The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1918-09-14
INDIAN BOY MURDERER
IS GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE
Plead Guilty to First Degree
Charge of Numbering Mrs.
Charley Williams and I'm
plicates White Man

Willie Jack, the Indian boy MUIR
derer of Hicks Station. plead guilty
to first degree murder in the Dis
trict Court at Tonopah last week.
Tuesdays Tonopah Times gives the
following account Of the proceedings
in Court when the boy was sentenced:
At 3 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
Judge Averill pronounced sentence
on Willie Jack, confessed murderer
of Mrs. Charles Williams, who was
killed at Hicks station August Is.
The sentence was life Imprisonment.
1t is the intention of the court, how
| ever, to refer the matter to the State
board of pardons, with the recon-
mendation that Willie Jack be sent
to the industrial school at Elko.
The boy, whom his father states is
only Is years old. was led into the
court room at 2 o'clock by Deputy
Sheriff Timlin, and a few minutes
later the court was called to order.
The proceedings were opened by P.
]. Somers, counsel for the defense,
who asked the accused and his father,
Morey Jack, several questions. AS
both had only a limited comprehen-
sion Of English. Judge Somers was
forced to reduce his queries to the
simplest idiom. In trying to make
plain to the court that the boy was
devoid of any moral sense, with only
the most primitive idea of right and
wrong, he asked the accused if he
had ever heard of heaven or hell.
Not a CLEAN Of comprehension
crossed the face of the boy or his
father.
did you ever hear of the Great
Spirit of the Happy Hunting
Ground ?" persisted the questioner.
Neither had any knowledge of what
is popularity supposed to be the basis
of Indian religious belief.
Then a direct question from Judge
Averill again concentrated the at
tention of the court upon the two
Indians.
Ibid you ever hear of God ?" asked
the judge.
mo me don't know" said the old
man.
From later questioning. it ap.
peared that Morey Jack had told the
boy not to steal anything, and that
as far as he knew Willie had never
"swiped" anybody else's property.
That seemed to be the extent of
Willie's training along ethical lines.
According to Morey Jacks state
ments yesterday, Willie had gone to
school for three weeks at Typo and
had associated there with white child
rem. He was not considered a bad"
boy, and had had no fights or other
trouble.
Willie. through his father, in
formed the court that a certain white
man had offered him $74 if he COM
mitted the murder. Further inves.
tigation of this charge will be made
by the officials. 1t was the general
impression yesterday that. although
the case was ended as far as the boy
was concerned, further sitting of
the matter will produce important
evidence concerning the causes which
lay behind the crime.
Charles Williams was called to the
witness stand to give a complete &C.
count of the proceeding which cul-
minated in the death of his wife, be-
ginning with the morning of the day
on which the murder took place.
The recital was somewhat hating.
When asked by the Judge if the MUIR
derer of his wife was in the room,
Williams glanced at the boy and said
ne guessed that was him. but that he
thought at the time Willie's brother,
the Wild Indian, had committed the
crime. He described the circum-
stances surrounding the murder,
which agreed, in the main. with
previous testimony. Former Under
sheriff Schade took the oath and re.