Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1904-01-21
szhTEhsE COMMITTED.
indian Under Sentence of D>ath Re.
duced 70 Lite imprisonment

indian Under Sentence Of Doath Re-
duesd 70 Life imprisonment
YsakerdAy the Board 9 RayAnao
took up the case Of Conchie Segmiller
the Indian sentenced to be hanged
md Peduceu the sentence 10 life i'm
prisonment. A number Of petitions
were presented to the Board and the
action was taken accordingly.
The crime for which the Indian was
sentenced has many pecularities. He
was in tho employ Of . man by the
name Of Nm. Williams, better known
Is wild Bill" and . man who was
dreoded IN tho community for the
record that he had. He was known
a. IN outlaw. . man Of desperate char
acter and ono who would not hesitate
to commit murder to gain his ends.
The boy, for that is all the Indian il,
being but 1e years Of age, asked Will
lame for the money due him. In
stead Of receiving the cash he was
threatened with his life and ordered
OF the place Later in the day the
Indian returned and finding Williams
asleep fired shot through his head
feared by all who knew him and his
ways.
After the shooting the boy went to
the camp and told of his crime. He
was arrested a few days later, and
upon being questioned regarding the
killing admitted it and told Of :hs
entire affair. He made no effort at
defense, believing that he had done
as nature bid and that the threat to
take his life had given him the right
to take the law into his own hands.
At the trial that followed the Indian
readily admitted all the details Of the
shooting and declined a jury trial.
upon the advise of his attorney ne
plead guilty, and within few minutes
after the court convened he was SEN
tencer to death for the killing of Will
liams.
When he landed at the Prison pet
lions asking the Board of Pardons
to grant a stay of execution or to com.
mute the sentence from hanging to
lie Imprisonment. Some even went
SO far as to ask that the sentence be
reduced to one year as this was con-
sidered ample punishment for the
crime committed and all of the citi-
zens in that neighborhood were great
ly relieved when they we're certain
that the bad man was out of the way
1t was upon these petitions that the
Board acted, and while they have gis.
en- the Indian the extent Of the law,
yet there is now a chance for further
action by the Board, and q pardon at
some time is within the hopes of the
friends of the Indian.
Major ingalls,, of the Reno Chamber
Of Commence, was among the friends
that took up the case in behalf Of the
unfortunate being. He interested him
self from the beginning Of the case
and personally appeared before the
Board at the meeting Monday. where
| he laid the facts of the case before
! them.
Major Ingalls, stated that he VISITED
! Segmiller at the prison and found an
! Indian boy of prepossessing appear
ance who was a great favorite with all
the penitentiary officials and who no
more realized his awful position than
a child Of Ave years. He was bright
and interesting Indian of the mildest
and innofensive character possible.
Major ingalls, has taken a deep In
terest in the Segmiller case. In the
early seventies the Major spent three
years with Major Powell among these
Moapi Indians during the exploratio:
of Southern Nevada and the Grand
Canyon of the Colorado
On one occasion he was very Il
and with two other companions, ont
of whom was an Indian of this tribe
was almost dying of thirst. FINAL;
the Indian was told to go out alon,
to search for water. He was gon
some time and it was feared that h
had abandoned them to their fate. A
last he returned and told them to TO
low him. He led the way for som
time until he came to a great roc
with deep depressions in it, in a. fey
of which there remained little waite
from a rain that had fallen fe'
days previous.
Not until the Major and his cor
panion had drunk their fill would TIL
Indian drink what remained, althoug
he was in almost as desperate strait
for water as they.