The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-07-20

PiOdSiieu tie magazine with w mite In
the lead. When about ten feet from
the door the Chinaman ran back into
the magazine, slammed the door and
the next instant the explosion occurred.
! whether the murderer shot pistol into
the powder, whether he struck match
and exploded it, or whether he lit a
fuse OF which there was plenty around
before telling the officers he would sur
render, calculating on the explosion
| just about the time they would reach
him, must ever remain a mystery. The
truth could only be known to the muir
derer, Charley White, Constable Koch
or Deputy Lerri, who were the closest
to the magazine door, and their lips are
forever sealed.
Immediately after the explosion
Deputy Sheriff Ed White and Fred
Sherrott looked around for their com
panions. They found none. With the
exception of Will Moffatt the half dozen
men who had guarded the magazine all
night had disappeared. Some time later
human remains were found many hun
dreds of yards from the place where
the magazine had stood One of the
bodies, nearly intact, was recognized
as that of Constable Koch, another one
but a little disf1gured was that of D.
c. Cameron. OF the other three, Char
| ley White, j. ]. Lerri and George C.
Woodsum, the remains are scant and
so disigured that positive identifica-
ton is impossible The widows of
two or them believe that they can re-
Feognize the remains of theis husbands
by small bits of clothing. but every-
thing is so charred and torn that the
clothing is but a slight clew.
Mrs. Sadie Hill was asleep at the
time Of the explosion in a house about
two hundred feet from the magazine
The house was demolished and two
hours later her lifeless body was dis
covered in the ruins
| Deputy Sheriffs Ed White and Fred
Sherrott had marvellous escapes. They
were following the deputies who were
going to make the arrest and were
about seventy feet behind them when
the magazine was fired. They were lift
ed off their feet and carried a long dis
! tance. their faces were somewhat dis
figured by flying debris. and their
clothes were badly torn. Sherrott has
sustained internal injuries Ed White
tells the following story:
Last night my brother Al. Gus Koch.
H. S. Smith, ]. J. Lerri, my father and
myself went out to the magazine and
remained until midnight; then nv
brother Charles, Cameron and Wood
sum also came out and we were later
| Joined by Fred Sherrott. After mid
night Smith and my father went home
but all the rest remained About half
| past this morning we went into the
residence of Constable Stephenson
which was across the street, to get
breakfast. After breakfast we returned
to the magazine and all but Sherrott
| and I went inside the fence near the
magazine. Chang saw Charley and
spoke to him. Charley asked him if he
were hungry, and he said he was He
said also that he would not come out of
the magazine for couple of days, and
when my brother suggested that it
would be good idea to come out right
away the Chinaman replied, "All right,
I'll come out right away
AS soon as we heard this we ran
around to the gate to get inside the
yard, and while doing so the explosion
took place. We were knocked to the
ground after being carried some dis
tance, and Sherrott was injured in the
groin. When l got up everything
around me was in flames. Cameron
and Koch's remains were in tn, fuse
house, and all that I could find of nv
brother Charles was a piece of the coat
he wore.
Last night we ordered all the people
In the neighborhood to move away on
account of the murderer's threat to
blow up the magazine, and most of
them did So"
Fred Sherrott of West Oakland, who
is severely injured internally by the
force with which he was blown over the
ground, gives the following account Of
the tragedy:
'I went out there last night with
Charlie White, as we were great
friends and I frequently went with him
in the discharge of his duties. With the
other deputy sheriff we kept as close
to the powder house as we thought ad-
visable. Occasionally one of us would
go toward the door and assure the Chi
nese that we would not hurt him if he
came out. The fellow would invaria-
bly, reply that he would blow up the
place IL we attempted to take him.
Late last night he repeated his threat
so often that the people around there
believed he would do it, and many of
them moved out of their homes Had
they not done SO they would now be
dead, for their homes are scattered
over many acres.
Before midnight the Chinese shouted
to one of his countrymen who was near
US for a drink of water. 1 did not ap-
prove of his being given anything. but
Charley White permitted Chinese to
carry him a glass of water.
Billy Moffatt, who was also out there.
proposed that the water be doped as the