The record-union., 1899-09-06
TRAGEDY IN
SHASTA COUNTY.
A United States Mail Carrier Muir
dered at KesWick.
Shot and Killed While on His Way to the
Depot From the Uptown Office.
The Homicide the Outgrowth of the
Jumping of a Mining Claim, the
Deceased Having Been Placed
in the Keeping of the Disputed
Property.

KESWICK, Sept. 5.-At o'clock this
morning Jake Randall United States
mail carrier between the Keswick depot
to the postoffice uptown, was shot and
instantly killed by John Pendleton.
Randall was travelling on foot to the
depot after the mail. taking the usual
short cut trail over the hill. He had
to pass over a mining claim that had
been jumped yesterday by Pendleton
The claim was one located by Dan
OConnell and Dan Thompson, over
which they had placed Randall as
keeper. On it was a new cabin and in
this cabin, it seems. Pendleton lay in
ambush Powder smoke on the window
casing indicates that Pendleton fired
from the inside. and drops of blood
show that Randall was distant about
ten feet.
When Randall was shot he staggered
ten feet over a rock pile, fell on his
face and expired.
Pendleton turned and went along the
railroad track past the brewery, close
by Some one asked him what he had
been shooting at.
oh" he replied. 'I have just shot
Jake Randall You might send some
one up town and tell Thompson and
O'Connell to send a rig and get him"
He then walked coolly along the trail
towards Redding, where it is supposed
he has gone to give himself up. Offl-
GERS from here have gone after him.
There is no fear that he will not be
captured. But one ball hit Randall.
Randall was known to be armed. He
leaves widow and a family of four
children. Pendleton is a man with a
large family, but recently secured a di-
yorce. There has been a good deal
of claim jumping in Keswick during
the last few months in much of which
both Randall and Pendleton have been
participants, and this mornings trag-
edy is the outcome. 1t is the first mur-
der ever committed in Keswick.
The Coroner has been notified and
the usual investigation will be had
ANOTHER STORY OF THE MUIR
DER.
REDDING, Sept. 5.-Murder was
committed at heswick about s O'Clock
this morning, Jake Randall being shot
and instantly killed by John Pendleton
! The shooting arose over the disputed
ownership of placer mine. John PEN
dleton, Judge D. A. Thompson and
Michael O'Connell recently located
some ground between the town of
South Park and Keswick Station as a
placer claim. Pendleton afterwards
jumped the claim on the ground that
the assessment work had not been
done. Much hard feeling existed over
the disputed ownership.
This morning Randall started from
o~Iy 70 ri,oIx 49,
mail On the way he had to cross the
disputed mining ground. There was a
cabin on the claim in which Pendleton
was stopping. From powder marks on
the window and other points of evil
dence it is believed that Pendleton shot
Randall with a rifle as the latter was
passing by. Randall fell to the ground,
killed instantly. Pendleton will not
talk, further than to say that Randall
| had threatened to kill him on the day
! previous. Pendleton walked to Red
ding and gave himself up. On the road
down he told parties that he had killed
Randall. Both of the principals are
well known in this county Randall
leaves wife and four children.
| When Constable Kelly of Keswick
found the body it was lying twenty feet
from the cabin door, face downward. A
trail of blood lead to the door. When
Pendleton came to Redding to surren-
der himself he brought the rifle with
which he did the shooting. He also
had a loaded revolver in his pocket. 1t
is asserted that Randall was unarmed.
When the Constable found his remains
his small dog was crouched on the
body and fought off the officers. The
| bullet entered his chest and came out
through his back.
| Randall, whose true initials are w.
| L., served term in the Nevada Peni-
tentiary for horse stealing several years
ago. While there he met a stage rob-
Der named Sharpner, who escaped after
Randall's release. Randall saw him in
Red Bluff, informed the officers and got
! part of the reward money.