The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-17
HELD ON SUSPICION.
Kindling Boys MIST Await
Further Investigation.
VERDICT ON STOKES KILLING.
Coroner's Jury Finds He Was MUIR
dered by Unknown PARTIES
Evidence of Neighbors.

ETE1Hrlck
on suspicion, 10 await further develop
nlents.
At O'Clock the prosecuting attorney
and corner selected the following jury Of
six men at Butterworth's undertaking
rooms. on Second street: J. W. Alexander.
L. Melluer, e. II. Nilsson, J. E Egan, W.
C. Beattie, p. E. Gallagher. The two
Kin9ling boys were present and looked
cool and collected, both having a rather
stolfd cast OF countenance. Their sister
seemed TO take more interest in the pro-
ceedings than the boys themselves. The
prisoners are both smooth-fsced young
fellows, of rather dark complexion, and
do not seem to possess a high order OF in
talligenca The girl appears much bright
err. and is rather good looking.
The first witness was w. N. Leggett, as
sistant postmaster at Sunnydale. one OF
the men who first discovered the dead
body OF Stokes In answer to Prosecuting
Attorney HASTE. he said:
ION the morning of July 10 went TO
the home OF Ransom Stokes and found the
house locked, and, thinking he was up
stairs sick, I went away. In the after
noon with some neighborS i went back
and broke into tae house. We found il
empty, and IL evidently had not been &C.
cupied for some time About 100 yards
away in the brush We found the body OF
Stokes partly concealed under some logs
and brush partly burned. The next day
after the coroner arrived We uncovered
the body and found he had been killed by
being shot in the back. evidently a load
OF buckshot having been emptied into
him" He stated that the cabin occupied
by the Kindling boys was about a mile
away from the home OF Stokes.
Ransom Stokes was about 80 years of
age, though last fall. when he advertised
for wife in the East, he stated that ne
was only IS. It was about two weeks from
the time that Stokes last called at the
postoffiee until he was found dead"
W. 5. Clark, who was with Leggett on
July 10 when the body was found, gave
virtually the same testimony as Leggett.
He stated that the dead man had rubber
boots on, but no hat He wore a working
suit of clothes. One pocket was partly
turned out. as though something had been
hastily taken from it. He said that he
could not definitely state whether any at
tempt had been made to burn the bo6y.
as the wood may have been formerly
burned in clearing the land. In answer to
a question from a juryman. the witness
stated that the log found on the dead body
could have been handled by one man.
J. E. Leggett. the son OF the deputy post
master, said: ION July 10 party of four
OF US went TO the home OF Stokes, and
after finding he was not In the house COM
menced a search OF the grounds. We were
attracted to a pile of logs and brush by a
stencil. by which we knew there was some
dead animal near. We found the body
half buried In the brush" He stated that
II was generally spoken of among the
neighbors that Mr.. Stokes went down 70
the spring near where his body was found
every mornig to take bath.
Mike Kelley. Sunnydale rancher.
stated that he found an old hat near
Stokes barn on the afternoon of July IL,
but nothing suspicious in connection with
II. Some hair was in the hat but moth
ing TO Indicate violence. Near the place
where the body was found was a clump
OF bushes with an open space on the In
side showing the tracks OF feet Also a
bureh CT the ferns on the side toward the
body lad been torn away as though TO
clear an obstruction. In the cabin OF the
Eiudlns boys were found an old shirt
an an old pair of trousers, on both OF
which were some stains, which might be
tic cd. From the fact that the farming
tools belonging to Stokes We're all hang
ing up in the barn, he thought he was
killed early in the morning.
Albert Paul stated that he was satisfied
that Stokes had money at the house as
he always stated when small debt was
70 be paid that he would put II OFF until
next day, when he would produce the
money from some place. He stated that
when he examined the Stokes house on
July II he found marks which Indicated
that the cellar door had been forced open.
Mr.. Stokes weighed 100 pounds and from
the appearance OF the ground where the
body was found he had not been dragged.
so chat ii must have taken two or three
men 10 carry the body and leave no signs.
He said: II think he was shot from cover
across the creek as he was going after a
bucket OF water to the spring IN the
morning"
In answer to a question from one OF
the turymen. the witness stated that
Stokes might have been shot from am
bush where the tracks were seen on the
spot where he was found dead Stokes
was known 20 have had two cheap
watches which could not be found when
his house was searched.
Nathan Anderson. reporter on the
Evening News. stated that he examined
the body of Stokes before he was removed
from the brush aud found the face de-
composed and load Of buckshot In thse
back. In the house was some rsorridgs
on the stove. where Stokes had evidently
been cooking his breakfast on the morn
Ing when he was killed. The body was
not so much decomposed at the time IL
WAS found but that II could be readily
recognized by any one who knew the
man when alive.
The most important testimony was
given nv Deputy Sheriff McCory, who
arrested the boys on the morning OF July
II 81 their cabin on the Kindling ranch
When he reached the cabin he asked
Charley Kindling. whom he found outside.
where his gun was and when he took
down the gun Charley said:
Has there been shooting IN the
nelghborhood7''
1Ysis WIS before ths boys eosild have
heard OF thu shooting. A little later. after
the boys were placed under arrest,
Charley Kindling was asked II he knew
Stokes. and he replied:
Yes. for ten years"
AicCory then pointing 70 the BOX that
contained the BODY. said:
There is all that Is left OF him"
Charley replied: Poor fellow: was h.
sffot?'
a-miued the dead body and found that
Stokes had been shot in the hack and one
6,rckshot had gone through the heart.
producing instant death.
After being ont a few minutes the fury
returned a verdict stating:
We find that the deceased was named
Ransom ". stokes that be was aged
about 20 years and that he came TO his
death on or about the Let day OF july
lSS. ia said county and state. from the
erect az mortal gunshot wounds then
and there w7llfuily and felonioalsly made
and indicted in and upon the body OF
said Ransom ". Stokes. 6eceaSes, by
means % a shotgun in tn4 hands OF IN
known parties.
And We further recommend TIE hold
ing % Frederick and Charles KIadHng
pending a furThsr Investigation"