposed
to be stopping, but he did not find him.
Ten or twelve days later rumor came
to town that the fellow had "hit the
road" The same fellow had once before
drawn a knife with threats to cut
mans heart out.
Within few hours after the cutting
more than one man was heard to say
that he would have done the same
thing. Every man of them, who made
any such remark, is bad citizen. No
man was good citizen who saw the
deed and let the man who made the as
sault walk away unmolested. Every
citizen is by law a peace officer, and it
was the duty of those present to have
held the man until I'm officer arrived to
take him in charge. The vicious senti-
ment that man has right to wound
or kiln another, whether he has just
quarrel or not, is too, too prevalent.
The circumstances of the quarrel, as
nearly as can be ascertained, were that
Harris had advanced Lewis $40 on some
wood which the latter had sold him and
was unable to Deliver, and Harris was
insisting upon the return of his money.
The man was murdered for insisting
upon having what belonged to him.
Yet there are characters in this place
who openly say they would have done
the same thing. Mark that class of cit
liens 1t is such as they who blot the
fame of Owyhee.
John w. Harris resided with his fam
lily, on ranch four miles below Nampa.
For the past three summers be has been
~ M
business has not been prosperous and is
left in bad shape by his decease, he
having had a large amount of wood de-
stIoyed by fire, which left him in debt,
which he was striving to work out of.
He leaves wife and young son and
daughter to mourn his loss.
He has always been known here as
quiet, peaceable and good citizen, aud
the man who murdered him had no
provocation whatever to commit the
cowardly deed. 1t is to be hoped the
authorities will take vigorous measures
to find the perpetrator and bring him to
justice.
Deceased was al years of age.
Mrs. Harris came over from Nampa |
and was with her husband when he
died. His death occurred at one O'Clock |
Thursday morning.
The coroner, DR.. Weston, came down
from Silver City Thursday convened a
jury held an inquest, and made post
mortem examination of the remains. 1t
was found that the blade of the knife |
had penetrated all except the inner
coating of the stomach and that the vic
tim had bled internally, causing infa-
nation and death. The coroner's jury
found verdict to the effect that death
had been caused by knife wound in
aicted by Gideon Lewis.
Harris remains were taken TO Cald-
we'll for burial.