Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1895-08-16
Slayer of Marshal Conlee of
Sprague Behind the Bars.
LYNCHlNG Is NOT FEARED
Symes Told OF His Deed. the Hardships
of His Flight and His Future
Plans.

two or three nights crowd had col
lected at the depot at train time, but
they were town people and were at
tracted there through mere curiosity.
No interference whatever was attempt
ed and there are no indications of trou-
BILE from any Ritzville people.
Symes was brought from Montana by
Sheriff Thompson and e. d. Gibson of
Ritzville and H. w. Mclaughlin, sher-
if of Missoula county. Montana When
the train reached Rathdrum the Off
GERS took the prisoner and quietly left
the coach and entered the baggage car.
When RitZville was reached they took
Symes off on the side opposite the plat
form and hurried him to the Jail, two
blocks away. So smoothly did the Off
GERS do their work that they had him
behind the bars while the people at the
station were still looking all around
for them. A man on the platform
asked the brakeman IL a prisoner was
aboard, and was told that the prisoner
left the train at Rathdrum.
Symes was brought before Justice of
the Peace A. l.. Coffey and his prelm-
mary examination set for tomorrow at
2 p. m, when he will doubtless be COM
mitted to Jail until the regular term of
court, In November. He is looking very
thin and plainly shows the effect of the
terrible hardships and exposure he has
undergone. He is. however, very cheer
full, talks and laughs heartily with WIS.,
itors and certainly exhibits nothing re-
sembling remorse.
TALKS FREELY.
reporter interviewed the prisoner
at the Jail and he talked freely and
willingly. He said
Il went to Sprague on June "a to pay
some debts, attend to some other bus
mess and secure a marriage license.
was just ready to start when Lou Con-
lee came up and said he wanted me.
He had no warrant. or if he did he re-
fused to read it. / would have gone
with him willingly gladly. I was
not afraid to be tried for the hog bust
ness. l could have proved by two good
people that the hogs came to my place.
A few days before that I had tried to
get the owner of the hogs to go with
me to Ritzville and settle the matter by
a trial.
ION the road to Ritzville Conlee
quarreled with me all the time and ac-
cused me of writing a threatening let
ter to him. 1 did not write to him.
Near Ritzville Conlee pulled a gun and
says, 'Symes, your time has come ]
told him to pull. He did pull. He shot
one time and I pulled my horse and he
missed me. When Conlee shot he
dropped his bride rein and his horse
started off on trot"
Did the horse keep Conlee from
shooting again." he was asked.
mo; 1t was me. l kept him from
shooting again. A man never shoots
twice at me. l shot Conlee in the side
first and did not shoot him when he
was down. I did not need to. The
piece of the gun found was Conlee's
He dropped 1t and the horse stepped on
it.
IT had no ill-will for Conlee, but he
had 1t in for me. He would never come
to my ranch when / was home. He did
not search me. He asked me If had a
gun and l told him yes. He took the
gun out of my pocket. l had another
gun in my chap pocket and the handle
was sticking out l had no fear of ar
rest and had no fear of trial, and would
have come to town and given myself VI
but for fear of mob l was on the
point of giving up the chase of the
horses when L saw the man catch
them.
THE hogs We're stray and belonged
| to a man who had lately moved in from
| the Palouse country and wandered to
| my place.
II did not burn my house. If | did
how did they get the photograph ant
marriage license, which / left in my
| trunk? l went to my ranch the nigh
| | killed Conlee and then started away
did not go to Oakesdale, and all then
| stories about riding through there il
| the night are wind. The first night
| got as far as the timber / wanted t
| see some of my friends the worst way
| HAD A TERRIBLE TIME.
| IT went straight to the mountain!
| and had a terrible time. had nothing
to eat, no blanket, and the country wal
so rough l had to turn my horse loose
| | had to wade streams icy cold ant
| climb over down timber and sharl
rocks, and hungry and weak, and hav
ing the trouble did in mind, 1 felt lik
| giving up and lie down and take tn,
worst. If 1 didn't have the courage o
| a dozen men 1 never would have go
! through. l had settled down to worl
in Montana and was easy in my mine
| about getting arrested and / had NJ
| idea that they had got on my trail tina
| way"
A portion of Symes story was trul.
pathetic, and he talked in an earnes
| manner. He then frightened up. and
| after laughing heartily at the wild
| goose chase after him through British
| Columbia and the story of a posse fol
| lowing a Canadian government sur
veyor across the line, he talked freel,
| of his prospects.
| WANTS A FAIR TRIAL.
"All want Is a fair trial and hay,
| pie of Ritzville will give me fair trial
| and am sure to be acquitted"
| Symes telegraphed to Tom Griffitt
| of Spokane today to defend him, AM
| he will employ Cronce & Davis of Ritz
vile and H. N. Martin of Sprague.
| Sheriff Mclaughlin was prompt.
paid the $500 subscribed here and will
leave tomorrow morning. Two Mon
| tana newspaper men accompanied tn
| party as far as Spokane to see the pris
oner lynched. At Spokane Sheriff
| Thompson satisfied them that nothing
! of the kind would occur and they go
| off the train.
| QUIET AT SPRAGUE.
| Sprague. Wash, Aug. 12.-Symes. tn
slayer of Lou Conlee. passed through
the city on No. / this morning Had
not been given out that he had bee
| brought through on the train the nigh
before there might have been a demon
stration. There were very few peopl