Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1907-06-06
AWFUL BUTCHERY
MANIAC SHOOTS Down FAMILY
or SIX PERSONS.
DOUBLE BARRELED SHOTGUN
One Of the Most Blood-c urdllns Deeds
Recorded in the Annals Of
Crime for Years.

San Francisco Walter Chiefly Da
wis, a carpenter, in a fit of insanity,
shot and killed a family Of six persons,
with whom he resided, at Ala Pierre
street, in this city.
The dead are:
Orson r. Bush, aged ifty-seven, his
wife and their young son.
w. S. Beard, a carpenter, with rela-
tives in st. Louis and Denver.
M. e. linton, a surveyor, recently
from New York.
Mrs. Lillian ID. Carothers, an elderly
woman, who boarded in the house.
Davis and his victims all resided in
the house, which was conducted as a
boarding house by the Bush family.
Davis home was in Farmersville, near
Visalia, this state, where he has a wife
and six children. He has been work
ing here as a carpenter since the fire.
The shooting was done with a dou-
ble-barreled shotgun. Davis, who slept
in the same room with young Bush.
arose shortly after 8 O'Clock and after
arming himself with the gun, shot his
two roommates and then visited each
room in turn, killing the occupants.
He fancied that the people in the
house had formed a plot to kill him
and take his money. The shot attracted
a large crowd and a rush was made
upon Davis as he was attempting to
reload his weapon and he was overpow-
cred and turned over to the police and
taken to the detention ward of the hos
pital.
The bodies Of his victims were taken
to the morgue.
One ledger in the house escaped. She
was a young girl of seventeen. Davis
pointed the gun at her and was pre-
pared to shoot when he said she re-
sembled his daughter, so he spared her
life.
After killing Bush and Beard the
maniac took a box Of shells from a
shelf and walked down the hallway,
where he met Mrs. Lillian d. Caroth-
ers, an elderly woman, who had heard
the first two shots and had come to
her doorway to find out what was the
matter. He shot her, and with the re-
naming shell shot Mrs. Orson Bush.
M. D.. Vinton, a government surveyor,
who had recently come here from New
York, al killed as he lay in bed.
Orson Bush, ST., was a tallyman in
the employ of the Dieckman Lumber
Company and had gotten up early in
order to prepare his coffee before 60
ing to work. He heard the shooting
and rushed upstairs, where he was
met by the murderer.
The appearance of the hallway indi
Gates that Bush had made a desperate
fight for his life. His body was found
as it had fallen at the head of the
stairs. Seventeen-year-old Annie Bush
came running into the hallway and
met Davis, whose shotgun was still
clutched in his hands. He turned the
gun upon the girl, aiming at her head
She was too dazed to move or SPEAK
and could do nothing but stare at Da
Wis. The mailman faltered and his
hands trembled. Then the girl founC
voice to say: please don't kill me,
and the shotgun dropped from Davis
hands.
81 cannot do it," he said. "You are
a good girl. Besides, you look like my
own child, and l would see her face Il
killed you"
When policemen came to arrest Da
Wis he fought like a demon and a rio
call was turned in. Seven officers re
sponded in an automobile.
Mrs. Bush received last Sunday from
Davis the following note, which CAV,
a premonition Of the tragedy:
you have killed my sons and m,
nephews, but you have not all of then
yet. You expected to kill me tonight
Perahps I'll kill myself"