The San Francisco call., 1897-04-28
PYLE WAS
SLAIN As
He SLEPT
Not by Footpads Was
the CastaiC Officer
Murdered.
MAN He BEFRIENDED is
UNDER ARREST.
Ed Mechanism Charged With
the Death of the Brave
Constable.
MAN He BEFRIENDED rs
UNDER ARREST.
BACK OF THE CRIME IS a TALE
OF LOVE.
The Accused Prisoner Said. to Have
Been Enamored of His
Friends Wife.

VENTURA, CAL, April 27.-The arrest
OF Ed McCamish and the developments
which warranted it put new and sens a
tional face upon the murder OF Constable
Mccoy Pyle of Castaic Saturday morn
ing. Very strong evidence indicates that
Mechanism deliberately planned the muir
der of the man who was his best and clos
est friend and carried out the plan in
cold blood. The theory of the arrestlng
officers in regard to the motive is that Nc
Camish was in love with Pyle's wife. The
odd feature of this story, the theory being
correct, is that Mrs. Pyle enjoys the best
of regulations and is not believed to have
returned the murderer's affection, but on
the contrary to have been thoroughly in
love with her husband.
McCamish is in Jail in this city. From
extreme seIf-conhdent Volubility his man
ner has changed to morose sullenness. Con-
fronted with the evidence that the story
he told of having been sandbagged and
robbed was false, he declined to make
any explanation, nor does he now insist
upon the truth of his original story of the
murder of Pyle.
Mccoy Pyle was a constable living in
Fillmore. He was awakened early Friday
morning by McCamlsh, who, apparently
laboring under excitement, declared he
had been beaten into insensibility by two
men who had broken into his cabin while
he slept; that they had robbed him of his
clothes and jewelry and made their es-
cape. He said the robbers had cut their
way through wire screen over his win
dow; that in their assault upon him they
had used a sandbag, and that he had lain
for two hours insensibIe.
Pyle had made somewhat of a reputa-
tion as thief-catcher and found much
satisfaction in it. Eager for an oppor-
tunity to add to 1t he accepted Mccain
ishs story without suspicion, for he
looked upon the man as his friend. The
two started at once to search for the
robbers. At McCamish's suggestion they
rode on train to Saugus, some twenty
five miles south OF Fillmore, with the in
tention of walking the track back toward
that place. That night they camped at
the little box station at Castaic.
According to Mechanism, the killing of
Pyle came about in this way: They had
arranged that one should stand guard
while the other slept. At about O. clock
in the morning, while he (McCamish) was
on guard, two men came down the track,
both carrying bundles. Mechanism awak-
ened Pyle, and the latter commanded the
two 10 throw UP their hands. They did
SO and McCamish stepped forward and
snapped handouts upon one of the men.
AT this the other fired and Pyle fell. The
robber fired upon Mechanism and then he
and his companion started to run. Nc
Camish shot four times, and one of the
fleeing robbers, when some distance away,
cried that he was shot, dropped his
bundles, stopped to pick them up again,
continued running and both made their
escape.
McCamish says he returned to Pyle to
discover that he had been sho. through
the eye and killed instantly. de made
his way 10 the ranch OF John Arnot, about
half mile away, and gave the alarm
Twenty-Five vaqueros stationed there took
10 the field and began the search that con-
tinued until Sheriff Charlebois of this
city, upon evidence tnat be believes war
ranted 1t, arrested McCamish himself for
the muruer.
Officers from this county and from Los
Angeles went at once to the scene of the
murder and began thorough and syste-
matte search for evidence. Thev found the
tracks of TWO men about the little station
box at Castaic. They could find no sign
Of four. The Stone brothers, famous for
their knowledge of woodcr.tt, declared
their inability 20 find the trail OF more
than two men. Under Sheriff Andrew
Snodgrass, with Ed Miller ard John
Graham, went to the scene from this
place, interviewed McCamish and re-
turned here to impart suspicious that had
been created in their minds to Sheriff
Charlebois. They could find no mark
upon Mechanism of the rough usage he
had received according to his own story,
at the hands of the burglars. They dis
covered that the wire netting over the
window OF his shanty had been cut from
the inside.
Then, too, McCamish was not acting
just as he might be expected 10 under the
circumstances. He was accom- pa MED by
a brother of the dead man in his search
for the supposed murd erers, and the reck-
less manner in which he travelled through
the brush caused surprise. His comments
about the number of crows IN the sky and
the height of the alfalfa through which
they passed caused young Pyle 10 remark
that he seemed to be giving little thought
to the serious business in which they were
ENGAGED.
All these things coming to the ears of
Sheriff Charlie bois, he went to Fillmore
Yesterday. The Coroners inquest had
been held, the murdered mans remains
had been buried the day before. his widow
and three children had gone to live with
Mrs. Pyle's mother at Santa Paula and
the sensation of the hour was auieting
down Mechanism had given some init
nation OF an intention TO leave the coun-
try. Daily Lindburger engaged him, by
direction of the Sheriff, to look after some
stock. by way of keeping him in the
neigh borhoo allaying any suspicion he
might have while engaged In the hills
with his new occupation.
The Sheriff effected an entrance 10 Nc
Camisb's cabin and made a thorough
search OF the premises. He had irst pro-
cured from Mechanism q list of the ar
ticles alleged to have been stolen from