The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-08-27
DICK WILLIS IN
TROUBLE AGAIN.
Killed an Indian in Hamil-
ton last Sunday.

The quiet OF our town was disturbed
Sunday evening by the sound of shot
followed by cries of ''Help, helpl' and
the first to arrive at the scene saw an
Indian lying In the street-dead, and
another Indian on the PROSTATE
form OF Dick Willis. from whose lips
} came the cries for help. The Indian
was holding to the gun in Willis's hand
: for dear life and when they attempted
to remove him said mo catch 'em
gum.
1t appears from the evidence given
before the coroner's jury that the In
dian, Frank Pomeroy, as he is called,
had been drinking during the day, and
had given Mary Mcqueen, who was
stopping with Dick Willis, fifty cents
for Willis to buy him more whiskey and
Frank went to Willis's house to get 1t,
accompanied by Johnny, another In
dian, who was trying to lookout for
Frank and get him off to camp. Frank
found the door locked and kicked it,
breaking out panel. At this Willis
ran out and kick him, then ran in and
got his gun and In the scuff1e which fol-
lowed shot him. When Frank fell,
Johnny threw Willis down and held
him till the gun was taken away.
A Coroners inquest was held Mon
day, and Tuesday after the arrival of
Willis's counsel, preliminary examin-
alton was held before Judge Bush and
he was bound over to appear before the
Grand Jury with bail fixed at 81, 900.
The people here are quite bitter at
Willis as it is the second time that the
town has been brought into disrepute
by him, by shooting scrape.
An attempt to fix the responsibility
for the sale of the whiskey to the In
dian was made, but as none but Indian
evidence was available the matter was
dropped. Hamilton Correspondent.
Sheriff Scott was notified of the above
affair by telephone ON Monday morning
and started for Hamilton immediately
accompanied by Prosecuting Attorney
Treece. They returned Wednesday
evening with the prisoner, who is now
in the county jail, awaiting the action
OF the Grand Jury, having as yet failed
to secure bondsmen.
Like all other unfortunate affairs OF
this kind, there are two sides to the
, case, and we would advise our readers
to be exceedingly cautious about form
ing an opinion until the affair has been
thoroughly Investigated by the Grand
Jury. We understand that Willis s
story of the affair is about as follows:
He was sitting in his house about 8
o'clock on Sunday evening when Jim
McQueen's little boy, Frank Pomeroy
and Pale Face Johnny came to the
house. Frank was drunk and had
asked him about an hour before down
by Strickland s. old saloon to buy him
a bottle OF whiskey, which Willis had
refused to do. Now Dick asked the
MCQUEEN boy where his mother was
and sent him after her, threatening at
the same time to have the whole crowd
put in jail II she were drunk too. After
Willis and the squaw entered the house
Frank returned and opened the door to
go in, when Dick put him out. This
I was repeated three times, until finally
: Dick locked the door. Then the Indian
q came back and when he saw the door
was locked, kicked out panel. Willis
grabbed cane and, opening the door,
struck Frank with the cane and broke
: 1t, then jumped back into the house,
$ after telling him to go away. But the
4 Indian said, "You s. of b., l Kill
s you ! shoot you" and started to
: como In the door, Willis went back
+ and got his pistol and tried to push the
I Indian out but the latter grappled hin
by the shirt and arm and started tt
r pull him. In the scuffie which followed
u Frank struck Willis twice In the breas
d and twice in the face while Dick hi
Frank over the head with his pistol
About this time Johnny came up an(
caught Dick s right arm and Mary Nc
Queen got hold OF him from behind
!. Frank hit him again in the face and
= thinking the Indians were trying t,
: do him up, he fired. Frank fell to tn
= ground and Johnny threw Willis dow
: and tried to choke him with one han,
and take the pistol away with tn
other. Dick called for help whicl
. brought Leonard McGarry and G.
= Stanley to the scene in time to preyen
further trouble.
While this is very plausible story
d 1t remains for the Grand Jury to de
s. eide II 1t is the true one and II he wa
of justified In shooting when he did. Nj
1t Willis is an old timer in the county an
l, bore good reputation until two year
70 ago, when he killed Tom Cornell in
10 drunken quarrel, for which he We
ID never tried, though many though
IN the affair was not sufficiently invest
n gated. The Indian who was kille
r, was half breed about 30 yea
On OF age, who has lived for years aroun
be Hamilton where he has worked with
A. pack train for Alex. Muir and other
4. He was also well known here and a
n ways behaved himself except whs
II. he was drunk, when he was sometim
inclined TO be a little quarrelsome.