The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1914-12-11
Only Lived Thirty Minutes But
Is Believed to Have Told the
Name of His Murderer
OFFICERS SAY MURDER PLANNED
Inquest Was Held TOday---OffiCerS
Have Clues, But As Yet Have
Made No Arrests

Chas. L. Gordon, owner of the Leav-
enworth Bar, met his death in the hall
way Of the Overland Hotel Wednesday
evening about 1880, whsn he was shot
from one Of the rooms by an unknown
person. A l2-guage shotgun loaded
with buckshot was used by the mur-
derer, and practically the entire charge
lodged in Gordon's breast. Among
the first persons to reach him was Wm.
O'Rourke, proprietor of the Rainier
Cafe, who rushed up to the hotel when
he heard Of the shooting. He found
Gordon lying on his side and asked
him if he was badly hurt. To which
he replied, Il am dying; the person
who shot me fired from that room"
Mrs. Gordon, wife of the dead man, at
that moment appeared on the scene
and insisted that Mr.. O'Rourke should
go for doctor, as her husband would
bleed TO death if he did notshave I'M
mediate attention The restaurant
man then rushed out to find physi-
clan and in less than five minutes Doc
tors Hoxsey and Judah were with the
dying man. An examination OF the
wound showed that they could do
nothing for him and they used their
energies to get him to talk. Before
passing away he made a statement to
the doctors, but as to whether he
knew or told who fred the fatal shot
has not been made public at this time,
as the doctors and officers have refused
to say anything. The coroner's in
quest has been set for Saturday.
Previous to the shooting Mr. and
Mrs. Gordon and three friends were
sitting at the table eating when they
felt draft. Miss Dora Armstrong, one
of the party, got up from the table and
passed out into the hall, where she
found the door of an outside room
open, and endeavored to close it. but
returned saying there was some one on
the inside who would not let her close
the door. 1t was then Mr.. Gordon
was asked if he would not 90 and see
what the trouble was. He had not
been out OF the room ten seconds and
was just opposite the open door when
the fatal shot was fired. The distance
between the door of his own room and
the one occupied by the murderer was
less than six feet.
Deputy Sheriff Bohnsack reached the
hotel about fifteen minutes after the
shooting and made a thorough search
OF the room. The shot gun which
was a double barrel was found in the
room and there was still one loaded
shell left in the barrel, the other had
been discharged The ownership of
the gun has not yet been proved. The
back window in the room used by the
murderer was up, and from it a rope
tied to bed post had been thrown out
the window, which reached TO the
ground. This rope however had never
been used according to Mr.. Bohnsack
who examined the ground at the bottom
and says there was no footprints in the
snow. The rope was also examined
by the deputy sheriff and showed no
evidence of any one having slid down
it, being covered with frost all the way
down. Mr.. Bohnsack has made no
arrests as yet but says he is working on
several clues and it is more than likely
that some one will be in the tolls OF
the law within the next few days.
Chas. L. Gordon has been a resi-
dent OF this city for about year and
CONTINUED on Page Six)