Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-03-11
BECAUSEOF ANERR0R
LIFE lMPERlLEO THROUGH MISTAKE
IN IDENTIFYING A CORPSE.

Boosting of William Smeideth Establishes
His NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. B. Sykes Serving
Life Sentence Through Circumstantial
Evidence.
A most remarkable and romantic case
of mistaken identity by which the life
of man was almost placed in the moose
has been brought to the attention OF
Governor McIntire of Colorado. The
matter was brought to light a few days
since by the receipt of package OF let
tiers and affidavits from Florence, Colo,
and they all relate to peculiar state of
affairs which was responsible for Co
lumbus B. Sykes being in the peniten-
tiary under a life sentence for murder
in the second degree, the second degree
being only changed from first degree by
a slight doubt which existed in the
minds of one or two jurymen.
March 3, 1894, charred and burned
body was found in the ashes of hay
stack on the ranch of William Smeideth
at the little town of Dallas, near Ouray.
Smeideth could not be found, and it
was believed that he bad been murdered
and his body placed under the stack,
which was then set afire. An examina-
ton of the corpse showed what was
deemed sufficient proof for believing
that it was Smeideth s. A peculiar scar
on the left side of the head and badly
twisted leg from poorly set fracture of
the bone which had been broken were
identified as the same peculiarities
which had been noticeable in the missing
man. There were hundreds of people
who were willing to swear and did SO
swear that the body was that of the dead
ranchman.
Suspicion of foul play was at once
confirmed by other marks on the body,
and it was found that the man had been
had been placed under the stack. The
evidence seemed to point to Columbus
B. Sykes as the murderer, and he was
arrested. Circumstantial evidence was
gathered which seemed to prove beyond
doubt that if the body was that of
Smeideth Sykes was the murderer, but
if the body was that Of some other man
then Sykes was innocent.
The trial went on, and witnesses were
plentiful who wanted to swear that the
body was that of Smeideth, and Sykes
was finally convicted of murder in the
second degree and sentenced to impris-
onment for life. He protested his inno-
cence and made application to the board
of pardons for an investigation into the
case, maintaining that the body was not
that of the man whom he was accused
of numbering. The case was investigat-
ed by the board, and relief was refused
the imprisoned man.
Several days ago laborer arrived in
Florence looking for work, and to a
number of newly found companions he
related a peculiar tale He said that
down in Oklahoma he had met man
who, one night while drunk, had boast
ed that out in Colorado there was a man
in prison for killing him. The man
thought it was such funny joke that
man should be accused of killing him
when he was alive and had his hide
chuck full of tanglefoot. He refused,
however, to give his name or gave
false one. More about the circumstance
he also refused to relate, and therefore
the circumstance remained in the minds
of his hearers.
On reaching Colorado the man thought
he would investigate the matter little,
and he told some people about it and
also described his inform liant, the de-
scription tallying precisely with that OF
Smeideth. Sykes brother lives in Flor
ence, and the matter came to his atten-
ton. He looked up the man and found
that the story was apparently true, and
he at once took steps to lay the matter
before the governor. But while he was
laying out his plans he came into possess
sion of another important bit of infor-
nation.
At Brookside, near Florence, lives
Mrs. Bumford, lady who knew Smell
deth very well and the Sykes boys only
incidentally. This lady had never heard
of the murder and the disappearance Of
Smeideth, and she was very much sur
prised when she learned that Sykes was
in Jail Then she recollected an impor-
tant circumstance. During the latter
part of March, 1894, her boy had run
away from home, and she had gone to
Canon City and brought him back.
She had remained at Canon City until
April 10, when she finally induced the
young man to accompany her home
Soon after she entered the house a
knock came at the door, and she found
a man there whose appearance was IA
miliar, yet she did not at once recognize
him. After he had called her by name
she found that it was William Smeideth,
and that he had altered his appearance
by letting his beard grow and cutting his
mustache in peculiar manner Smell
deth told her that he had been living at
Dallas for some time, and that he was
then on his way south, where he would
not tell, as he did not seem to feel very
communicative. Mrs. Bumford gave
him dinner, and he remained in the
house possibly half an hour, when a
stranger came to the door, and he sud-