The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-16
DESPERATE PASSENGERS.
THE QUEEN BRINGS TEN CoNyICTS
BotND FROM sTTKA.
Some of Them Mnrderers, some OF
Them Rebb~rs-0n Their Way to
serve Iong sentences in san

Ter prisoners sentsnced 20 long terms IN
San Quentin prison In California by Judge
johnson at Ska VII arrive on the steam
or Queen this morning in charge 81 dep
usy United States Marshal John Cu3ihee
and a party OF weIi-armed guards. They
will be rushed south as rapidly as posi-
bic. Most OF them are desperate men. con-
vic,ed and sentenced for taking the life Of
q fe.iow man. The others are robbers.
The best-known OF this criminal band
are tae three murierers or Sam Roberts.
The Dyea gambler. The men are FI;zpat-
rick. Corbet; and Brooks. ali or San Fran
c4sco. The former gets life term ard
The ether TWO ten years each n San
Quentin and .sI.coo fine. Mrs Mary p.
Dixon. of San Francisco sister of Fitz-
patrick. viii also return on the same
steamer. She went novta for the purpose
OF saving her brother. Corbe,ts aged
father, OF San Francisco Will be on the
boat on his way home. broken hearted by
the conviction Of his son.
John X. Ross. who was Roberts partner
and who was with nm at the time he was
murdered, Is now in Seattle. His testimony
given at the trial in Sitka. convicted the
men. Ross toid the story of the murder
as he gave IL on the stand to a Pos.-in-
telligencer reporter yesterday, as follows:
About o'clock on the morning of
March Is | left the Wonder hotel at Dyea
with Sam Roberts 10 go to his cabin on
the next street. | was carrying some fifty
pounds of money. about 5000 on my
shoulder. We unlocked the cabin 9oor and
Roberts lighted match. Before ii b.azed
UP sufficiently for us 10 see the interior
We heard a noise. We knew something
was wrong aud backed out on the porch
Roberts was large man and crowded me
off just as a shot came out the door. fired
by some one la the interior. A moment
later shot was fred from the south cor
ner Of the cabin. 1t passed through Rob
ert's lungs and heart, killing him instant
Is. | believe the man who fired the shot
that killed him was Corbett.
Whoever il was he ran up 10 the porch
thinking he had killed both of US The
sack OF money was lying there. Just as
he was reaching over 10 pick il up. Fitz-
patrick. who was in the house. hred at
him, thinking II was one of US. The bull
let struck CoTbett in lha shoulder. and
has since caused him to lose the Use OF
his arm Fitzpatrick came out of the
house ard fired two shots from his big
revolver at some men who were coming
from the saloon | was lying quite s.!li
at the side of the porch. The night was
dark, and from the flashes OF his gun /
recognized him. AS soon as he fired ne
ran around the house. and | started
after him. He did not notice the
money. While | was running away |
understand three other men who were in
the house got away.
"Corbett applied for medical aid from
the United States army officer stationed
there and was arrested. Brooks claimed
that ne had shot him accidentally a few
hours before the murder and was also ar
rested. Fitzpatrick was arrested on In
formation | gave the officers. At the pre-
liminary examination ! said nothing
about recognizing MIN. fearing that 1
would lose my l!fe If did. a; the final
trial | told the whole story L have
given il 10 you.
"Fltzpalrick was defended by Judge De
larey. He demanded a separate trial.
HIS brother and sister came up from san
Francisco to help him. They testified that
he had always been straight man and
had worked as a marine fireman. The
jury brought in a verde, Of guilty.
Brooks and Corbett are brothers-in-
Law and elected 10 stand together. There
was noth hing but ctrcumstantiai evidence
against them. and both expected TO go
free. have always thought that Corbett
was the man who fired the shot thai
snuffed out Sam Roberts life and that
Brooks was not there al all. Had the lat
ter gone on the stand ana told The truth,
I am satisfied that he would have gone
free They were defended by Attorney
Blackett. Brooks a salesman for
many years for Montague Il Co., Of san
Francisco. Ccrbetts old father told me
that his son had always been wild and
had been in Inuca trouble"