Amador ledger., 1905-04-21
. . Q . Q OO . . .
+: How the Gates +:
/: BOYS Were Killed :
} . . . 20 . Q Q . 000 O000 Q . .


Down in the wilds of New Mexico
there is a man under cover who has
sworn to avenge the killing of the
Gates boys, George and Vernon. He
is camping on the trail of deputy
sheriff McGrath of Lordsburg. who
shot and killed both of the outlaws
while they we're in bed at the home
of John D. Weems of Separ. This was
on st. Patrick IS day, two days after
the outlaws had held up saloon at
Lordsburg and secured in the neigh
borhood of 5000. The avowed avenger
of the Gates boys is believed to be
none other than James Arnet. alias
''Little Harry" alias Shorty the
partner of the Gates brothers in many
of their crimes on the Pacific coast.
Special Officer John N. Thacker of
Wells Fargo Express Company, who
identified the bodies of the outlaws
at Lordsburg as those of the Gates
boys. returned to San Francisco yes
terday. He brought with him a let
ter that was sent to deputy sheriff Nc
Grath from Ell Paso. This letter is
three pages in length, badly written
and poorly constructed. Every line
is threat, however, and it stated in
emphatic terms that the writer would
get the man who murdered the
Gates boys" The letter is in mas
culine hand and closely resembles; the
penmanship of Arnet, who has been
constant companion of the Gates
boys since the day they held up the
Colorado express. He was in OIL the
Copley hold-up, and is believed to be
the man who fired the fatal shot that
killed Messenger William j. O'Neil.
Authorities Are Warned.
Following the clew of the letter,
Thacker requested all New Mexico,
Texas and Southern California author
tiles to be on the outlook for Arnet
McGrath is not taking any chances
and will shoot the half breed Oh
sight.
The Staying of the Gates boys was
surrounded with all the elements that
go to make up powerful melodrama.
After the robbery in the saloon, in
which the pair stood up seventeen
men and got all the money in the
place, the outlaws struck out for Sc
par. They reached the home of John
ID. Weems in the evening of the 18th
of March and proceeded to make beds
i'll the hay in the corral. Here
Weems discovered them and immedi-
ately wired to LoIdsburg that the rob-
bers we're at his place. In order that
the men might not escape, Weems
turned his horses loose out of the
corral. George Gates noticed this
move, but did not attach much i'm
portance to it. At the time he was
caring for Vernon, who was ill.
George asked Weems if they could get
something to eat and a bed for the
night. Weems replied that they
could and took them up to his house.
He noticed that the pair had very
dirty faces, as if they had been smear
ed with lamp black. The robbers in
the hold-up two days before had not
worn masks, but had darkened their
faces.
Deputy Finds Them Asleep.
After washing up and eating
hearty meal the Gates boys retired to
the room given them and we're soon
sound asleep. That they were mighty
weary was shown by the fact that
when McGrath and mis- assistants ar
rived on the scene and were surround
ing the place one of the men acci-
dentally fired off his pistol. The
noise failed to awaken the outlaws.
NhCll oil was Ill lSdO1A0SS n00lIS
took lantern and entered the 1oom
McGrath followed with his double
barreled shotgun loaded with heavy
buckshot. George was the first to
awaken. When McGrath ordered
them to throw up their hands both
boys reached under the bedclothes
for their revolvers. They had eight
of them between them and were pre-
pared to fight regiment.
McGrath noticed the movement
and let fly. One load of buckshot
tore off the back of Vernon's head,
killing him instantly. The other en-
tered Georges side. 1t did not do
the work quickly, for George raised
up in bed with pistol clutched in
each hand. Before he had a chance
to fire McGrath had sent a bullet
from his revolver through his heart,
and two of the most desperate men
in the west we're dead.
| Detective Thacker is satisfied with
the Identification of the bodies. He
had them exhumed and they fitted
every description of the Alameda
boys. The bodies were buried in
PLAIN wooden boxes in the potter S
field in Lordsburg, and when rebur-
led we're in such a condition that it
would be impossible for the Gates
family to bring them back to Cali
| fOrnia g H. Ehr0OioIn