The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-01

litter and left in the Courthouse Tor public
inspection, many passing in to view the
lace OF the perpetrator of one of the most
coldblooded murders in the history of the
Pacific Coast.
Last night Montgomery wrote long let
ter to his brothers and sisters. advising
them to join the church and lead Chris
tiau life.
Parricide is the crime for which Lloyd
montgomery was hanged to-day. He
Killed his father and mother and Daniel
Mckercher at his home. three miles from
brownsville. last November. The MUIR
oers were committed IN broad daylight,
ana at first baffied investigation. because
no motive could be discovered
Considering the circumstances, Lloyd
Montgomery's triple killing was among
the most fearful crimes ever recorded in
the annals of the Northwest. An ignorant,
vicious, overgrown son of a farmer, hav-
ing spent all his life in the peaceful pur-
suit OF farming, it was probably due to
nothing but the sudden awakening OF
hereditary criminal instincts within him
that led him to do murder.
His crime was quickly found out, for he
maintain the bold face of indifference he
first put on. This case is wonderful one
as revealing what bloodthirsty monster
young Montgomery became IN crime.
McKercher called at the Montgomery
farm on business, and was at the 'front.'
yard fence talking to the elder Mont
gomery when Lloyd returned home from
squirrel hunting. He walked out to
where his father was talking to Nc
Kercher. His father asked him to get
him drink of water. The son replied in
an impudent tone, and the father slapped
him. Previously his mother had asked
him to get her some wood.
The insult before McKercher was too
much for the son to stand. He ran around
the house, got his rife and began shoot
ing. He shot his father, then McKercher
and finally his mother. who pleaded in
vain for her life. The murderer left his
rifle lying across McKercher's body, evil
IDENTIFY for the purpose of conveying the
impression that McKercher had done the
killing and then had shot himself.
After the slaughter of his parents and
McKercher Lloyd claimed not to know
anything about it. Then he decided to
confess to having killed McKercher to
avenge the death of his father and mother.
The murderer said that McKercher called
on his father for a bill which he owed !:
they had quarreled and McKercher had
killed both his parents. He, arriving Just
In time to discover the murder, shot Nc
kercher.
To-day Montgomery confessed to having
killed all three in fit of anger. Very
little remorse or sincere grief has ever
been manifested during his confinement
for his act.
The GOODNESS and promptness with which
the officers acted after the Coroner's jury
had returned its verdict, to the effect that
the three persons had come to their death
at the hands of Lloyd Montgomery, saved
the young mans neck for the gallows in
stead of an imp revised moose of a Browns
vile mob. The murderer was removed to
Albany for safe-keeping. Since being con-
fined here in Jail, until to-day, he had
denied previous confession of the crime,
always reverting to the original story that
he killed McKercher.
He had supplemented his original story
with certain embellishments that seemed
at times to show that the murderer was
proud of his bloody record and had as
little regard for his own words and actions
as he did for human life. Even his rela-
tives never saw him excepting at the trial.
1t was thought for time that Mont
was insane, and Judge Burnett
had commission appointed for the pur-
pose of examing him. The doctors found
that he was sane, and if the prisoner had
manifested any symptoms of insanity they
were only temporary.