The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-01-20
rae wH,rmAx COUNTY LYNcHIsa
Vigorous Letter From the Attorney
General To Prosecuting ATTORNEY.

Vigorous Letter From the Attorney
General to Prosecuting Attorney.
Olympia, Jan. T.--Spccial-Th lynch
ing OF Hill and Parker I'm Whitman
county. an affair which shocked the entire
state. is again brought TO notice by the
following srathing official communication
from Attorney General Jones:
Olympia. Wash. Jan. &c. 1895.
Hon. II. w Garfield. Prosecuting At
torfey. Whitman County. Colfax. Wash.
Dear Sir: am In receipt of conmuni-
cation from d. II. Shaw, esq. coroner OF
Whitman county. asking me TO advise him
with respect to the legality of the action
of the county commissioners In refusing
TO allow the cost bill for holding an In
quest upon the bodies OF Hill and Parker,
who were hung by q mob in Colfax, the
county commissioners having refused to
allow the bill on the ground that the IN
quest was unnecessary.
Az am not authorized to advise Off
cially any county officer. except the coun-
ty attorney, address this communication
to you.
I desire to call your attention especially
to section ZIG. vol. I. Hills Code. which
provides "a follows: s'when information
il given to any coroner that the body OF
any person Is found the cause or whose
death II unknown, and there shall exist
reasonable grounds for the belief that
such death has been caused by unlawful
means az the hands OF another. no shall
so TO the place where tho body Is. and
forshwith summon six good and lawful
persons" etc.
II viii be observed by the reading Of
this section that three things must occur
before tbs coroner Is authorized to hold
an inquest.
First-That the body Of some person is
found
Second-TNlat this cause OF the death Of
such person Ia unknown.
T'hirtf-That there exist reasonable
grounds for the belief that such death
has been caused by unlawful means at
the hands OF another.
I beiieye that the word "found'' as
necessarily implied In this section and
applied to the body OF deceased person
means something more than that his body
should be seen by some persons after
notorious hanging by mob. II implies
something tn the nature OF an uniookedz
for discovery. and the mere fact that the
bodies of Hill ard Parker were seen dang
ling from The front portico Of the Whit
man county courthouse. after the mob
had disbanded and left the city. 10 not Il,
my Judgment a finding OF the bodies with
Ia the meaning OF this law
Bat whatever may be said az 10 the
meaning OF ths word found as implied
In this section. there Is no excuse for
saving that the cause of death of these
men was unknown. Everybody knew
that these rnen were hung by a mob and
a case was presented for an investigation.
nor by a corouer's jury. but either by
grand Jury or the prosecuting attorney
an Investigation not for the purpose OF
passing upon thu cause OF death OF thes.
men. bur an investigation for the purpose
OF finding out who we're the perpetrators
OF rfie crime.
/ have taken the trouble 10 call your
attention thus fully 10 this matter for the
reason that the practice OF gutnnonifig
eoroners 5aries and holding inquesfs In
eases wholly unwafranted by law has
become a serious wrong IL this state. II
Il a practise which has entasisd thou-
SANDS Of dollars Of ~ssoisy unnecessarily
expense upon the people OF the state. and
in cases where the inquest was not war
ransesa By faw. the reTas has been usual
sv ysshz.r 20 errsbarrass ffzc preper of4ieers
OF the Law sf subsequently ferrsttlng CUE
arst vunishlng the criminals. than in aid
ing ttsesn to 10 -.
several years ago called tie atseu-
Con OF every prosecuting attorney 10 shs#
STATE, 20 szssB matter By circular letter ard
this seems &c he a fs.fing tine 70 rsssest
sk> adnnonS,ion fhen xiyea
lTquexfs have been repeatedly hsid IN