Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1917-05-18
NEWPORT

ne Kllllng or Jess Hall the
notorious convict by Carl Tuell
"a fifteen year old boy, has !
created quite a sensation in the
county as well as the state. Hall
was out Of the penitentiary on
a conditional parole. He had
with him when he first come in
three or four months ago, two /
boys about fifteen or sixteen !
years old each. When found Oil
the evening of May 9th, by Mark /
Guilliams, he lay dead in his tent |
but Mark did not know it being
about $50 P. NJ, he might be !
asleep or acting opossum, so !
he did not disturb him. Gull
liams was led to the place by
his little hunting dog. Mark
went to Mr.. Halls house about
half a mile distant and got his
brother Frank and then returned
to the tent and found Jess was
dead. The coroner and sheriff
were notified and the next day in
company with the undertaken,
w. B. Hartly went to the place
where Hall was found. An in
vestigation showed that he had
been shot in the back, ball enter
ing IL inches below right shoul-
der and 2 inches left of the spine,
passing diagonally through the
body, piercing the heart, coming
out below. and in front of left
shoulder at upper edge of arm
pit, producing instant death. He
had on yellow stockings, garters,
underclothes and trousers and
shoes, but the shoes were not
laced; had a purse and cheap
watch, no money. The tent was
heavy canvas, large and put up
In one OF the most inaccessible
places in that country. 1t was
close to a deep gorge where
trickled down clear cold stream
OF water, surrounded with a
dense growth of brush, salal and
three large fir trees that sur
rounded the tent. These trees
could be seen for miles around.
This is an ideal place for anyone
that wished to be hid from the
world. Here Jess Hall erected
his tent and began to fill it up
with loot that he had taken from
the Seal Rock cottages. Among
the stolen goods were found can
ned beef, fruit and salmon; three
pairs of woolen blankets. dishes,
teacups and saucers, spoons,
knives and forks, butter, flour.
bacon, coffee and a good lot of
liquors. The Savage rifle, .303,
lay about Is feet from the body
with one empty shell in it. No
evidence of any struggle but in
his confession to Sheriff Geer,
young Carl Tuell said he shot
the outlaw because he threat
ened to kill him (TuelD. 1t was
a remarkable thing for one so
young and inexperienced to do
such thing. The last of March
Jess Hall and Tuell spent three
days visiting with Mr.. and Mrs.
Hall, parents of the outlaw. Mr..
Hall is "a years old and the
mother is also old and very fee
BILE. When Jess and Tuell left
the house and bid good bye to
Mr.. and Mrs. Hall, it was eight
O'Clock in the evening, saying
they were going to Mexico and
would camp out that night, but
instead they went to the tent.
Tuell said he did not know Hall
was bad man till he commenc-
ed to rob the cottages. don't
Nelieve that Mr.. and Mrs. Hall
knew that Jess was robbing the.
cottages or that he had camped
in that vicinity at all. He kept
that all from them. He made no
explanation about what he was
doing, neither did he give them
the name of the little boy. or
where he got him. Mr.. Hall said
they could never do anything
with Jess, he had bad blood in
him and he could never keep him
in the right way. Said he was
glad it had came to an end and
now they would know where he
was and that he would never
give them any more trouble. The
burial took place at the Fern
Ridge Cemetery and he now lies
at rest beside his brother, Joen,
who died several years ago. Two
songs were sung at the grave by
the women and a short obituary
read by Mrs. Alice Wind, and by
request a few remarks were
made by Sheriff Geer.
Verdict of the jury: We the
jury impanelled to inquire into
the cause of the death of Jess
Hall, after careful investigation
and inquiry, find as follows,
That less Hall came TO his