The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-16

IRA WEIR hear the story OF how the
10 seven Of diamonds. which hlled
~ the inside straight. saved an IN
norent man from being lynchedE
1000 ,ha FORMER deputy sheriff. sounds
rtke n weird narrative, ehg But u a..
tr,,e for was near at the Tune. anu
I aot the facts from a man VINO was ~
fhe f,arty which had been sent 70 over
.nke You're chan -asDecfed or nas-
tally ertnse," wives = -
correspondent.
~ was raflroading in those days ct a
small place called Benson. Not far rom
IA was a bigger town, and We were sott
~ branch village One morning we got
word from wilton. which was the larger
town. that old man Whitesides ana MS
son had been murdered and the place
robbed. We got only few Of the detaiis,
hut these were enough 20 show US that
n dasperado had done the trick No man
in the city had stood higher In pubic
esteem than whitesdes and when II was
known that he had been killed, lynching
talk was rife. Everybody seemed 70 nit
on young fellow named McLoy as the
murderer, and the fact that he nad dls-
appeared on the night OF the murder
without paying his board bill or saying
when ne would return added strength 20
the belief that he was the murderer.
McI.oy had been in the city for couple
OF months, and was working some insur-
anee scheme He had been figuring on old
man Whitesides as posstole policy
faher, and the townsfolk argued that
McI.oy knew the ms and outs OF his way
of living The son was there with him
only part OF the time. The two bodies
wsre found In tho library by a servant a
great many hours after the crime had
been committed. The police found abso-
luteiy no ciew on which to begin IL
was found that the safe had been robbed
of a great deal Of cash ana the entire
house had beer rummaged.
About I y. m. telegram came from
Benson that McI.oy was stopping there,
and detective was sent to place him
under arrest. just as soon as the popu-
lace found that McLoy was in reach Of
a mob. 1t was agreed 10 go over and
take him from the officer and lynch him
on the spot. This suggestion met with
such favor that the mob was soon or
Eanized ana on its way to intercept the
detective and his prisoner. Watson, tho
detective, was notified by wire that the
mob would endeayor to find him, and he
was told TO keep under cover until he
could deliver his man for safe keeping.
'Watson arrested his man without any
trouble. and Mci,ox said 1t was big
mistake. as he could prove. All he asked
was TO be properly protected from a wild
mob. The officer guaranteed him safe
trip TO the jail at Hawiey, where he
would be fully protected. watson got a
second message from Wilton advising
him 70 take an out-of.the-way route and
to hide HIS tracks
watson was acquainted with the coun-
try. ana he decided 10 take the back
route to Hawley. lie handcuffed his pris-
oner and started or In y trap. while q
binding rain began to fall. This
did not tutcrfera with his speed, and the
horne raced blindly. for II was q safe
gamble that McLoy wouif be iynched.
guilty or not, II caught. Watson appre-
ciated his position, and he go so ashamed
~ himself that he unlocked the prisoner
handcuffs and made him hold an UNI
hreiin 80 a. TO get some protection from
the rain. The officer was IN pickle. how
ever. when he got 20 q stream and found
that II was swollen too much to be cross
nd. and there was no other route to Haw-
ley wtthoSt running right into the arms