Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-04-10
Sheriff Gives Accurate Description of the Cir
CumStanCeS Attending the Killing of
Outlaw TOrnOW
fLATLY CONTRADICTS THE ABEL STATEMENT
Says Attorney PerSiStently Sought to Levy
Tribute Upon the Reward Offered
by the County

Sheriff Schelle Matthews publish
es the following open letter, in reply
to the attack made by w. II. Abel on
the sheriff's office last month, in the
course of which it will be noted he
! fills the vague charges of Attorney
Abel with blow holes. The letter
follows:
Editor Herald:
In answer to w. H. Abel's letter OF
March 10th, just wish to state d
few facts in connection with the
Tornow matter I would not answer
this letter at all, but owing to the
fact that the public might believe
my failure to reply was an admission
on my part that the things stated
therein were true, l want to make
my statement and let the people
judge as between the truth of Abels
letter and mine.
ut is true that Blair and Lath-
rop were not to exceed 10 feet from
Tornow when they were killed. 1t
is also true that four empty 1890
cartridge shells were found near
Lathrop's body, showing that he had
fired four times. But these shots
were evidently fired after Lathrop
was down, all of the empty shells be-
ing right near his body when found
Whereas, in case he was in stand
ing position, and had extracted a
shell in hurry, which would nat
urally be the case, it would have
been thrown not less than six feet,
and possibly 10 feet from the place
Of the firing. There were three of
these shots or bullets, cut out of the
tree behind which Tornow was
standing. The course Of the bullets
while entering the tree showed they
had been fired by Lathrop while
lying on the ground There was no
mark found of the fourth bullet
Blair had never fired a shot He
had evidently been shot first, and
had evidently for some cause or
other, turned his head. and was shot
in the back of the neck before he
had "a chance to do anything.
"Quimby was about 90 or % yards
distant from Tornow l determined
this from the fact that seven empty
25-35 shells We're lying about that
distance from Tornow's body.
Quimby also told me that he had
fired two shots in the right hand
side of the tree behind which Tor
now stood in the endeavor to get
deep enough to go through the tree
behind which TornoW stood and
break his shoulder. which he could
see the edge of from where he
(Qumby) stood He found that tn.
bullets would not penetrate throug)
the tree and he took to shooting ~
Tornow's head as he lodged from be
hind the tree firing, as Qumby sun
posed, at the PROSTATE bodies Of
bldlI anu l4dtliIOp. ilf Hitu ~
shots at TornOW's head. getting as
close to the tree as possible, so that
he could hit as much of Tornow's
head as he could see.
u found two bullet holes in the
tree beside where Quimby stood,
which would indicate that Tornow
saw Qumby as he stood in the open
and in plain view from where Tor
now stood.
Il examined the bullet marks on
the tree at the ii ne we arrived at
the scene of the killing the next day
after it happened. and found the
course of the bullets to prove the
truthfulness of Quimby's statements.
"At the autopsy held here in Mon
tesano, three days afterwards, the
bullets taken from TOrnow's back
which Abel states was the one res
ponsible for Tornow's death was q
25-35 caliber bullet, and Quimby
was the only man who had 1886
caliber rifle. 1t is therefore reason
able to believe that he fired the shot.