The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-12-31

Three llves-two OF honest men. one Of
a desperate, with the narrow escape Of
the lives Of two other most reputable
eitlEens-one Of unusually high regard
and standIng-is the sacrifice clatsop
county has been called upon to pay for
the peaco and good order OF the little
community OF Seaside on her western
border. seldom. n ever. has so appalling
tragedy been enacted anywhere within
the state OF orgOn.
Shortly after 4 O'Clock yesterday after
noon the news was simultaneously re-
ceivcd In the Western Union and rail-
road Offices that sheriff.. W. Williams.
one OF hls deputies, and a desperate char
acter nAmed charles Willard had seen
killed In a shooting ARRAY at Seaside.
Only the barcst details were received,
but the news fell like thunder-bolt and
few like wIldnre around the city. Further
particulars were wired for. but little
could be learned except that Clatsop
couniy's popular sheriff and one Of his
deputies had been shot to death by the
desperate Willard.
At O'Clock the regular train left for
the scene. carrying about 100 persons
from Astoria Nearly every man on the
train was armed. and all were determined
that II Willard was siill alive, he
should be summarily dealt with. On the
way TO Seaside others boarded the train,
and there were about rs determined men
In the crowd when their destination wits
reached.
AZ the depot those who anxiously
awaited the coming OF the train briefly
told the story OF the terrible crime
Sheriff Williams and Deputy Lamers
were cold In death. as was also the william
who had taken their lives when the
news was made known few were able to
suppress their tears, The sheriff was
known and beloved by nearly every per-
son in Astoria. and his death was to
many as the death OF a brother. The
bodies OF tho dead officers had been
brought TO a house near the depot, where
they we're viewed by their grief-strlcken
sherin Williams and
Deputy Lamers were men Of almost the
same disposition, and each was very pop
llar in his community, When the AS
toria party entered the house and saw the
men lying on cots, their features calm In
he pallor OF death, there were few dry
yes. Poor Jack" was instinctively
Uttered, and nearly all turned away to
hide the tears.
A coroner's jury had been empanelled,
md went TO the Lewiston cottage to view
he body OF the dead murderer. The
,orpse rendered hideous from awful
lay outside the cottage just as II
,ad fallen. Death was too good for him,
,veryone said, and there was no DISPOSE
ion to even cover the remains. Willard
vas a large, muscular brute, and, with
lis face shot nearly away and the
on the body, he presented a
light that was revolving. The body was
Afterwards wrapped in canvass and, none
90 tenderly, thrown into wagon which
,ad been brought from Seaside.
In the cottage was the murderers arse
lal, for he was a man who never went
Powder shot, shells and load
ID cartridges were stacked up in a cor
Ter, and bore silent evidence of the des-
,erate character of the murderer, He
lad lived in the cottage for two months
,ast and was evidently prepared for some
expected attack from the civil authorit-
es. Some Of the shells were identified
~ Mr. Fulton as mis- property, and there
$ no longer any doubt that willard was
he fend who destroyed the Fulton cot
age some nights ago. To cover that crime
md escape from justice Willard killed
wo men, and, but for the heroic action
4 "Jim" Lamers, would have taken the
ives of two others--senator Fulton and
Miller. The latter was slightly
Wounded by willard before he was