Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-11-18

Herbert Norman, alias Ralph w.
Steele, committed suicide in the
county Jail at MOntesano between
1880 and 1 o'clock p. M, Saturday
by hanging himself in his cell. A
few minutes after ~ o'clock Deputy
Sheriff Young locked up the Jail and
went to lunch, leaving Jack McDon-
ald,' a trusty prisoner in the office.
At 1890 Mcdonald, looking through
a wicket in the door, saw Steele walk
ing up and down in his cell. Deputy
Young returned at 1 o'clock, and at
once went to the cell for the purpose
of starting a fire in the heating stove,
where he discovered Steele hanging
from the lattice-work of the steel
cell. Calling for help, several coun-
ty officers responded, and the body
cut down. 1t was still warm, and a
physician was called, who pronounce
ed the man beyond recusitation.
Steele had made a stout rope by
standing on a chair, had tied the
rope around his neck and secured
the other end to the bars of the CELL
He then tied his hands securely that
ne might not Illustrate the attempt
by grabbing the rope, and kicked
away the chair and hung by his own
toll, CT, ,rr1n fyIyn
ty minutes before the deed was dis
covered by Young, Mcdonald heard
the moving of chair in the cell, but
gave it no attention, as it sounded as
if a chair was being moved in an or
dinary way.
To insure a successful job, Steele,
who was 6 feet ~ inches in height,
managed to gain a couple of inches
in the height of his drop by inserting
a piece of board just above the last
cross bar of the cell. The act was
planned with the deliberatiOn for
which the man was noted in the COM
mission of his crimes. Selecting the
noon hour, when the court house is
usually deserted, he managed to fas-
ten his hands so securely that once
the chair was kicked away his death
was almost certain, the probability
of being discovered before the end
came, being remote.
Saturday morning, Attorney w. H.
during which he informed the pris-
oner that he could not defend him, as
business would call him to Washing
ton, d. c., about the time of the trial.
Attorney Abel, to whom alone Steele
conflded, said the night of the sui
eide, speaking of the case
Crank Todd was chloroformed,
dragged out to the wood shed and
there foully murdered, and Steele did
not do the deed alone. The crime
was one of the most diabolical ever
known in the history of this country
and some very damaging evidence
will be brought out in the near fu
ture / spent two hours with Steele
yesterday and listened to his con-
fession with horror. 1t unnerved me,
as | had never heard such a tale.
Some time soon | will make state
ment in Steeles behalf, but not
now"
In the forenoon Steele gave the
sheriff an order for his money in the
hands of the chief of police of Ho-
quiam, amounting to $62, and the
sum of SIT in the hands of his for
mer employers, the Hoquiam Lumber
& Shingle company.
Coroner Girard held an inquest in
the afternoon, the jury returning a
verdict of self-inflicted death. The
following letter was discovered un-
der the carpet of the cell by c. r.
Hall, of Hoquiam, who has done good
amateur detective work on the case
ever since the murder of Frank Todd,
and who accused Steele at the fun
eral of the murdered man.
Saturday, Nov. 81 have been
thinking today that you may watch
for me tonight and come out to give
me letter and have decided to write
a few lines more SO if l see you to
give them to you.
The first and most important thing
that / wish to say is that the papers
are all saying that the financial sit
uation is getting better and that the