The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-05-18
HOW RAY HARRIS
WAS MA[TREATED
Mob Came to His Room in Dead
of Night and Cruelty
Beat Him.
WAS FORMERLY SALT
LAKE NEWSPAPER MAN
Had Located Placer Claims
That We're Partly in Town
of BannOck.

os " wv III 1VN
of BannOck.
Special to Tho Tribune.
| DILLON Mont, May lit is proba-
bic, according to reliable Information,
that long and bitter legal conflict will
prove the sequel to the mobbng of Rny
ID, Harris of Salt Lake. Utah. in tho his
toric mining camp OF Bannock, Mont, on
the night of April 81. by gang OF about
twenty masked men of that town.
Located Two Claims
Harris located two placer claims IN the
Bannock mining district, part of which
| ground is occupied by the unsurveyed
| town of Banonck. during the day OF April
| n, and thereby caused more excitement
| than the camp has experienced since the
| early days.
Mobbed in the Night.
AS a means of expressing their disap-
| proval OF his action. Harris WAS dragged
| from his lodgings under cover Of night by
a mob. and, after being nearly beaten to
| death, was ordered out of town.
Relinquished His Interest.
| Since the mobbing and withdrawal Of
the charges of assault In the lrst de-
gree. which were Instituted by him
against seventeen men of Bannock, Harris
| has rclinquished his interest in the placer
| ground located by him TO John ]. Cusick
| and Thomas F. Rooney, both OF Butte
| his partners It is understood that the
| title TO the ground will now be contested
| In the courts.
| The following account of the whole mat
| ter is based upon careful Investigation;
Found Ground Was Open.
went to Bannock several weeks ago, ac-
| companied by Cusick, after learning
| through the County Surveyor OF Beaver
| head county and an attorney that the
| ground. which was later taken up by him
| for himself and associates. was open to
| location.
EARLY on the morning of April q Harris
began the work OF locating two claims.
| taking the side lines of adjoining patented
ground as his guide, He was observed by
a number OF residents putting corner
| posts In position. In View OF the fact that
| the town OF Bannock occupies a portion
of the ground located, report was quick
ly circulated 10 the effect that Harris In
tended TO make the residents pay him a
| handsome sum of money for the ground
on which their houses stand.
Camp Was Excited.
This report soon threw the camp into
a high state OF excitement, and the resi-
dents became highly indignant. "A num-
Der OF the men OF the camp approached
Harris while he was at work sinking the
postholes, and Inquired of him whether
or not he intended to "hold up the resi-
dents Of the town for money for the
ground on which their homes stood. lie
assured his inQuirers that such was not
his purpose; that he entertained no
thought OF injuring the residents Of the
town. and that the ground located by him
would be worked for its placer depoSite
His explanation of his purpose in locat-
ing the ground apparently satisfied n
number of his inquirers. and he stood for
treat" for the crowd that had gath
cred about him,
Attacked by Mob.
r~ha ,,,oNpa- I,, pybInb tho n,o IorIt1y ~
the men regarded his action In locating
the ground, however. was shown about IL
o clock the same night, when the house
in which he was lodging was surrounded
by the band OF about twenty masked |
men After repeated rapping and hostile
demands that Harris come out four men
followed by others, broke In the door and
demanded Of the woman of the house that
Harris be produced. leveling their revol-
Ners upon her at the same time.
Hid Under the Bed.
Harris who was preparing TO retire |
hid himself under the bed. He, however,
1t is stated. was soon discovered. and at
the point of four reVolVers, was ordered
to come out. He obeyed, IL is said, and
TO resist the mob Half-clad, he was
pulled from his room TO the yard sur
rounding the house, where he was
pounced upon by members of the mob. |
who Immediately began Shrleklng like In
dians on the walpath and who fired of
their reyolvers continuously, somo shoot
Clothes Torn to Shreds.
Harris was jerked and pulled about by
the mob until the clothes on the upper
portion of his body were torn 10 shreds
He was then led To IL ditch near by and
thrown Into the water backward and |
knocked down as fast us he could get mp |
AS he was taken from the ditch he rccog-
nized ono of his ASSISTANTS, and appealed |
to him for aid, only to be struck over the |
left cyo and over the head with a re-
Yolver
Hanging Suggested,
With bullets being fired about his feet
continuously and being knocked down
every few feet by blows from members
OF the mob. Harris was led through the
town Several members of the mob sug-
gestcd that he be hanged but this sug-
gestion IT Is said did not meet with favor
with tho majority OF the gang. and 80
Harris was tnlten TO post on which the
location notice of one claim was tackled
This notice. u we'll as the one on the sec
ond claim. Harris was compelled TO tear
down. and also to pull up the two posts
Bleeding. half-frozen by t.He Gs-cltlng In
the ditch, and partially ur~insc-7us Har-
ris was Icd back to the house from which
he had been taken, where he was per
mItted TO uet his oyercoat, He was then
1t is learned, taken TO the western edge
ruined his overcoat by dauh!!is il, as we'll
as his trousers wlth bot tar, was ordered
to leave tho amp. BY this time Harris
wes completely exhausted. and IT was only
with great effort that he reached the
home OF friend near the town.
Driven Out of Town.
For more than three days the where
abouts OF Harris were unknown and for
time IL was thought that he had died as
| Il result OF his injuries He, however
| made his appearance in Dillon after three
| days and swore out warrants for the ar
rest of seventeen members of tho mob
| Later he withdrew the charges against |
| the men, upon the solicitations OF friends |
! in this place.