The herald., 1897-04-27
M'CAMISH SUSPECTED
THE DEPUTY CONSTABLE AC-
cUsED OF KILLING PYLE
Many Suspicious Circumstances Dis
covered That 60 to Disprove Nc
Camish's Story

Ed Mechanism, deputy constable Oh
Fillmore, the man who says he saw the
tramp desperate kill Constable Mccoy
Pyle, is now in Jail in Ventura on sus-
picion Of having committed the crime
himself. There are many peculiar cir
cumstances that go to show that NC
Camish was not telling a straight story
when he gave an account of the shooting
Of Pyle by the supposititious tramps.
When the searching party which had
been organized by, Sheriff BurS went
over the ground, there was not foot
print or track of any description that
would lead to the slightest clue. The
only footsteps visible were those of Nc
Camish and Pyle. Two famous trailers
were employed to go over the country,
but no trace could be found of the
tramps The entire absence of any clue
in this respect turned suspicion toward
McCamish.
1t will be remembered that the latter
claimed that his room in Fillmore was
burglarized on Friday night, and a suit
of clothes and some other things stolen.
He said that when the burglars entered
his room they cut the screen out of the
window, chloroformed him, and beat
him severely. The following morning
he showed no traces of rough handling.
McCamish told the officers that when
the tramps fed from the scene of the
shooting one of them had on Mecca
mish's handouts and carried them away
with him.
Under some pretext the officers man
aged to get McCamish away. and then
Sheriff Charlebois and Andy Snodgrass
entered his room. The first thing xhey
discovered was that the screen had been
cut from the inside. The burglar could
not have done this previous to entering
the room. After some search the Off :
GERS brought to light. first the suit of
clothes that McCamish said had been
stolen and then the handouts sup
posed to be attached to the tramp who
had fed.
Sheriff Chalebois believed that they
had sufficiently good grounds for hold
ing the deputy constable, and placed
him under arrest. At first he showed
signs of resistance and attempted to
draw his revolver, but was overpowersd
and handcuffed. In order that the evil
dence against McCamsh might be prop
erly worked up. Sheriff Burr permitted
him to be taken to Ventura. He was
driven there in q buggy yesterday af-
ternoon and lodged in the Ventura jail.
The officers are certain that they have
the right man in McCamish. His almost
flippant behavior at the inquest is quot
ed against him; also the fact that he did
not in any way assist the searching par
ty when they were looking for the MUIR
derous tramps. The discovery of the
handouts in his room clinches the sus-
picion of McCamish's guilt in the minds
of many. Excitement runs very high in
Fillmore, and ugly threats have been
made against the accused man.
McCamish will be kept in Ventura for
a few days, and then if the evidence is
sufficiently strengthened he will be
brought down here for arraignment, the
crime having been committed in this
county. Sheriff Burr returned from
Castaic last night and gives it as his
opinion that Mechanism is the man who
shot Pyle. The sheriff will in all proba-
hility return to the scene of the crime to-
day and endeavor to gather additional
evidence.
A motive for the crime is yet to be
found. Pyle and McCamish are said to
have lived as brothers, the latter having
been the constable's deputy for four
years. The burglary story that Mccain
ish told is looked on by the officers as @
blind, used by the accused man to en-
tice Pyle away from Fillmore to the
more desolate country beyond.