Gunnison news-champion., 1922-10-13
Continued from First Page)

he would put him out of his misery
and placed the muzzle of the heavy
rifle against his right breast and pull
ed the trigger second time.
He then walked back to his own
house, quarter of mile away, hung
up his rife, locked up the house and
walked TO the ranch of Spann brother,
about three quartrs of a mile below
his ranch. Encountering Lance Spann
at the gate, he called him to one side
and told him he had killed Ed, refer
ring to Cornfoth, and asked Spam
TO telephone for the sheriff and coun-
ty coroner, which Spann did.
Sheriff Pat Hanlon and Coroner n.
| J. Hyatt arrived at the Spann ranch
at l:l5, and went on up to the scene
of the killing, accompanied by Craw-
/ ford and Spann. Conditions on the
ground seemed to corroborate the
story told by Crawford, except that
one empty shell from the rifle was
found about sixty feet away from the
body instead Of twenty feet away n
body instead of twenty feet away at
the place where Crawford said he
stood when he fired the first shot.
Crawford in an attempt TO explain
this said that he sometimes caught the
empty shells US they were elected
from the rifle, and might have done
so in this case and carried the empty
shell away with him.
He made i statement TO the effect
that Cornforth had raised his spading
fork as if to hit him when he shot, but
this statement seems out of reason,
first from the fact that Cornforth was
shot in the back while STOPPING over,
and second, Crawford was, by his own
statement at least twenty feet away
from Cofnforth, and such a demon-
stration on the part Of Cornforth
would not justify Crawford in shoot
to protect himself.
The two old men had been quarrel
ing for years over trifles, and were ap-
parently jealous of each others pro-.
gress in working the homesteads.
Crawford apparently brooded over
his real and fancied wrongs at the
hands of Cornforth to such an extent
that the small insult offered by Corn
forth in shaking his fist at Crawford
on the morning of the killing was the
match that started the powder train.
Crawford is man of about 65 years
VI axe. anu Itsl-
dence in Gunnison has always born a
good reputation as an honest and law
abiding citizen. He came to Gunnison
about fifteen or eighteen years ago
from Illinois, and has worked around
the county for various ranchmen until
he took up his homestead near that
of Cornforth eight years ago. He Of
fered no resistance to arrest, and has
given no trouble at the Jail II is
said his wife and three children died
of contagious disease within few
days of each other in Illinois some
years ago.
The murdered man was a character
known far and wide throughout this
section He was rather eccentric and
was accustomed to talk at length
about his past and present exploits,
but withal was respected and liked by
all who knew him. He was born in
Lewiston, Maine, and later moved To
Vermont, where he learned the stone
rason's trade. He was one of the
EIasons employed at the building of the
Brooklyn bridge. His family moved
to Denver in the early eighties, and
are supposed to have operated the
iComforth grocery in that period.
Conforth himself is reputed to have
been a representative in the famous
Seventh state assembly of Colorado.
He was a well-informed man on a null
titude Of subjects, and was q most in.
lteresting man to converse with. He
travelled all over the western part Of
the United States and into Mexico and
Canada ~ . representative Of certain
Denver mining interests, and accom-.
panied . number Of surveying and ex-
'ploring parties in the west. He has