Weekly journal-miner., 1918-10-09
YEAGER CANYON MINE E SCENE
 IF SHOOTING
YOUNG MEXICAN IS SHOT AND SERIOUSLY WOUND ED BY L. A. GODFREY, MASTER MECHANIC; LAT TER IN COUNTY JAIL.
CFrom Saturdays DalIy.l


 . Nicholas Martinez, age 25 years, employed aL the Yeager Cnayon mine, northeast of Prescott was shot and perhaps fatally wounded at 8 o'clocl. last night by L. A. Godfrey, master mechanic at the mine, the shooting having been The result of some trouble which occurred between the two men on September 18th. The victim received four bullets in his lungs and was at once rushed to the Humboldt hospital. where it was sad he was in a serious condition. God frey. after starting to escape from the scene of the shooting, later changed his mind, and surrendered to Under sheriff Robinson an hour or so later and was brought to Prescott and placed in the county jail.
 The shooting occurred at the mine. Godfrey used .32-20 Colt six-gun. Following the shooting he went to his home, and arming himself with loaded automatic shot gun, struck out into the hills in the direction of the Fred Young ranch.
 When interrogated by a Journal Miner representative at the county iail carly this morning, Godfrey gave the following version of the shoot- ing:
 "On September 18th, Martinez en- gagged my son Allen, aged IS years. to haul him from the mine to the rail road station. Allen charged him S for making the night trip but the Mexican refused to pay more than g for the ride and later when I told him that he would have to pay the difference he threatened to kill both myself and the boy He left the mine shortly afterwards and did not come back until yesterday afternoon. I be- licved him to be a bad Mexican and thought that he was armed. Shortly before B o'clock last night he passed me near the mine shaft and spoke to me. I told him to keep his mouth shut and not to speak to me. Then he came up and gave me light slap on the cheek and I told him to lay of or I would clean up on him. He became angry at this and bristled up and I saw him reach for his hip DOC tot. I drew my gun and fired first. The shot struck him in the right side of the breast, and then he turned and ran and fired three more shots at him, all of them hitting him. When I shot I did SO under the belief that the man was about to gun me. and be- 1ieving that 1t was a case of shoot or get shot. I did what almost anyone else wou!d have done under similar circumstances and used my gun"
 There were several eye witnesses to the shooting. and some of them told theofficers yesterday evening that the affair was a cold-bloodcd one and that Godfrey had small occasion for shooting the young Mexican.
 When Robinson arrived at the camp. Godfrey was gone. It was later found that he had started in the 0lTGCElOn or lilt puAAS iehAi~Af miles away and the officers wen- there. Young was~in the front yard when they arrived and told them that Godfrey was there and wanted to surrender. and Robinson then placed him under arrest. Godfrey surrend- cred his Colt and the shot gun to the. officers and did not resist coming to iai!. His first question was as to the seriousness of the wounds which he had inflicted on the Mexican.
 The prisoner is about A years ot 7ee and has always borne good reputation among his fellow-work- CTS. He has a wife and four child ren.
 No gun was found on Martinez after he was searched by those who went to his rescue. and the officers are inclined to believe that he was not ,arrving a Colt at the time he en- Godfrey.