The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-05

80 Doooy - ASse ~
1sx W. n. AbeI-How Joe
1900 Net Death 1T the NanAs
rstenl with Whon He Was
v4ne-Two other Musde4s
- Aaes CAssged 70 DewAlsg.
- H. Axtng of the date Of exseu-
@S 9 y Included In sentence TO be
szss.aunced this month IN the case Of
- Downing. the convicted murderer
~ 49, Anderson. ChehaIis county will
.sssers the nrst legal hanging In its his
- On Saturday next a motion for .
- 81 VII BE- disposed Of. after which.
n : = rot granted, all that remains IL
- ssenoupcing Of the death sentence.
~ I tfsal lasting eight days. on Mon
- - Downing WAS convicted OF muir
= Ia nrst degree. The case ID Of
- thau ordinary interest owing to the
I Ge ut ths convicted man has been sus-
sssd n committing not less than three
d - IN Chehaiis county within the
~ sevsn years. In the trial just con-
2r1u1 he state was represented by Pros
:s.eIes. Attorney w. II. Abel. Of cheha-
4 4 ssraty. who in the conviction scores .
.o,.1anai triumph. Mr.. Abel In now q
sSs,e.s a. the Butter and Is In the city on
Enicnai business.
stesy Of the Crime.
- story In the beginning goes back
- seafs. when Dan Downing. fisher
- vho during his residence in the
- hssbor district has given the au-
& 800 "A endless amount OF trouble.
EE5 ~ partner a man known rs kus-
rs PIE" Ono day Pete disappeared
d 1 frcm that day to the present no It'd
- nave been heard Of him. The finger
~ an6cjou pointed TO Downing. but
f11k6ne was done in the matter.
- rolled on and Downing regularly
1879 Tor minor misdeameanors until
b RI MN onA day he had . violent quar-
- 4 young man named John Craig.
~ nnloyed by Fish Commissioner Lit
y Ine chehalis county hatchcries. At
- - Downing attempted to Kill
4 6& ~ vas unsuccessful. One after
! - = June. 1854. Craig left his office for
a b the adjacent woods. That was
a - tiue ne was ever seen. alive or
4 7 nat he did not decamp Il vouched
z = - fact that ne left considerable
& Aah6nd and was in no trouble.
( n eama afternoon Downing was seen
r. y1ednity OF the hatcheSies. and al
& GxSA fpr = second time public opinion
Il S1eap1 that he was suspected OF murder.
! = syldence could he gathered that would
nr,srt his arrest This trouble bridges
& - H intervening time until June last.
- The deed for which he was convict
4 II murder In the first degree was COM
i naSed
Tpouhle Over = Rope.
=. Andersen was fisherman living In
rkark for several years not Tar from
go Of Downings at Grays harbor.
"a three weeks prior IN June last
nspn and Downing. who were friends.
~ 10 live together In Downing's shack.
I IN SITTER this q quarrel ensued over a
- which both men claimed 10 own.
u rcpe was given to n third party TO
{ sinin Until the question Of proprietorship
Z r. besn decided. and the trouble was
QQsaed TO be over But not with Down
- Who declared he could only settle by
- splitting of blood.
a june I last the badly deconposed BODY
4 man WAS found on the ocean pearh-
6Fays hArbor. Fifteen miles up ths
hncA was found the upturned boat OF
& 49,
uftSs thumb stall Anderson had been
u11ped for ten days prior to the nndinx
( ne body, and several friends had asked
hsnibg II he knew anything OF ms
xg1seabouts. In drunken ramoie sew
NJ days before the finding OF the body
Downing declared he had seen Anderson
ANWn. 10 which he IL said 10 have added:
sAsdeston Is dead. and there Is one more
~ want TO XIII before I am satisfied"
With the finding Of the body these re-
mia were recalled and as much on DIS
~ repufAfion as anything eisc Down
~ aoutly denied the crime and went 10
Ne evidenee developed that the thumb
mn found near the boat belonged 10
Owning. This was The principal Ink In
~ chain Of circumstansial evidence
9linss him
Threat Had Been Cut.
he defense A. the trial insisted THAI the
~ b sxhnmed ana an autopsy he'd
iss revealed tina. blow had been de-
sefed On Andcrson's head fractur.ng tho
III. and before death ensueA his throat
- eeen cut from ear 10 ear. Tbs roncs-
faa not previously been discovered.
sssaf to the fact that the flesh from the
~ sAi fallen over the wound While a.
ho~nins maintains hts innocence the
srssree shows that On the dsy Anderson
ess9ffsred the two men went TN the
sssf frcnt together IN the lattsrs boat
lRr fhe deea Is supposed 10 have been
sss1nsfss. Anderson was stFsick an the
- anc white ~ a DIVING c0ntit0
80 sash across the throat Anshea the
.ssh work TIE ha.'y was then thrown
Srhesrs ~ paint abort six miles from
~ tney started IN The hope that the
s1'rrs would cover nn the crime
snee " nav seem hi. she hsfv drift
seeis for nrohah'v ter savs ard "a.
Washed eran ire beach ras mora
~ yards frcas the shack the two
4 naa ecrnp 81 vhen Anderson thought
s'wasrr wsr sss tr..na
e"asciesre at Last Awake.
nN~-'Yx Vas known ns A ,os,sl tough
~. Sss' crime left ar Impression on
- as afternoon following the morn
49, me murder - returned 70 his
~ s,' re. - re*s The crime haunted
End 80 Re went - -AtrhAsr q,
W. Ne eStsrdo.f n frVstssaor - ~o-,e
sa With BIN There wa. strange
tcw-5ng's svsS Witch tht~ neigh
g. W. so' IKE anf i~awsms ~ the cur
sn<nat Naw~srw the frt~.ef ~
- aswnlHx returses - IA cal, .~f
aHas ersrhF Nsht she'd rs ~ays
a~ N1n,'aw tsr4.~ III tn sh-ser@A
49,. IRE following rsw - ~~rse+ ~.
rave Ge RS vgA>s.f0n "a
- - srs -. fs~ ~~t~e.arf~r 80
n Wa~-~ esYyF ~ ~1nra would ~,
aefge' IRE wvetcA-si sleta-s.
~ So We met Nm a. ,hs r.~o 8,
Has a.. 1rsrrN ssst ~ .Nas,fs R~s.ss
srA. .sa' se kt0t burning during ne
~. ss' rot ~~'i1 u.s. nr~~s. x -
BE ration frsa-,.., .,
~ ~ sA.ws 49, So. -.
49,