The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-01-25
found Long as he had left him and he
threw blanket or quilt over him. Got

on the horse and came away.
Smiths story as to the killing is
probable enough, except Longs
J friends aver that they believe he had
no gun with him when he went to
where Smith was stopping. The cir
cumstances surrounding the killing.
and the traces of the fight, would go
largely to substantiate Smiths story,
except that the witnesses who testi-
| fled before the coroner's jury stated
that there was not much evidence Of
a scuffle to be seen, although there
was some blood in the house, on the
floor and on a pillow. Ballou said that
| it appeared that the AK was used near
the sleigh, as there was considerable
blood there, and the body dragged near
the woodpile afterward.
'Dr. F. S. Reynolds was called to
testify to the seriousness of the
wounds upon the perosn of Long. Two
bullet wounds were found, in each
case where the bullet went in and
where it came out. One shot took ef-
feet near the lower part of the neck
on the right side, and came out direct
ly opposite, but lower down. The doc
tor said this wound was almost GER
tainly fatal. The other took effect
about two inches above the right nip
pie, and passed out on the right side
and below. The doctor said that shot
was not necessarily fatal although
very severe The head and face were
battered and cut, both with blunt in
strument and with a sharp one. The
ak had evidently been used on the
skull, and the doctor said those marks
on the face, while very severe, might
not cause death, although the marks
showed the concussion had been great.
While the doctor was examining the
body he felt knot under the skin
near the backbone in line with the
shoulders. He lanced the protruber-
ance and took out bullet Much spec
ulation was indulged in as to how it
came there, as the other wounds were
accounted for. 1t was surmised that it
had been lodged there at some former
time and the ball was preserved by the
coroner. After the body had been
dressed for burial today, another ex-
animation showed where a ball had
been fired directly at the head. The
pistol had raised in being discharged
and the ball had struck the skull
about an inch above the base and
glanced down the spine to where it
was found by the doctor. The ball had
been flattened by coming in contact
with the bones, and it still carried two
short pieces of hair, which were held
by the lead being battered over them.
The ball is a Al calabre. The pistol
which Smith says was Longs and
which he carried to Conconully is
smaller than A or As calabre, but
the size was not determined here.
Smiths story is an altogether prob
able one. but Longs friends insist that
he was killed as the door opened. Peo-
pie who know Long think the probable
way he met his death was that when
the door opened to admit Long, Smith
commenced shooting, and even If Long
had pistol. (and all his friends agree
in the opinion that he did not have
one) he was disabled at the first shot
and in a dying condition Immediately.
He probably fell in the house, as
there was blood on the floor, but the
witnesses at the inquest all stated that
there appeared no evidence OF scuf-
file. They all said there was blood from
the place on the floor where he is
supposed to have fallen clear to where
| the body was finally found, and there
was evidence Of the body having been
dragged the entire distance.
Smiths story told to Burrell ad-
mits all the CHASTITY details, but he
| claims that it was a desperate fight
from start to finish. 1t was, from the
appearance Of the body, a desperate
fight so far as Smith was concerned,
] for he probably kept it up as long as
there was motion in the body. He
| claims his course was necessary, as he
was afraid Long would rally and kill
him.
"All admit tina tLong was indiscreet
In going upon the premises, either
| armed or otherwise, as there has been
for some time legal trouble between
Long and his friends and Smith and
his friends, and men who konw the
ways of gun fighters say that Char
lies visit to the cabin, and finding
young Smith along, would almost in
evitably lead to fight"
The coroner's jury composed Of Jno.
S. Palmer. B. F. Keck, A. B. Thorp,
wv. w. Alderman, Pete Lee, and T. e.
Rutter, with Nathan Reed acting as
coroner, brought in the following ver-
dict:
| 1--WE find from the evidence given,
and the surrounding circumstances
that Chtrlie Long came to HIS death at
the hands of Geo. Fl. Smith, by shoot
ing him through the neck and through
the right side and by blows admins
tered by a heavy instrument, believed
by us to be an ak, which was exhibit
ed to us. We find that his death took
place about 6 o'clock on the evening of
January 2, 1894, near the house occu-
pied by Geo. H. Smith, at the north
end of Palmer lake, Okanogan county
Washington"
And there you have the bare un-
adorned matter-of-fact story of the
last fight of Charlie Long, than whom
1 the northwest never produced a more
nervy gunman, over some differences
that men of reason and common sense
at the present day would settle in the
courts, or pay no attention to what
ever.
The passenger service over the hill
to Spokane has been improved. nit, by
the elimination of the buffet coach
that formerly was attached to the
train ond mada tho rim as far nc Chr