The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-05-05
ENDS MOST
NOTABLE DOMINION CASE

REGINA, Assiniboia, May 5.-The
execution of Charles King, set for
today, eliminates one of the most
notable criminal cases with which the
mounted police of this section of the
Dominion have ever had to deal. King,
| who claimed to be resident of the
United States, was convicted of the
murder of Edward Hayward, an Eng
lishman, near Little Slave lake, in
the heart of the wilds of the North
west Territories. An unusual feat
ure of the case was that Kings arrest
and conviction was brought about by
members of the Stony Indian tribe,
who had taken a liking to the muir
dered man.
Hayward and King had joined in
prospecting and trapping expedition
to Little Slave lake. Arriving after
many days march on the lands of the
Sucker Creek reserve they went into
camp in a small cleared area sur
rounded by willows and poplars. Sew
eral of their horses strayed away
during their first nights stay and
Hayward rode over to the nearest
house and offered a reward to anyone
who would find them. They were
found and one of the Indians had
meal at the camp. The men were
there at least three days and nights.
At length Kewanis, a Stony fisher
man, met the small, dark man" lead
ing the horses along, all packed and
ready for the trail. But the tall,
fair man with the nails in his boots"
for that was how the Indians
dubbed Hayward, who left wherever
he went the print of his hobnailed
English miners shoes--was not with
| him. When Kewanis saw one man
go away from a camp to which he
| had seen two men come he felt that
| there was something worthy of ex-
| animation. He went to the camp and
| found that the fire, now eXtinguished,
| had been an absurdly large one if it
| had been only intended to boil a billy
or make a flapjack. 1t had been so
hot and fierce that it had scorched
the branches of the adjacent willows.
| Nearly so small trees had been felled
to feed it.
But a grandson of old MoOstoos,
| the head man of the tribe, had been
| there earlier while the fire was still
| smouldering, and he observed some
| cloth, quite consumed, but still show
| ing its texture. Kewans observed
| tracks leading from the campfire to
a neighboring slough. Poking among
| the ashes of the fire they found some
bones, burned and blackened.
Just at the height of the gossip
| on the reserve, Sergeant Anderson of
| the Northwest mounted police, visited
it. The Indians told him their sus-
picions, and together they visited the
site of the camp. The sergeant's at
| tention was directed to the tracks
| leading to the slough. Some hunted
still more closely through the ashes;
others entered into the slough bare
footed, though the ice was forming
on it. The hobnailed boots which the
unfortunate man had worn We're soon
| fished up. In the toe of one of them
was found cloth, in which were
wrapped a nugget scarfpin which
Hayward had been observed to wear,
small par OF miners scales ana a
sailors palm, also bought in Edmon-
| ton.
Anderson realized at once that
| there was evidence Of a crime, and
| determined to make every effort to
| solve the mystery. In the meantime
| the Indians found what appeared to
be pieces of half-burned tissue among
| the ashes. A fine screen was procured
and the whole remains of the camp
| fire sifted. A handful of buttons,
| buckles, eyelet holes-in fact, all the
metal parts that belong to civilized
| clothing-was found. Anderson heard
that the other man was staying at
the home of one Norm, at the Lesser
| Slave Lake settlement. He went and
| had n conversation with him. King
said that he had overtaken the man
whom the Indians had seen with him