The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-07-20
SEVEN BLOWN TO DEATH
4 CHINAM4N SETS OFF SEVEN TONS
 OF GIANT POWDER.

Ob GIANT POWDER.
 Fled Into Magazine to Escape Arrest
 for the Murder of n Fellow Countrv-
 man and There Defied Officers to Take
 Him Saying He Would Blow the Mnp-
 azine Up if They Entered-True to His
 Word.
 Oakland, Cal, July 19.-The works of the Western Fuse and Explosive com pany were blown up by a murderous Chfnaman at 5:20 o'clock this morning. Five deputy sheriffs and constables who were trying to arrest@the murderer, the murderer himself and a woman were killed. The dead are Deputy Sher- ifs Charles White, George Woodsum and D. c. Cameron, Constables Gusta- vus Koch and J. Leary, Coon Chong and Mrs. Hill. The Celestial who caus- ed the explosion was employed in the works. He had killed fellow coun- tryman named Sam Sing yesterday in quarrel over Chinese lottery ticket. He then defied the officers who went to arrest him. The murderer fled into the magazine, which contained seven tons of giant powder, barricaded himself and threatened to blow up the maga- zine if any one came to arrest him. Deputy Charles White, son of Sheriff White, and posse were on the scene of the shooting shortly after the mur- der and kept guard over the Chinaman within his stronghold. All of the off, cers were armed with rifles. After re- peated demands to surrender had been made, to all of which the same reply came, "If you come in here will blow up the magazine,' the officers retired ! for the night. This morning at five o'clock Deputy Sheriff White after a consultation with the others determined to break down the barricade, not be- 1ieving the Chinaman would fulfill his threat. Accordingly, the entire posse headed for the door.
 True to his word, the Chinaman fired the giant powder and in an instant q terrific explosion occurred, killing five officers and blowing the Chinaman to atoms. But one piece of the latter's body has been found. Whites body was fearfully mangled. It was found nearly five hundred yards away. Koch was badly mangled, but lived long enough to be taken to the hospital, where he died. Mrs. Hill was visiting a Mrs. Pride, who lived across the way She was killed by falling debris. Dep uty Sheriff Frederick Sherrill and Dep uty Edward White escaped alive, but were painfully wounded. All the husid- ings took fire. Engines were soon fight ing the flames, but to no avail. The works were completely wrecked. Four houses were also blown down and about forty partially wrecked. Fourteen cars were blown to splinters and several were burned. Windows were broken in Oakland, Alameda and as far as Berkley.
 Deputy Sheriff SherrilTs story ofSthe affair is as follows: "WithGthe other deputies we kept as close to the powder house as we thought advisable. Occa- sionally one of us wouldlgo toward the door and assure the Chinaman that we would not hurt him if he came out. The fellow invariably replied that he would blow up the place if we attempt- ed to take him. Late last night he re- peated his threat so often that the peo- pie around there thought he would do it and many moved out of their houses. We hung around all night and just at daybreak Charley White urged a Chi- naman to tell the fellow to come out. He would not do so. Shortly after ward he told us that he would walk out. AS soon as the fellow appeared at the door of the place Charley White and Koch walked toward him to make the arrest. Edward White and I followed them about eighty feet behind. They were almost at the door when Coon closed 1t with a bang. Less than a sec- ond later I was being carried with a cloud of debris and earth swiftly over the ground. My face was cut and my clothes torn, and I cannot understand how it happened that Edward White and myself were not killed, as some of those killed were further away than we were. have no doubt that as soon as the door was closed Coon fired his pis- tol into the powder. Five minutes after the explosion everything was on fire." Sherrill and Edward White were car- ried over forty feet by the explosion, and they are complete nervous wreckS.