Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1899-06-22
A FOUL MURDER.
Joe Anderson's Body Found on
North Beach.
NOT DROWNED, BUT MURDERED
>" says the COrOner's Jury. Dan Down
ing Accused Of the Crime. His
Preliminary Hearing.

The HERALD, on June 8, told of the
theft of 10 boxes of salmon at Oyehut, on
June =, the suspicion that attached to
Joe Anderson and Dan Downing; the al
rest OF Downing and the finding Of And
erson's boat upside down in the harbor
and his supposed drowning while making
away with the stolen fish. 1t has since
TRANSFERRED that he was murdered and
thrown overheard.
The body Of Anderson was found about
200 yards from Downing's cabin, on
North Beach by G. 4. and Jacob Egerly
last Friday. They notified the county
authorities, who, thinking it was case
OF accidental drowning, ordered under.
taker Beardsley to inter the remains at
Aberdeen, which was done on Saturday.
Upon examining the body it was found
that the skull was crushed and the throat
cut, so Mr.. Beardsley notified Coroner
Bush, who came up from Westport and
held an inquest. The coroner's jury,
composed OF C. r. Woolng, ID. Fl. Null
len. Thos. Trethrake, Robt. jenkins, ID.
}. O'Brien and Mr.. Daniels, after hear
ing the testimony Of c.. A. and Jacob
Egerly, Lester Grayson, J. A. Graham
and G. A. Beardsley, and examining the
body re..dered verdict, last evening, OF
murder by some person or persons un.
known.
AS soon as the body WAS found sus
picion fastened on Downing and war.
rant charging him with murder was
issued. Sheriff Huff and Prosecuting
Attorney Abel came down from Monte.
sano, the sheriff to arrest Downing and
the attorney to collect evidence connect
ing him with the crime. Huff found his
man at Larkin's logging camp near
Grays Harbor City, and brought him to
Aberdeen Monday evening. His pre-
liminary examination was set for yester-
day and he was taken to the county Jail,
at Montesano for safekeeping. As the
coroners inquest was not finished until
last evening. the examination was not
held until today.
Joe Anderson had lived on Grays Har.
Dor 10 or " years and followed fishing
and logging, and was generally regarded
as harmless person. Downing has also
resided here for a number Of years, and
has figured in the courts on several occa.
sions on charges OF threatening to kill
those with whom he had dealings. 1t is
said that two persons with whom he had
trouble afterwards mysteriously disap.
peared, and he had gained the reputation
OF heing a dangerous man.
The circumstances causing suspicion to
fall upon Downing are, briefly: He and
Anderson had previously pedded fish to-
gether and had just arranged to put in
some logs on the beach, but had not
commenced to work together. On June
9, the last day Anderson was seen alive,
he was with Downing. That night 10
boxes OF salmon were stolen from the
Oyehut dock, and OH the 5th Deputy
Sheriff Graham went to arrest both men
for the stealing. Anderson could not be
found. and Downing told Of his going in
q boat to steal the fish and was positive
in the statement that he was drowned.
When asked how he knew he said he had
good reasons for knowing lie was dead.
The finding of Anderson's boat. bottom,
side up, the next day, appeared to con-
firm Downing's story, and he was dis
charged upon the charge of stealing the
fish for want Of evidence.
After his discharge Downing talked a
good deal. He told barber in Hoquiam
that Anderson was dead, and that he did
not want to 90 back to the beach, as he
did not want to see Anderson's ghost
He seemed to make it point to tell
everybody, with whom he talked, that
Anderson was dead, and that he knew it.
With Lester Grayson he talked about
John Craig, with whom he had trouble
last year, and who afterward went out
hunting and was never seen since, and Of
a partner he had some years ago at Sand
Island with whom he also had quarreled
and who also disappeared in mysterious
manner, saying that Anderson was the
third OF his partners to disappear.
When Anderson's body was discovered
with the throat cut suspicion naturally
pointed to Downing. He was the last
person to have seen Anderson alive. He
had knowledge Of his death, while others
thought he was hiding from the officers
of the law, and no possible stretch OF the
imagination could find anyone else with
a shadow of motive for the crime.
The theory Of the prosecution is that
the two men went together and stole the
fish, and later quarrelcd, possibly over
the division OF the plumber, and that
Downing struck the deceased on the head
cut his throat and threw him over BOARD,
and afterward capsized the boat and
turned it adrift to throw suspicion from
him.
The hearing began before Justice An.
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