The San Francisco call., 1898-12-31
BATTLE WITH A DESPERADO
FATALLY WOUNDS TWO OFFI-
 GERS BEFORE BEING SLAIN.
The Doings of Bad Man From Texas Causes the Bloodiest Tragedy in the History of Clatsop
 County.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

| PORTLAND, Dec. 30-The burning
 of the Fulton cottage at Seaside last 1 Wednesday morning eliminated this
 afternoon in the bloodiest tragedy in
 the history of Clatsop County, as a
 result of which three men are cold in
 death and one other is badly wounded. The dead are:
 SHERIFF J. w. WILLIAMS. DEPUTY SHERIFF JAMES LA
 MFRS.
 CHARLES WILLARD.
 Deputy Sheriff A. E. Miller was shot
 in the leg. It. was considered certain
 by every one that the burning of the
 cottage was for the purpose of con-
 cealing a robbery, and a suspicion
 pointed to Charles Willard as the guilty
 person, particularly. as he was seen a short time after the fire coming from 1 the locality with a wheelbarrow load
 of goods.
 Acting on the suspicion Sheriff Will jams this morning secured a search
 warrant and, in company with Senator c. w. Fulton and others, went to Sea-
 side to search Willards premises and also all the cottages of which he has
 charge during the winter season. ! About o'clock this afternoon Williams Fulton and Deputies A. E. Miller and
 James Lamers, the two latter being
 residents of Seaside, went to the cot tage of Mrs. Susie Lewiston, where ! Willard was living. to search it.
 Their rap at the door was answered l by Willard, who on learning what was wanted, agreed to permit search of
 all the houses. On pretense of being
 on the lookout for a beach thief he
 picked up his rifle and said he would
 accompany them. They left the house
 and searched the Carlson cottage. and then Fulton asked Willard to walk back to the. Lewiston cottage. | It was on nearing the cottage the | second time that the tragedy occurred. 1 Senator Fulton had identified some
 shotgun cartridges in the house as be- l longing to him, and began questioning i Willard as to where he got possession
 of them. This nettled Willard, although
 he answered that a friend had given 1 them to him. and he began to get ugly. 1 Fulton and Miller went inside the cottage, leaving Willard, Sheriff; Will | Hams and Lamers standing outside. 1 They had just proceeded to the rear room when two shots were heard in quick succession, and on running to the
 door Sheriff Williams was seen to throw up his hands and fall backward over the bank
 In front of the house were Willard and Lamers in a desperate hand-to- hand struggle, although the latter had been shot through the right groin and was fast growing faint, and his assail- ant was fighting with the desperation of demon. Fulton sprang at Willard's head, and pulling him to the ground | jumped on his face. Miller wrenched the rifle from his hand, threw 1t on the | ground and taking out his revolver | ha Hacnaro5n m, thp hood
 Senator Fulton in the meantime
 picked up the rifle and told Willard to
 remain uiet or he would: kill her. The
 latter, however, watched his opportun- 1 ity, and jumping to his feet started to 1 run away, when Fulton fired. missing ! him the first time, but striking him in l the face the second time and carrying
 away the greater part of his mouth and | nose.
 | Willard fell apparently dead and Full ! ton started to obtain help to care for | the injured men, leaving Miller on 1 guard with the rifle In hand. Miller l stepped back to aid Lamers. who was l lying on the ground desperately wound | ed, when Willard was noticed to be 1 fumbling with his belt. Quicker than a | flash he drew a revolver and fired three | bullets. the first one hitting Miller in | the left leg just below the hip. Mil 1 Ter returned the fire with the rife. the 1 first bullet inflicting a flesh wound in | Willard's shoulder and the second hit 1 ting him in the left side near the groin | killing him instantly.
 By this time. help had arrived, but | Williams and Lamers were beyond all l aid and soon diad A Coroner's Jury
 was summoned, and after hearing the l testimony, rendered verdict in ac- cordance with the facts.
 The bodies of the three dead men
 were placed on board the train and l brought to this city, those of Sheriff
 Williams and Deputy Lamers in cas-
 kets and that of the desperado wrap | ped in an old sail.
 Just how the shooting of Sheriff Will 1 jams and Deputy Lamers occurred will l never be known, as there are no living l witnesses now, but it is evident that l they were taken unawareS and were
 killed with bullets from a revolver as
 six chambers of Willard's revolver were l empty.
 Sheriff Williams was one of the most | popular men in the city. He was about
 40 years of age, a native of Kentucky
 and had been a resident of Astoria for
 about ten years.
 l James Lamers was also an unmarried i man about B years of age He was a ! carpenter. living at Seaside, and was deputized by MT. Williams to aid him to-day.
 Of Charles Willard, the. man who
 caused the trouble, very little is known. 1 He came to Seaside from Texas about ] seven years ago and had always been { considered a dangerous character. It was his habit to carry a rife and two
 revolvers with him night and day, and
 he often remarked that he would never
 be taken alive He lived by himself in
 tent in Grimes Grove and earned a livelihood by looking out. for certain I cottages during the winter. It has
 been a notable fact for years that near
 ly every residence not left in his charge I was either robbed or defaced in some
 way.