The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-08-17
Slayer Of Marshal ConIee of
Sprague Behind the Bars.
lYNCHING IS NOT FEARED
Symes Told or His Deed, the Hardships
OF Ills Flight and Ills Future
Plans.

Symes was landed safely in the Adams
county jail at 1910 this morning For
two or three nights a 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-
bic from any Ritzville people.
Symes was brought from Montana by
Sheriff Thompson and Il. d. Gibson of
Ritzville and II. 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 otii-
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 if prisoner was
aboard, and was told that the prisoner
left the train at Rathdrum.
Symes was brought before Justice of
mary examination set for tomorrow at
2 D. 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.
A 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. 1
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. 1 would have gone
with him willingly, gladly. 1 was
not afraid to be tried for the hog bust
ness. 1 could have proved by two good
people that the hogs came to my place.
A few days before that / 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 / 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 ! pulled my horse and he
missed me. When Conlee shot he
dropped his bride rein and his horse
started off on a trot"
Did the horse keep Conlee from
shooting again?" he was asked.
mo; it was me. 1 kept him from
shooting again A man never shoots
| twice at me. ! shot Conlee in the side
I first and did not shoot him when he
was down. / did not need to. The
piece of the gun found was Conlee's.
He dropped it and the horse stepped on
| it.
Il had no ill-will for COnlee, but he
had it in for me. He would never come
to my ranch when 1 was home. He did
not search me. He asked me if 1 had a
gun and 1 told him yes. He took the
gun out of my pocket. I had another
gun in my chap pocket and the handle
was sticking out. 1 had no fear Of ar
rest and had no fear of trial, and would
have come to town and given myself up
but for fear of a mob 1 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 man who had lately moved in from
the Palouse country and wandered to
my place.
IT did not burn my house. If I did
how did they get the photograph and
marriage license, which I left in my
trunk? I went to my ranch the night
killed Conlee and then started away
I did not go to Oakesdale, and all then
stories about riding through there ir
the night are wind. The first night
got as far as the timber. / wanted tC
see some of my friends the worst way.
HAD A TERRIBLE TIME.
IT went straight to the mountain:
and had a terrible time. I had nothing
to eat, no blanket, and the country wa!
so rough had to turn my horse loose
7 had to wade streams icy cold anC
climb over down timber and sharl
rocks and hungry and weak, and hav
ing the trouble I did i'm mind, I felt Xix
giving up and lie down and take tn
worst. If I didn't have the courage o
a dozen men 1 never would have go
through. I had settled down to wOrl
III MUM dAld anu was easy III NY mimi
about getting arrested and I had n
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 Births
Columbia and the story of a posse fol
: lowing a Canadian government SUI
| unNrn1. ncrnca the line he lied f,.nnI