The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1914-11-19
MAN WHO STRUCK BILLY
PATTERSON
Long Sought Man Calls and Con-
fesses He Committed the
AtrOcious Crime

There was a sad hunted look in his
eyes and his skin had the dried parch-
ment appearance of man who had
for many succeeding seasons faced the
Idaho climate. His pants were con-
siderably frayed about the basement
and the gable end thereof showed
apertures, the result of wear and
time.
81 have come," he said, "to give you
the news that l have been keeping
concealed in my breast for nigh onto
forty-five years. feel that | have
not many more years to live and that
| must get the burden of this secret
off my mind. l am the man who
struck William Patterson, Esq, COM
monty known as Billie Patterson. Of
course, ought not to have done the
deed but when you hear my story l
think you will feel that have some
justification. | was young them, only
25, and was the editor of a country
town paper. l had to write the edi-
torials. rustic the locals, set up all
the reading matter and advertise
ments, make up the forms, pull the
lever on the Washington hand press,
write the mailing list, do the job work
that came in, make collections, sweep
the offices once week, wash the
forms and fill the cases. William Pat
terson came, into the office on press
day. l was three hours behind get
ting the paper off the press. There
had been thirteen men in during the
day and each one of them had made
me stop work while he told me a
story. 1t was the same story. Il had
been chestnut for years in every
other part of the United States. l
heard if before l came to Idaho.
When the tenth man told me the story
it commenced to get on my nerves.
When the thirteenth man told it l
had hard work to keep off him, and
then William Patterson came in and
commenced. Did you hear this story
about the man who fed his hens on
sawdust- Then l struck him. 1t
was not my intention to kill him but
the provocation was more than | could
bear. | was sorry the minute after
| struck the blow. l threw a bucket
of water on him but could see no signs
of returning consciousness. So l
locked the office and departed.
eluded pursuit and as no reward was
offered for my capture the officers did
not make an extended search.
One day 1 picked up newspaper
and saw that one of the questions
that was agitating the country from
center to circumference was, Who
struck Billie Paterson? 1t seems
that my blow had not killed him after
all. He had walked up several hours
after my departure and asked if any
one else had been injured in the cy-
clone. He refused to believe that l
had struck him. He said that he had
Just started to tell me a story when
the house fell on him. Nobody in the
town would believe that l could strike
a lick like that. So the question was
started, who was it that struck Will
liam? The town divided on the ques-
ton | learned afterward, one end of
the town maintaining one theory and
the other end another. 1t got mixed
up with politics and became an issue
along with the herd law question and
the bounty on predatory animals.
During all these years, while this
constroversy has been raging with
greater or less intensity have said
not word, but l feel that l can not
die with the secret on my conscience.
You are now gazing on the man who
struck William Patterson. The secret
has embittered my life and ruined my
prospects, but l ask you as man to
man, if IA men insist on telling
you the same story on press day and
a chestnut at that, would you or
would you not be excusable for push
ing in the face of the fourteenth man?
And by the way could you let an old
and sorrow laden man have the loan
of two bits?"