Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1912-06-13
TRAGEDY

base and other vegetables in abund4
ance.
AZ M. wellington We were Joined
i. saveral other citizens from .Camas
prairie and the country tributary to
pierce City. Next morning we moved
IN 10 the city. ! remember l was .
~. and tired that they allowed me to
tide in the cook wagon until we neared
40 city. Then we were formed into
lines and orders given to surround the
.;,v ON dead run. We started, and
an crossing little bridge our horses
.,tracted the attention of the China
mem and they were almost paralyzed
18th fear. In less time than it takes
20 tell we surrounded the city and dis
mounted We had been given strict or
doris to halt any Chinaman who at
,smpted to leave or disturb us. We
wore advised by the few white men
wbo were there that there would not
hs any violence; that they had now
.ome five or six Cinnamon in Jail
xhom the leaders, or highlander gang,
had claimed were connected with the
murder.
We Immediately went to the Jail and
surrounded it. 1t being an old fort that
was erected during the Nez Perez Ind
ian war, built out Of logs, the doors
were opened and the poor deluded Chi
namen were brought out. They i'm
mediately fell upon the ground and
crawled around trying to kiss our feet
and hands in token Of their innoncence,
exclaiming all the time: "Me no killh
Flazer; he good man; me lika him; me
no killa him." etc.
We were convinced that this was
a Job put up by the real guilty par.
ties, and it was our first evidence. We
succeeded in learning who had beer
instrumental in having those poor, old
decrepit Cinnamon arrested and put il
iail, and we arrested those parties. WI
anticipated trouble then, but our deter
mined efforts seemed to put fear int
those whom we know were guilty to I
certain extent.
Chink Disguised ~ Indian
We had with 10 some Indians from
Kamiah, and we also had an interpre
ter from San Francisco with us. H
was afraid to act the part Of spy, fear
ing that the Cinnamon would kill hir
afterwards, therefore we painted hiE
up as an Indian, made him wig on
of hair taken from the tails of on
horses. We then asked him and on
Indian to play that they were drum
and we arrested them and put thel
both in Jail. As the different apar'
ments were all occupied, we above
these two supposed Indians to renal
in the main hall, thus enabling our j
terpreter to hear all that might be sal
by those Cinnamon in Jail. The
played that they were alseep, and aboa
10 O'Clock at night the leader of Il
China gang began to call for some
the others and a complete defense az
alibi was planned and framed up th'
night. Our interpreter took notes
every thing that was said and done
the Jail and reported it all to us.
Sacrifice of Chickens.
/. Next morning we went into cou
with our prisoners. There were no
torneys there, therefore l appeared
a kind of a prosecutor and propon1
ed the questions. A Mr.. Hi1debral
was the justice of the peace befo
whom we had our proceedings.
did not have much direct proof on
found some blood on pair of overa
worn by one of the Cinnamon a
proved that another had left camp
miles distant in the night time a
went to the city, returning about d.
light to the camp. Cinnamon have
peculiar oath, and the one considei
the most binding is to kill chick
each time an oath is administer
therefore we desired to make this
binding as possible and brought up
the chickens we could obtain arou
the town. The oath is as follows:
king Of Heaven, king Of earth,
ten to my oath. If false statem'
make, may perish as does this chi
4 en-" Each one repeates the oath
then he is required to behead
chicken. am Of the opinion t
about the only purpose this bind
oath served was to furnish splen
chicken dinner for the party, as
evidence given proved conclusively
our minds that they were not tell
the truth. They had . good defs
planned, as we had been advised BY
interpreter, and they proved each
absolutely innocent, and in comps
with some other fellow all night dur