The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-23
CORONER'S JURY VERDICT
The Two Deputy SheriffS JUS
titled in Killing the
Desperate.
A CON FEss1oN OF HIS CRIMES
The Dead Man Began His Career in
the West as a Stage-Robber
and ManSIayer.

SEATTLE, March 22.-The body of
Thomas Blanck, the most desperate crimi-
nal who had ever infested the Northwest,
lying in the mOrgue at an undertaking es-
tablishment to-day, was viewed by nearly
10000 people. 1t was necessary to have
extra police on hand to handle the crowd
which surrounded the building at daylight
and seemed to increase as the day waned.
Coroner Askalp held an inquest over the
body of Blanck this afternoon and after a
number of witnesses had testified the jury
| returned a verdict to the effect that Robert
Crow and John Sheppich were justified in
killing Blanck. The most important fea-
ture brought out at the inquest was the rea-
son for Sheppich and Crow firing the seven
shots into Blanck's body after he had taken
to the bushes and then reappeared.
Crow testified before the jury that both
he and Sheppich had understood that
| Blanck had two pistols on his person.
They, therefore, thought that he had only
consumed the ammunition in one pistol,
and feared when he came out from the
bushes that he intended to open fire on
them again. Crow says that after he and
Sheppich stopped firing they went up to
the spot where Blanck lay and found that
he was dead.
Thomas Crow, the brother of Robert
Crow, told the jury that he was about 200
yards from the shooting at the time it
commenced, and he did not think that it
lasted over two minutes. Crow said that
when Blanck fell he rushed toward him,
and arrived in time to see him gasp his
final breath.
Blanck's body is not likely to be placed
in grave, as there is at present a move
ment on foot in this city to have it en-
balmed and preserved. The revolver
which Blanck had on his person when
killed is the one which he took from Night
Jailer Kerry Yerbury ON the night of the
jail delivery. Blanek had scratched on
the handle this inscription: "Yerbury
to Tom, March IL, 1896"
Few if any of the thousands who gazed
upon the dead body of Blanck to-day real
lied the enormity of his crimes. By his
own confession he has killed five people
within the last four years and wounded at
least twenty. He was stage robber, high
wayman, burglar and bank-robber his
operations extending from British Column
bia through Montana and Washington,
even to California.
Following is the record of his murders:
An unknown stage driver, shot down near
Lake Kootenai, in British Columbia, in 1891,
| for resisting hold-up.
| Steve Gross, bartender, killed at Meader-
| vile, Montana, in September 1894.
Deputy Sheriff, killed about the same time
in the same vicinity while chasing Blanck.
Constable William Jeffreys shot through the
heat at Puyallup September 80. 1894.
Charles H Bridwell, shot through the heart
| in the Mug Saloon in this city October 3, 1894
Supposed murders, but not included in his
confession: James Skinner, station agent OF
the Great Great Northern at Belgrade, Mont;
Policeman John Flynn at Helena, Mont.
Blancks confession relates to events
dating back to 1891. Blanck's home was
in Schenectady, n. Y. He came West years
ago and his first crime was committed at
Nelson, B. c., when, with a partner he
held up a stagecoach containing two China
men. The driver showed fight, was killed,
and Blanck and his companion got $4,000 in
gold and silver. The silver was too heavy
and was buried and Blanck said that so far
as he knew it was still in the ground.
| They escaped and Blanck went back
East only to return to the coast in
! short time to take part in several
highway robberies and get caught while
committing burglary at Kalama in this
State. He broke jail and in February, 1891,
entered Bingham Holbrook's bank at
Woolley, WASH, but as he had no tools he
got nothing except e revolver.
| Then he went to Fairhaven, committed
a burglary, shot Policeman Peter Brughn
twice, and escaped a mob which pursued
him. Port Townsend saw him next, where
he was arrested, taken back to Fairhaven,
but broke Jail and went to California where
he figured in several hold-ups.
He then went to Texas and then East
again, but in 1894 came West, and on
August Is OF that year, while partner
guarded the outside entrance, Blanck en-
tered the barroom in the Broadwater Hotel
at Helena, held the bartender up. took
$3.50 out of the cash drawer and after driv-
ing out of the saloon several persons who
had entered while he was taking the
money, escaped. He was followed, fight
ensued, but Blanck finally got away. He
had lost most of his clothing in the fight,
and while on the road met an old man,
whom he compelled to turn over his
/ clothes.
Later he robbed bartender at Marys-
vile, Mont, of about $3.50.
AT Meaderville, Mont, he held up bar
tender, failed to get any money and killed
him. He was chased and had to kill
Deputy Sheriff in order to get away, and
then, coming to this State, he murdered
Constable Jeffreys at Puyallup, and later
killed Bartender Bridwell in this city, for
which he pleaded guilty and received a
death sentence. He was awaiting hear
ing on an appeal in this case when he broke
jail last Sunday.
LODI ELECTRIC-ROAD. SCHEME.