The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-09-05
SOME GRUE00ME RELICS
NELL OF MANY CRIMES IN sPo-
KANE COUNTY
Murders Committed With shotgun,
Club Hstchet and Poison
Strange Collection.

Ondobiy anu SiutSOlllt are some rel
les of Spokane county crimes. inspect
ed yesterday by the force employed in
the office of the county clerk. They
are exhibits marked and deposited
in the custody of the clerk pending the
disposition of the cases. and occupy
vault on the top floor Of the new court
house.
one of the most hideous is the grin
ming skull of Johnson, who was killed
with a club by his brother-in-law,
Benton Wilson, near Chattaroy, for
abusing his wife, sister of his slayer.
The shot despatched and blood
stained clothes of Thomas King are
still preserved. King was killed by his
employer, Theo. Cushing, on a ranch
north of the city. The weapon used, a
Winchester shotgun, is also in the col
lection.
a pint flask, half filled with dark
colored liquid, used at the trial Of
Helen Grier the old dairy woman who
was sent to the penitentiary for poison
ing her husband, attracts attention.
That was the most interesting muir
der case ever tried in this county. The
body of the murdered man was disin-
tered and white substances We're
found, which the chemists analysed
and pronounced strychnine. The de-
Tense was set up, and scientific au-
thorities were presented to sustain it,
that the substance so found was
ptomaines. a growth upon all decom-
posing bodies.
Here also are the bloody Ratchet and
two murderous looking knives used by
Gin Pom on the person Of his enemy,
Lee Tong. They still retain not only
the stains, but the smell of the muir
dered celestial's blood
one of the most uninviting things in
the collection to look at and to handle
is the vertebrae of Billy Smith. who
was shot to death by Adolph Sellhem.
1t was used in evidence to show the
course Of the bullets Sellheim was ac-
quilted, married a woman who be-
friended him at the trial, was divorced
and has lately remarked her. Appli-
cation will probably be made to the
court to bury the backbone of the UNI
fortunate Smith.
The coat and hat of John Wyant and
the clothes of H. d. Smith recall a
double tragedy. Wyant was killed by
Smith near Spangle. Smith was con-
victed. sentenced to be hanged and
after a long and tedious fight through
the supreme court the judgment was
affirmed. Smith escaped from Jail in
his prison garb and was pursued to the
| Spokane river, where he jumped in
and cut his throat with razor.
There is a costly Chinese opium
smoking outfit, now bearing no label
that is legible 1t consists of an elabo-
rately ornamented tray with pipe,
lamps and other accoutrements. A
girls skirt, torn into shreds, tells the
story of the fiendish crime of Robert
Miles, near the Northern Pacific rail-
road track in Spokane.
A pair of plaid pantalOons and
crumpled SLOUGH hat recall the burg
larry of NJ. p. Miller's house. They
We're used in the trial of Edwin Sims
Evidence of the terrible beating adj
ministered to Police officer Lothrop is
shown in the battered knife carried
by ex-Ofiicer Harvey Bruyerre. 10th
rop shot Bruyerre, the bullet striking
the knife in his pocket and shattered
it,
A filthy newspaper, admitted in evil
dence in the case of Frank Holedger
of the Sunday Sun brings back to MEM
DRY the hard fight made by the au-
thorities and the Ministerial associa-
ton to suppress that publication.
In package carefully done up are
a knife. spoon and Harlequin, intro
duced in evidence in the case against
Henry Shorter, for the burglary at the
Minnesota house.
Two pieces of decayed timbers are
preserved as having been used in the
damage suit of Mary Safer against the
city of Spokane. Her husband. Albert
Safer, was killed at the city dump and
il was cOntended that the dump was
defective.
There is a package of medicine bot
ties introduced in the case of the state
against DR.. A. Green of Medical Lake
for practicing pharmacy without a Ii
cense. The purpose was to show that
by this medicine Harry Flood, formerly
a restaurant keeper in Spokane, had
been poisoned. The case was taken 10
the supreme court and that is as far
as the record here extends.
The sample billet and a chunk of ore
presented in the case of Senator r. A.
Hutchinson for assaulting George H.
Wallis, a newspaper man of Cheney.
and the goods stolen from Burgau &
| Co.'s store at Latah, and offered in the
case against Martin and Mccarthy,
complete the most interesting Of the
collection of exhibits.