Camas County
IDGenWeb
The body of Mr. Spencer [William H. Spencer] was found in his cabin on Willow Creek on the last day of March. He had not been seen since the 7th of February. His death appeared to have resulted from an accidental gunshot wound. The remains were in a very advanced state of decomposition but were carefully and decently buried on the 14th of April. A brother of the deceased is supposed to be living in the vicinity of Walla Walla. W.H. Spencer was an old settler of Alturas County, Having resided here most of the time since 1863. He was a blacksmith by trade but in the earlier times worked at placer mining. A few years ago, he served as Assessor of the county, and one time, acted as Deputy Sheriff. He was a member of Alturas Lodge No.12, A.F. & A.M. and was a very industrious man, a good neighbor, and a faithful friend. He was an upright and honorable Mason and his loss will be deeply deplored by his many friends in the county.
Six Shooter Jack
Being Ordered to Throw Up His Hands
He Went
For His Guns and Was Shot
Particulars of the Affair Verdict of the
Coroners Jury.
General E. E. Cunningham arrived in town, late
last evening, bringing the news of the killing of Sixshooter Jack, a
noted highwayman and desperado, and the arrest of one of his
accomplices.
For some days past H.G. Valiton, of Montana, who has
had several horses stolen by highwaymen, has been on the trail of
Six-shooter Jack, whom he suspected of stealing the animals. Last
Wednesday Mr. Valiton applied to Sheriff Furey for a posse, saying that
his man was on Willow Creek. As this information was corroborated by a
letter from Mr. Hutchins, the Bellevue Livery Stablekeeper, Sheriff
Furey at once organized a posse composed of Deputy Sheriffs Cunningham
and McCurdy, and of H. G. Valiton, County Jailor Campbell, H. Stevenson,
Frank King, George Dyer, Al Theriot, Major Mensch and a driver of an
express wagon which was taken along.
The party left about nine
o’clock Thursday morning, going by way of Croy’s gulch to Willow Creek,
where they arrived about noon. There they learned that the highwaymen
had started from willow Creek three and a half hours before, going west
on the Boise Road. The posse followed in haste. About five o’clock
Jones' was reached where the posse got supper and learned that the party
was three quarters of an hour ahead of them. The posse then sent Frank
King, a cowboy, ahead, to fall in with the thieves, scan them closely
and examine the brands on the horses, to make sure that the parties were
those sought.
King overtook the highwaymen about six miles out,
rode with them four miles and returned to report them camped near the
next stage station west of Jones’ and about sixty miles west of Hailey,
close to Grave Creek.
The posse thereupon moved down the creek,
and organized by electing General E.E.Cunningham commander of the party.
This gentleman at once directed that the posse proceed until near the
point where King had left the men; there they were to leave the team,
wagon and horses, and a reconnoitering party was to go forward to
discover the camp.
Arrived at the place designated, Mr.
Cunningham, McCurdy and Theriot went afoot to Grave Creek, about one
mile away, and discovered the outlaws camp by moonlight, it being
between eleven and twelve o’clock at night. The outlaws were in bed in
the open air, in a small plot of ground half surrounded by brush, on the
west side of the creek and just above the Boise Road. The stolen stock
was found about half a mile up the creek.
The reconnoitering
party returned to the posse and adopted the following plan of
operations. They were to surround the camp quietly each man taking the
position assigned to him, and to remain there until the sights of their
guns could be seen clearly.
At daylight General Cunningham was to
call upon the camp to surrender, and at this call each man of the posse
was to spring forward, cock and level his gun on the thieves camp and
order the outlaws to throw up their hands. In case of resistance General
Cunningham was to fire, and at this signal the posse were to discharge a
volley into the camp. Mr. Cunningham, McCurdy and Stevenson took the
east side of the creek, within ten steps of where the outlaws laid,
while the remainder of the party completed a circle around the camp. At
daylight General Cunningham called upon the camp to surrender. McCurdy
and Cunningham stood side by side and Stevenson a few yards below them
on the creek. McCurdy and Cunningham leveled their guns upon the bed
where Six-shooter Jack and Charley Warfield were lying. They were awake
and had been talking a few minutes before. Each one of the posse sprang
forward when Cunningham spoke and yelled “Throw up your hands.”
Warfield raised up first and partly put up his hands. Jack raised
immediately afterward, glanced at McCurdy and Cunningham and reached for
his guns with both hands. Cunningham fired first, McCurdy following two
seconds after, and the rest of the party discharged a volley into the
camp. Jack was shot through and as he fell back he had a pistol in his
right hand and discharged it. The rest of the party-five men-thereupon
threw up their hands and were handcuffed. As with the exception of
Warfield, they were evidently simply travelers who had joined the
outlaws party, they were allowed to go.
McCurdy now went to
Jack’s bed where he found and possessed himself of six revolvers and in
about five minutes Jack drew his last breath.
The wagon was now
brought up, a man sent half a mile after a team, which Jack and Warfield
had stolen in Montana, the other six horses feeding being claimed by the
other members of the outlaws’ party and the posse, after breakfasting
started on the back track arriving here about nine o’clock this morning.
Six-shooter Jack was from Butte Montana where he was known as Loeb.
He killed a man there some years ago and was sentenced to seven years in
the penitentiary. After serving only twenty two months he was pardoned,
and since then he had been a horse thief, brawler, and bad character,
generally, and at times, while laying around Butte, would discharge two
guns at once shooting the spots off of two aces every time. He was a
great lover of fancy arms and always had three or four fine revolvers
about him.
The Coroner's Inquest
Coroner Wheeler held an
inquest over the remains of the dead outlaw. Today and the evidence
being substantially, as above, the verdict of the jury was that deceased
was killed while resisting arrest. He will be buried in Hailey Cemetery.
On The Sawtooth Grade
A Stage Coach Thrown from the Grade, and
the Driver and Two passengers Hurt
About twelve o’clock last
night a horseman arrived from Ketchum for Dr. Miller and Brown, whose
services were required at Ketchum, and Dr. Brown, with Mike Hynes as
escort, started out.
From the messenger it was learned that at
three o’clock yesterday afternoon the Hailey and Sawtooth coach, which
left Hailey yesterday morning, had, while descending the grade in the
Sawtooth mountains from the Galena Divide to the Salmon River flat,
upset and seriously injured the driver, Wes Grover, who had his right
ankle broken and received severe bruises. A Chinaman passenger was
seriously hurt, having his ribs broken, and it is feared received
serious injury to the brain, while another Chinaman was badly bruised
and shaken up. A packer named Clark, of Vienna, jumped from the coach in
time to save himself.
The accident was caused by the breaking of
the king bolt in descending a steep grade. The stage ran upon the
wheelers and the lead bars ran upon the leaders, causing them to become
unmanageable and break the lead bars and the pole and to swing the stage
out of the track and over the grade. The driver jumped as the stage went
over.
Stage Agent Moore was notified, and brought Grover to
Ketchum which occupied all yesterday afternoon and up to late in the
evening. The mail was sent forward and Grover, also the latter, to the
Miners’ Hospital this morning, where he is resting easy under Dr.
Miller’s care. Agent Moore returned this morning to look after the
Chinaman.
Little Smoky
It was the recent good fortune of a News Miner
reporter to be invited to take a seat in Morrill's carriage and journey
over toward Little Smokey. The County Commissioners Vanlandingham and
Morrill, were on a tour of inspection over Captain Bledsoe's new wagon
road to that famous mining district. As readers of the News Miner are
familiar with the action of the County Dads in apportioning $500.00
towards changing the trail into a wagon road to that portion of Alturas,
it is not necessary to detail the facts, which led to the taking of this
trip on the part of a majority of the board. Suffice is to say that with
four heavy weights in a strong express wagon, drawn by two light weight
horses, we made the trip from Hailey via Armstrong's ranch, on Camas
Prairie, to A. P. Minear's mines, three miles above Rives placers, on
Little Smoky between the hours of 10:00 and 7 P.M. of the same day, and
this time included stoppages of upwards of three hours. Hence we are
prone to pronounce the road a good one for carriage or loaded team. The
commissioners will report later, and they will be the first to find
fault with the Captain's work, if fault is to be found at all.
Indian Fight Near Little Camas, Henry Barnard and Reese Crawford
wounded, one red devil suns his moccasins and three wounded.
A
serious affray occurred near Little Camas prairie, last week between a
renegade band of Bannock Indians and the prospecting party of Henry
Bernard. The party was proceeding from Little Smoky to Hailey and were
camped on Little Camas. A valuable mare belonging to Charles Whitmore;
one of the party, was missing and was finally traced to an Indian
encampment in the Long Tom Valley, just over the divide from Little
Camas Prairie. The Indians became so abusive that Bernard, losing
patience, struck a young buck a blow between the eyes, which felled him.
The infuriated Indians instantly seized his revolver and fired. Mr.
Bernard was shot through the left arm and one ball cut the skin in the
left side of the abdomen. Bernard anticipated the treacherous savage,
and a second later fired from a Winchester rifle. The ball caught the
Indian square behind the ear, and he fell over without a word. The melee
then became general, until at last the Indians retreated behind a bluff,
from whence they continued to fire. One of the prospectors named Reese
Crawford received a painful wound in the leg. Three of the Indians are
known to have been wounded and one killed. The party returned the same
evening to Little Camas taking with them the stolen animal. The many
friends of Henry Bernard will be glad to learn that neither of his
wounds are serious and hope to hear of him being around again shortly.
Several similar affrays have occurred on Big Camas recently, in one of
which four Indians were killed by a party of cowboys. Unless the Indians
are retained on their reservation lively times may be expected on Camas,
as the settlers are determined to resist the encroachment of these
savages.
Camas Prairie is looking her best now. From the summit of any of the
mountains, which command a view of that valley, the scene presented is
lovely beyond description. There, stretching for sixty miles in an
easterly and westerly direction, and fifteen to eighteen miles northerly
and southerly, lies an almost level plane alive with flowers of varied
hue, which make it look as if covered by an immense carpet. New houses –
for the first settlement on the prairie, is scarcely three years old,
are seen in every direction, usually on the edge of a piece of plowed
ground, the coal black color of which indicates its exceeding fertility.
But it is not its beauty as much as its productiveness that attracts
settlers to Camas Prairie. Where ever the plow has scratched the surface
of the ground, the earth has yielded more than enough to ten times reply
the laborer for his work. The fertility of this soil is really
wonderful, and although the experiments heretofore made, were on too
small a scale to admit of averaging results, yet they sufficed to
encourage the settlers to enlarge the scale of their operations. As a
consequence broad fields were plowed this year where only small patches
were broken last year.
Camas Prairie is probably one of the
largest valleys in the mountain region of Idaho, as it contains 270,000
acres of tillable land. Three years ago there were scarcely half a dozen
settlers upon it; now there are over two hundred. While the entries at
the Land Office indicate that many more have filed upon land there. Many
have, however, filed under the preemption and homestead law, who have
failed to establish their residence upon their land within the time
required by law, and their claims will revert to the government. This
may cause some litigation, but not for two or three years, as there is
enough rich land on the prairie to supply all who will come to make a
home there, within that period.
The best land lies from a point
about two and half miles east of Crichton to the new town site of
Soldier. This creek seems to be the dividing line between the first
class and second class land. That land lying east and north of Soldier
is a rich, coal black loam which will require little or no irrigation at
all; while that adjoining Soldier on the west and south contains many
sand and gravel bars that will require frequent irrigation and much care
to produce crops. Again, the black loam will produce anything that
similar land anywhere in the same latitude will produce, while the sand
and gravel bars will not be so prolific. Potatoes, it is said, will do
better in the latter, while wheat will yield most abundantly in the
black earth.
Although there are few flowing streams to be seen on
Camas Prairie in summer, there will probably be no trouble in securing
enough water for all purposes, as one can hardly strike a spade down
without water immediately filling the hole thus made. Good drinking
water can be got at a depth of four feet, and when a depth of six feet
is attained, further progress is greatly impeded by water.
The
area under cultivation has been small heretofore. Last year there were
scarcely two hundred acres cultivated; this year there will be two
thousand acres, at least; and next year, it may be depended on, there
will be 20,000 acres.
The mountains surrounding Camas Prairie
abound in timber and game, and the streams with fish, while it is only
20 to 25 miles to a good winter range for stock.
Taken
altogether, it is doubtful if there is a region in existence that offers
as many advantages to the immigrant, rich or poor as Camas Prairie does.
Camas Prairie
Soldier, Idaho, July 30 1885
Yes, we have grown
cucumbers here on Camas! Some think their grain will do to cut next
week. Choke cherries and wild currants are a total failure, owing to the
ravages of a tent caterpillar this spring, which eat all the foliage,
tender shoots and flower buds. Everyone on Camas ought to put out pie
plant, gooseberries, currants and strawberries, as there is no discount
on these, and they are far preferable to no fruit or buying.
It
is my opinion, based upon a two years’ residence, that if any one
suffers from want on Camas Prairie, they are certainly to blame; for the
soil is excellent, and the warm season long enough to raise lots of
produce if we can’t raise pine apples and “sich”.
There is a
plenty we can raise and we can just beat the world raising small grain,
potatoes and turnips and if we can’t have beefsteak and pork of our own,
there is plenty of game.
What has become of our Soldier gold
excitement? You want to keep that booming. If you can get a few score of
prospectors in here, perhaps we can sell a quart of milk or a pound of
potatoes.
Now, what would you think to hear that a five dollar
gold nugget was only a gun cartridge. Sometimes they turn out so. (The
nugget referred to is worn by Road Supervisor Samson as a scarf pin –
Ed) But if these old hills are made of gold, won’t we all get rich?
The most fertile valley in the world, and the richest gold mining
region on the globe, would certainly be nice neighbors. Laying all jokes
aside, I see no reason for there not being lots of paying minerals in
the hills back of us, but I expect it will take time to develop.
Uncle John Cross has lost ten head of horses from his band on the head
of Soldier, and is considerably worried about them. He thinks they must
have been driven off, as he has missed them for three weeks and can’t
find them in the hills.
The crack of the shotgun is quite
frequent since the bird law is off; and no wonder, for the grouse is
“mighty” fine eating, and the covies of young birds are so plentiful as
to be an irresistible temptation to any one who can handle a gun.
We frequently see deer from the house. If they only knew it, they
are not safe in the valley, even if the game law is still in force.
Who has been talking to you about Camas Prairie Now? Didn’t you know
there were already some poor men on Camas Prairie who had breaking plows
and teams, and who want all such work they can get at $4.00 per acre? I
guess, if you or any one else would try to break prairie here now, you
could soon be convinced that ground got too hard to break, even on Camas
Prairie.
And as to hauling poles and posts during the four winter
months that the snow lays on, I guess all the ranchers in the valley
would pour blessings innumerable on your head if you would only get some
one to come and keep the roads open; but one man and common team can’t
do it. In fact, as long as the snow falls as it had the past two
winters, there ain’t men or teams enough in the valley to do it. There
are more men now who want to get out fencing than there is money to pay.
Wonder if it don’t hurt the Hailey merchants for the ranchers to
sell their butter to the consumers instead of them? As for sweet
California butter, I have yet to see the first of it. All I have ever
seen or tasted was as ripe as an 18 months old cheese. But there are
those who like strong butter as well as old Cheese.
From Camas Prairie
The Masquerade Ball
A Grand affair
A very
enjoyable occasion
About ten o'clock
yesterday morning William Fox sought the sheriff and gave himself up, saying
that he had killed Charles Fleck, of Soldier on Skeleton creek, a tributary of
the South Boise River in Alturas County.
The killing occurred last
Friday, the day immediately preceding Fleck went to Skeleton creek, where Fox
kept his flock of sheep, assisted by a herder. Fleck said he should bring his
sheep there the next day. Fox replied that being there with his sheep, Fleck
should go elsewhere with his. The next day, Friday, Fleck brought his sheep to
Skeleton creek and drove them in among Fox's. The latter remonstrated, when
Fleck began driving the two bands of sheep, indiscriminately Fox objected, tried
to pick his sheep out from the Fleck herd, and the latter shot at him with a
rifle, but missed him. Fox there upon discharged a rifle shot killing Fleck.
Leaving his herder in charge Fox rode to Soldier, where he left word to have
Flecks brother informed of what he had done. He then came to Hailey to give
himself up. Fox is a native of Illinois, about 56 years old. He came to this
coast 45 years ago, in 1848, has followed mining camps ever since, lived in
California, Utah, in Boise and elsewhere in Idaho, worked at the Ram shorn Mine,
and so forth, and only quit mining and bought a band of sheep with his savings,
when getting to old to work. He has never had any trouble of any kind before.
The case seems one of self defense and clear, and he ought to be turned out at
once. Coroner Brown and Sheriff Jackson went out to Smokey yesterday to view the
remains. They have not returned.
Charles Fleck was Killed by William Fox about two miles from Soldier. The Trouble was over sheep range which both of them claimed.
The Masquerade Ball, which took place St. Valentines eve, 13th was a
very enjoyable affair. It was, by far, the grandest thing there has been
on the Prairie this winter. There was an extremely large crowd, and
every one seemed to have a good time. The music furnished by A. S. Chier
and Lester Johnson, violinists, and Miss Blanche Finch, Pianist, was
excellent. The following named are the maskers and what they
represented: Miss Lena McCann, a Japanese Lady. Miss Laura Taylor,
Winter. Miss Lizzie Daugherty, Liberty. Miss Francis D.Smith, a Cotton
girl. Miss Mattie Abbott, Swiss Girl. Miss Chamberlin, Morning. Miss
Johnson, Folly. Mrs. Stuart, Old lady. Miss Lulah Waring, Night. Miss
Atlanta Heath, Flower Girl. Miss Nellie Ekholm, a Nun. Miss Sadie
Daugherty, Sailor Girl. Charles Trader, Negro. James P. Campbell, Turk.
Guy Heath, Old Man. Charles Abbott, Irishman. Malcom Stuart, a paper
Man. Bert Abbott, an Indian. Earnest Heath, a Wall Street gold Bug. A.
S. Chier, Red, White, and Blue. Henry Clarke, Irish Gentleman. A number
of the gentlemen were attired in pillow case and sheet. They were the
following: Oscar Perkins, Frank Peck, F. Dexter, James Finch, George
Brooks, William Abbott, Preston King, Phillip Ballard, Gus Johnson and
Dean Perkins. They did not disperse until four o’clock a.m. and were
loath then.
We were visited a few days past by a fearful storm,
which continued three days. During that period about eighteen inches of
snow fell, completely sponging the roads, which at present are nearly
impassable. The mines at camp Breeze, three and one half miles above
Soldier, are still showing signs of further improvement.
A couple of bachelors named [W. W.] Owens and
[S. S.] Adams lived up Soldier Creek about 8 miles. They quarreled and Adams locked
Owens out of the cabin while he was away. When he returned and asked Adams for
the Key, Adams refused and drew his rifle. Owens shot him five times with a
revolver.
Note: John Minear, the Justice of the Peace quitted Owens as being justified in the
killing of Adams.
Joseph Reedy of Smokey and Lena McCann of Soldier were married yesterday.
Mrs. McGowan, wife of James McGowan, who formerly worked in the mines at Broadford, died at her home ranch near corral night before last.
A man by the name of Carter was killed by falling off a load of lumber on the west end of Camas Prairie.
A man by the name of Kessler of Soldier killed a sheep herder by the name of McDevit by hitting him with his fists. McDevit was drunk and abusive.
Mrs. Lulah Turnbull had to come home from Albion Normal School before the end of the term on account of the dangerous illness of her father, the Hon. Ira A. Waring.
Captain Bledsoe arrived today from Boise. He came by way of Corral where his son Relf, was married yesterday to Miss Mary Edna, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. H. Abbot. Rev. I. T. Osborn performed the ceremony.
Mr. D. P. Higgs of Soldier took the examination for a teacher’s certificate.
Mrs. Bert Phillips' funeral last Wednesday was according to the ritual of the Mormon Church. It was the first Mormon funeral that took place on Camas Prairie. The corpse was interred in the Soldier cemetery. (Her Maiden name was Sarah Severe)
A Camas Prairie rancher instantly killed within sight of home. About dark last
evening Con Ryan, about 40 years was murdered by some one concealed in the
willows of John Ryan's ranch on Spring Creek, about ten miles southeast of
Soldier and within 1.5 miles of his home. He was coming from the mountains with
a load of cord wood, and death must have been instantaneous as the team arrived
with the corpse on the load of wood. No one saw the deed, but suspicion points
to a neighbor with whom the deceased had some trouble. John Ryan, brother of the
deceased, died about six weeks ago, and was buried in the Hailey cemetery. It is
not believed that the murder was the result of family troubles. The murdered man
was married and the father of seven children, all living, and the eldest 12
years old. He had lived on the prairie for 12 or 13 years.
County
Attorney Harry Ensign, Coroner H.D. Jones and Deputy Sheriff William Drake
arrived from Camas prairie, about eight o'clock last evening. Thomas Marron, the
man suspected of the murder of Cornelius Ryan came with them, he being in the
custody of the sheriff and he was lodged in jail. No charge is made against him
and none will be until after the inquest. Coroner Jones began his inquisition
yesterday and examined Mrs. Cornelius Ryan. She did not know anything about the
crime. Further proceedings were then postponed until Friday of next week; the
8th, when 14 or 15 witnesses are to be examined before the coroner’s jury. Again
the evidence is said to be altogether circumstantial. No one say Marron do the
killing, yet the belief that he did it is very general.
The feeling on the prairie is very bitter against Thomas Marron, not only because he is believed to have deliberately murdered Cornelius Ryan, but because he has been accused of stealing or shooting the livestock of his neighbors, and of being a bad neighbor.
The coroner's jury consists of H.L. Childs, Lester Stott, L.W. Johnson, Phillip Ballard, Arthur Montrose, William McCann, Lewis D. Johnson, E. Wheeler and W.T. Harness and after hearing some 15 witnesses it returned a verdict that Ryan died from a gunshot wound inflicted by a weapon in the hands of Thomas Marron. An attendant at the inquest says that had Marron been there, he would have been lynched. That furthermore, it will be best for him never to be seen on the prairie.
Ben Higgs of Soldier was arrested Nov 11, 1911 for the killing of Joe Jones of the same place. He was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to not less than four and not more than 10 years. He served a year.
Copyright © 1996- The USGenWeb® Project, IDGenWeb, Camas County
Design by Templates in Time
This page was last updated 08/09/2024