Speaker 1: Cal puder calm.
Speaker 2: Elliot Lyons, former deputy sheriff, ex convict, horse thief, and
Speaker 2: all around desperado last night shot and fatally wounded William W. Withers,
Speaker 2: Sheriff of Lane County, while the latter was attempting to
Speaker 2: arrest him. The sheriff was in the discharge of his
Speaker 2: duty when he received the fatal wound. With a warrant
Speaker 2: for the arrest of Lions for horse stealing, Withers entered
Speaker 2: the cabin where the man he was after resided. Lions,
Speaker 2: concealed himself, and as far as the officer could see,
Speaker 2: there was in the room only the mother and the
Speaker 2: wife of the thief. At the first appearance of the sheriff,
Speaker 2: the women rushed at him like she wolves and grappled
Speaker 2: with him and held his arms pinioned so that he
Speaker 2: could not reach for his revolver. Lions then came forth
Speaker 2: from his place of concealment, and, drawing a forty four
Speaker 2: caliber pistol from his belt, deliberately shot the defenseless officer.
Speaker 2: The ball entered the throat and probably lodged in the
Speaker 2: spine after ranging downward. Although two guards stood outside the
Speaker 2: door at the time, there appears to have been no
Speaker 2: obstacle to the escape of the desperado, who calmly walked
Speaker 2: out of the front door and made good his escape
Speaker 2: for the time being. The fugitive outlaw is well known
Speaker 2: throughout this section of the country. He was formerly a
Speaker 2: deputy sheriff. He is an ex convict, having served a
Speaker 2: sentence in the penitentiary for embezzling school funds. He was
Speaker 2: wanted in Douglas County for stealing horses, and it was
Speaker 2: to serve the warrant on this charge that Sheriff Withers
Speaker 2: went to the lion's cabin. The mother and wife of
Speaker 2: the desperado are under arrest and will be taken to
Speaker 2: Eugene in held to await the result of the Sheriff's wounds.
Speaker 2: It is almost certain that Withers will die, and in
Speaker 2: that event, the women will be charged with murder. Sheriff
Speaker 2: Withers lies in a little cabin near the scene of
Speaker 2: the shooting, while two posses are hunting for his assailant,
Speaker 2: upon who's had a reward of five hundred dollars dead
Speaker 2: or alive, has been offered. True crime historian presents an
Speaker 2: eye for an eye A special edition of Yesterday's News,
Speaker 2: exploring the criminal justice system at its most extreme, inflicting
Speaker 2: the death penalty. Episode three hundred and fifty eight is
Speaker 2: dedicated to the safe house scoundrel Marlene Resh, who required
Speaker 2: a story from her hometown in Eugene, Oregon, and we're
Speaker 2: happy to oblige. The victim in this story was the
Speaker 2: law enforcement officer in episode three hundred and thirty six
Speaker 2: Murder on the Mackenzie Trail, and together they sum up
Speaker 2: the history of capital punishment in Lane County, Oregon, the
Speaker 2: only two executions to be held there. I'm true crime
Speaker 2: historian Richard O. Jones, and for your horror and indignation,
Speaker 2: I give you the largest sheriff in Oregon, the Terror
Speaker 2: of All Tufts, killed by Horseleef. Eugene, Oregon, February sixth,
Speaker 2: nineteen oh three. Yesterday morning, almost before daylight, William W. Withers,
Speaker 2: Sheriff of Lane County, left Eugene for the sus Law country.
Speaker 2: With them were W. Cornelius and Jack Smith, the latter
Speaker 2: a constable of Eugene. The sheriff was armed with a
Speaker 2: warrant from Josephine County, charging Elliott Lyons with grand larceny
Speaker 2: and having stolen a number of horses. It was a
Speaker 2: long hard ride to the cabin where the man they
Speaker 2: were in search of was known to live. They reached
Speaker 2: Walton post Office on the Siuslaw River about dusk. Their
Speaker 2: errand was known, and it is not unlikely that word
Speaker 2: of their coming was sent to the retreat of the
Speaker 2: bandit several miles away. The sheriff and his men then
Speaker 2: proceeded toward the lion's cabin, which they approached cautiously so
Speaker 2: as not to alarm the occupants in the flight. All
Speaker 2: three of the officers were well armed, and knowing the
Speaker 2: desperate character of the man they had to deal with,
Speaker 2: they decided to take no chances on an attempt to
Speaker 2: escape from the cabin. Accordingly, the sheriff gave careful instructions
Speaker 2: to his two assistants and posted them so as to
Speaker 2: command both the rear and front doors of the cabin.
Speaker 2: The deputies took up their stands at the respective stations
Speaker 2: assigned them, and were apparently ready for any emergency that
Speaker 2: might arrive. The cabin, where the Outlaw clan made its home,
Speaker 2: is near the Siuslaw River, in a section of the
Speaker 2: deeply timbered and bushy country. Darkness had settled down. When
Speaker 2: Sheriff Withers prepared to invade the den. He was armed
Speaker 2: with the revolver he habitually carried, but did not consider
Speaker 2: it necessary to have this in his hand when he
Speaker 2: entered the house. This neglect, the neglect of a brave man,
Speaker 2: in all probability, will prove fatal for Withers, gentleman that
Speaker 2: he was the sheriff, although in search of a fugitive
Speaker 2: from justice, and by no means compelled to stand on ceremony,
Speaker 2: knocked on the door of the cabin. Before attempting to enter,
Speaker 2: A voice bade him come in.
Speaker 1: Withers entered the room.
Speaker 2: Two women faced him, one rather young and not uncomely,
Speaker 2: and the other well aged. What conversation occurred, if any,
Speaker 2: is not known. It is supposed that the Sheriff told
Speaker 2: the purpose of his visit and demanded to know the whereabouts.
Speaker 1: Of Elliott Lyons.
Speaker 2: Before he could reach for a pistol or otherwise prepare
Speaker 2: to act on the defensive, the women were upon him.
Speaker 2: They grappled with him, and each seized an arm. There
Speaker 2: was a struggle. The sheriff, a powerful man, could under
Speaker 2: ordinary circumstances have quickly worsted his female assailants, but they
Speaker 2: fought like furies, like she tigers defending their young. They
Speaker 2: could have held the sheriff but a few minutes, despite
Speaker 2: their frenzied strength. It was then that murder was done,
Speaker 2: or at least attempted. While the sheriff was still struggling
Speaker 2: in the hands of the women, Elis Lions came forward.
Speaker 2: He had a revolver, and with this he aimed what
Speaker 2: he doubtless intended to be a death dealing bullet at Withers.
Speaker 2: The shot was fired while the Sheriff's arms were pinioned
Speaker 2: in the grasp of the bandit's mother and wife. The
Speaker 2: guards near the house must have heard the shot. It
Speaker 2: is supposed that they rushed to the door to aid
Speaker 2: their chief, but the desperado had already escaped. Under cover
Speaker 2: of darkness, he slipped out the front door and got away.
Speaker 2: Word was sent at once to Eugene, and several docstors
Speaker 2: at once left for the scene of the shooting. In
Speaker 2: the meantime, the female members of the robber's household were
Speaker 2: taken in charge and brought to the county jail. They
Speaker 2: refuse to discuss the deed of the husband and son,
Speaker 2: who is now a fugitive from the law with a
Speaker 2: price on his head. Word arrived from the Hail post
Speaker 2: office saying that Withers was carried there at eleven o'clock
Speaker 2: last night. The place is several miles from the scene
Speaker 2: of the shooting. Missus Withers, wife of the Sheriff, left
Speaker 2: here at ten o'clock this morning for the scene of
Speaker 2: the murder. Lyons is said to have sworn vengeance against
Speaker 2: all officers of the law since he was released from
Speaker 2: the penitentiary. It is said that he will strike the
Speaker 2: railroad above Cottage Grove, or that he will come to
Speaker 2: the vicinity of Eugene and Hyde. His family is large
Speaker 2: and well known, and it is quite possible that he
Speaker 2: will have many friends who may sheared him from the
Speaker 2: consequences of his crime. This is Sheriff Withers's third term
Speaker 2: in office, having first been elected in eighteen ninety eight
Speaker 2: on the Democratic ticket. This in spite of the fact
Speaker 2: that Lane County is strongly Republican. The immense popularity of
Speaker 2: the man is due to his absolute honesty. He has
Speaker 2: made more than an ordinary record as a fearless officer
Speaker 2: and has succeeded in running down a number of criminals,
Speaker 2: including Claude Branton, who was hanged for the murder of
Speaker 2: John Lynn in eighteen ninety eight, and Bert Heaton, who
Speaker 2: was sentenced to the penitentiary for life last fall for
Speaker 2: the murder of Benton Tracy at Junction City. During his
Speaker 2: first term of office, a deputy named reed embezzled several
Speaker 2: thousand dollars of the county taxes and made his escape
Speaker 2: from the county. As soon as the crime was discovered,
Speaker 2: Sheriff Withers was acquainted with the facts, and he may
Speaker 2: the amount good out of his own pocket. From that
Speaker 2: time forth, his popularity was so great that no man
Speaker 2: has been able to beat him for the office of sheriff.
Speaker 2: Sheriff Withers is well known in Portland, especially to Sheriff's
Speaker 2: story in his Deputies. He is about forty five years
Speaker 2: of age. He has the distinction of being the most
Speaker 2: peculiar man in that section of the state, as he
Speaker 2: has always conducted himself in a manner pleasing to his
Speaker 2: constituents and to all with whom he had dealings. His
Speaker 2: death will create genuine sorrow among his friends, as all
Speaker 2: who knew him, looked upon him as not only an
Speaker 2: ideal official, but as a splendid man and citizen. The
Speaker 2: conduct of his office he has held so long has
Speaker 2: always been above reproach, and hundreds of friends will feel
Speaker 2: a personal loss at his untimely death. That so brave
Speaker 2: a man should be thus ruthlessly shot down by a
Speaker 2: man who once took the oath of deputy sheriff was
Speaker 2: the last thing the sheriff's friends could have imagined. Sheriff
Speaker 2: Withers was a man of magnificent physical build. He was
Speaker 2: over six feet tall and was the terror of all tufts.
Speaker 2: He was the largest sheriff in Oregon, and was an
Speaker 2: athlete of no small ability. February seventh, nineteen o three,
Speaker 2: Sheriff Withers was unconscious at seven o'clock this morning when
Speaker 2: a messenger left Hales. It was thought at that time
Speaker 2: that the Sheriff could not live an hour. His brain
Speaker 2: was paralyzed, and he has been unconscious at six o'clock
Speaker 2: last night. Three doctors are in attendance with the wounded man,
Speaker 2: and his wife is by his side. Before the Sheriff
Speaker 2: lost consciousness, his deposition was taken in the presence of witnesses.
Speaker 2: Withers confirmed the report that his arms had been held
Speaker 2: in the grasp of the wife, mother, and father of
Speaker 2: the man he was trying to arrest. The family of
Speaker 2: the fugitive is under arrest. At noon a courier arrived
Speaker 2: from Hale's and reported that a man answering the description
Speaker 2: of lions had been seen near Cottage Grove with the rifle.
Speaker 2: He was making his way through the brush toward Lorraine
Speaker 2: and appeared to want to avoid meeting anyone. A posse
Speaker 2: has left Hales and gone in pursuit of the suspect.
Speaker 2: Those who know Elliot Lyons Elliot Lyons is known to
Speaker 2: be a nervy ruffian who will not stop at the
Speaker 2: taking of the human life when roused.
Speaker 1: He was once in.
Speaker 2: The custody of the officers of Josephine County, but got
Speaker 2: away from them, and since then he was sworn that
Speaker 2: he would not be taken alive. Lyons is a man
Speaker 2: of great physical strength, knows the country thoroughly, and is
Speaker 2: well armed. It is said that, in addition to the
Speaker 2: revolver of forty four caliber colts with which he shot
Speaker 2: Sheriff Withers, the fugitive took with him a Winchester rifle.
Speaker 2: He is a dead shot, and few people believe that
Speaker 2: he will be captured without a hard fight. The hunt
Speaker 2: for Lions is being directed by Chief Deputy Sheriff Fisk
Speaker 2: from Eugene. One posse fifty in number is in the
Speaker 2: mountains and is supposed to have struck the bandit's trail.
Speaker 2: They took up the chase at the lions cabins, from
Speaker 2: which it led off.
Speaker 1: Into the nearby hills.
Speaker 2: Other bodies of armed men are scouring the country in
Speaker 2: various directions. Eugene is guarded by a number of men
Speaker 2: who are watching the roads around the town, expecting that
Speaker 2: Lions may attempt to find friends in this vicinity, and
Speaker 2: there is something more than a hope of earning the
Speaker 2: reward of five hundred dollars that has been placed on
Speaker 2: the bank and its head dead or alive. Withers has
Speaker 2: many staunch friends here who have a feeling of personal
Speaker 2: anger against the man who attempted his death. The main
Speaker 2: posse in pursuit of lions is under the command of
Speaker 2: Second Sheriff Bounds. He is an intrepid man who knows
Speaker 2: the county thoroughly, and his posse is comprised of picked
Speaker 2: men who are equally brave. It is the declared purpose
Speaker 2: of these men to follow the assailant of Sheriff Withers
Speaker 2: any distance until they come up with them. Missus Withers,
Speaker 2: wife of the Sheriff, when informed of the shooting, engaged
Speaker 2: a team and drove at once to the bedside of
Speaker 2: her husband. She arrived on the scene last night and
Speaker 2: has not much stirred from the dying man's couch since.
Speaker 2: Although friends have tried to prevail upon her to take
Speaker 2: some much needed rest, she has steadily refused to leave
Speaker 2: the side.
Speaker 1: Of the wounded man.
Speaker 2: It now appears that after the shooting, the family of
Speaker 2: the would be assassin did everything possible for the sheriff
Speaker 2: and the brother of the bandit hitched up the buggy
Speaker 2: and offered to take Withers to the nearest physician. The
Speaker 2: sheriff refused the offer. Later he was removed to Hale's
Speaker 2: by friends, where he was tenderly cared for. Nate Chastein,
Speaker 2: a young farmer living in the neighborhood, brought the news
Speaker 2: of the shooting to this city. He made an all
Speaker 2: night ride over thirty miles of bad road covered with
Speaker 2: two feet of snow in order to get the information
Speaker 2: to the officers here in Eugene, Constable A. J. Smith,
Speaker 2: who was with Sheriff Withers at the time he was
Speaker 2: shot by Elliott Lyons, arrived in Eugene late this afternoon.
Speaker 2: Smith's story of the shooting is as follows. Withers and
Speaker 2: Smith and a number of citizens in the vicinity in
Speaker 2: which Lions lived who had been deputized, surrounded the lion's
Speaker 2: house about dark. Withers and a party of men went
Speaker 2: to the front door, while Smith and one or two
Speaker 2: others were stationed at the rear door. Withers entered the
Speaker 2: house and the light was immediately extinguished. Lyon's mother and
Speaker 2: wife then grasped Withers's arm, preventing him from using his revolver.
Speaker 2: While he was thus pinioned, Lions advanced within two feet
Speaker 2: of the Sheriff aimed as revolver at the latter and fired.
Speaker 2: The bullet entered at the center of the throat and
Speaker 2: lodged in the back of the neck, cutting the windpipe.
Speaker 2: A messenger was dispatched with all haste to Eugene, and
Speaker 2: he arrived here at two o'clock yesterday morning. Physicians were
Speaker 2: notified and doctor F. M. Day left shortly afterward for
Speaker 2: the scene. Arriving at eight o'clock, he found the wounded
Speaker 2: Sheriff at the residence of George Hale at Hale Post Office,
Speaker 2: where he had been conveyed from the scene of the tragedy.
Speaker 2: Constable Smith brought word that doctor Day said that there
Speaker 2: was no hope of saving the Sheriff's life. The women
Speaker 2: Lyons's mother and wife were placed under arrest, as was
Speaker 2: also a man whose name cannot be learned. He was
Speaker 2: in the house at the time, and it has said
Speaker 2: he was instrumental in preventing the sheriff from using his gun.
Speaker 2: Before Constable Smith started for Eugene, Sheriff Withers said to him,
Speaker 2: see that these people pay for this. If we're not
Speaker 2: for them, this would not have happened. No word has
Speaker 2: been received yet from the posse which left here this
Speaker 2: morning under Deputy Sheriff Harry Brown. It has thought, however,
Speaker 2: that the fugitive will be easily tracked as the ground
Speaker 2: is covered with snow. February tenth, nineteen o three. The
Speaker 2: excitement of the past few days over the shoe shooting
Speaker 2: of Sheriff Withers his death and the escape of Elliot Lions.
Speaker 2: The assassin was brought to the highest possible tension Monday
Speaker 2: at eleven thirty am, when a posse from Creswell brought
Speaker 2: lions to Eugene and Sheriff Fisk locked him up in jail. Fortunately,
Speaker 2: the news of his capture was kept a profound secret,
Speaker 2: and none but the officers and few others knew that
Speaker 2: he had been taken. When the spring wagon containing three
Speaker 2: guards and lions stopped at the county jail, there were
Speaker 2: but few people in that locality, But before the doors
Speaker 2: had been closed on the murderer, three hundred people, all excited,
Speaker 2: had gathered on the sidewalk, and there was plenty of
Speaker 2: evidence that lions owed his extended lease of life. To
Speaker 2: the extra precautions taken in keeping the public in the
Speaker 2: dark as to their movements with the prisoner, a more
Speaker 2: thoroughly organized search and look out for a criminal was
Speaker 2: never planned in Lane County. Posse scoured the country between
Speaker 2: Hale and Junction and Irving and tracked him in the
Speaker 2: snow to a point west of Irving. Many believed that
Speaker 2: Lyons was near Irving. Sunday, night, but that he had
Speaker 2: eluded the posse and came on to Eugene, where he
Speaker 2: tried to board the cars, but local officers and their
Speaker 2: assistants kept close watch and Lions kept in the dark.
Speaker 2: Finding it impossible to get out on the train, Lions
Speaker 2: tramped onto Goshen, where he slept on a tie pile
Speaker 2: during the night, moving on to Cresswell, where while attempting
Speaker 2: to board the southbound freight, he was taken into custody.
Speaker 2: The first knowledge that Lyons was in the neighborhood came
Speaker 2: from Constable Edgar Parsons, who saw Lions near the railroad
Speaker 2: above Cresswell as he went home from the post office
Speaker 2: and recognized him as Lions had once worked for him
Speaker 2: in a hopyard Parsons right downtown. The posse was formed
Speaker 2: and they started well armed for the chase. The southbound
Speaker 2: freight arrived and the posse notified the conductor that Lions
Speaker 2: was down the track and would probably endeavor to board
Speaker 2: the train, and if he did, they would signal him
Speaker 2: to stop. As the train moved out, Lions started to
Speaker 2: board a box car. The train stopped, the posse drove up,
Speaker 2: leveled their guns, and Lions surrendered. He was found to
Speaker 2: be unarmed. Lions was walked down town, although he was
Speaker 2: weak and exhausted from hunger, tramping and laying out in
Speaker 2: the cold for three nights. Lions said, boys, I did
Speaker 2: not expect to be taken alive, but you have me.
Speaker 2: He said he was holding Sheriff Withers by the arm
Speaker 2: and did not know what he did. The posse took
Speaker 2: Lions to the hotel, where he was given something to eat. Here,
Speaker 2: Lions broke down and wept like a child.
Speaker 1: He said.
Speaker 2: He was held up in Eugene's Sunday night, but he
Speaker 2: talked Irish and they let him go. He said he
Speaker 2: stopped at a house in the manufacturing district where he
Speaker 2: changed his clothes, and with a pack on his back,
Speaker 2: including a pair of pruning shears, he was taken for
Speaker 2: a hobo.
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Speaker 2: February eleventh, nineteen o three. Never in the history of
Speaker 2: Eugene has a more impressive funeral been held than took
Speaker 2: place yesterday when William W. Withers, ex Sheriff of Lane County,
Speaker 2: was laid to rest and Masonic Cemetery. The body lay
Speaker 2: in stayed at the courthouse until two pm, when the
Speaker 2: four Orders marched in a body five hundred strong to
Speaker 2: the courthouse, the Elks leading the way. The body was
Speaker 2: born to the hearse by the pallbearers, under the escort
Speaker 2: of a detail from the Elks, the members of the
Speaker 2: different lodges standing in a solid body with heads uncovered.
Speaker 2: Then with measured tread, they marched to the Christian Church,
Speaker 2: where twice or three times as many people as could
Speaker 2: get into the church had congregated, About half the lodge
Speaker 2: members secured seats, and every available inch of space in
Speaker 2: the church was occupied by those who desired to pay
Speaker 2: their respects to a good man and a brave, faithful officer,
Speaker 2: a splendid choir saying Abide with Me and safe in
Speaker 2: the arms of Jesus, Reverend McCallum, and a sermon touched
Speaker 2: on the importance of being ready for the final call
Speaker 2: which must come to us all sooner or later, and
Speaker 2: paid a deserved tribute to the memory of the departed.
Speaker 2: On account of the inclement weather, the eulogy to have
Speaker 2: been pronounced at the grave on behalf of the Elks
Speaker 2: by Honorable S. M Yran was delivered at the church.
Speaker 2: The words of mister Yoran were treasured up in the
Speaker 2: hearts of everyone present. The remains were then born to
Speaker 2: Themsonic Cemetery, followed by hundreds of loyal citizens who did
Speaker 2: not let weather conditions prevent them from performing voluntarily a
Speaker 2: sacred duty. At the cemetery, the beautiful and impressive burial
Speaker 2: ceremony of the Elks was said, and other lodges added.
Speaker 1: Their tributes of remembrance. W W.
Speaker 2: Withers sleeps in the silent earth, but his life and example,
Speaker 2: his real worth as a citizen, and his faithfulness to
Speaker 2: duties imposed upon him by the public, should be a
Speaker 2: living example worthy of emulation by those who have their
Speaker 2: lives measure up to the standard of excellence which characterizes
Speaker 2: the true manhood of our time. Cowed and docile, the
Speaker 2: murderer of our brave dead Sheriff lies on a mat
Speaker 2: in his barred cell in the County Jail. By the
Speaker 2: courtesy of District Attorney George Brown and Sheriff Fisk, a
Speaker 2: reporter was permitted an interview with the prisoner this morning.
Speaker 2: When the door opened, Lions was lying at full length
Speaker 2: on a mat and a barred cell, where he can
Speaker 2: be plainly seen by everyone who enters the jail. He
Speaker 2: raised to his elbow, and when called by Deputy Brown,
Speaker 2: he rapidly arose to his feet and came forward to
Speaker 2: the side of the cell. The reporter's mission was explained
Speaker 2: to him, and he seemed very willing to talk and
Speaker 2: answered all questions readily. He stood but a moment, saying
Speaker 2: that his leg heard him. He looked very much worn
Speaker 2: and worried, but was not in the least nervous, and
Speaker 2: talked in a clear conversational voice without his.
Speaker 1: Quote.
Speaker 2: Yes, I admit killing Billy. I shot him and I'm caught.
Speaker 2: I would not have given myself up voluntarily, and I
Speaker 2: would not have shot another man to make my escape.
Speaker 2: Question where did you leave your pistol? He answered, as
Speaker 2: if he hated the remembrance. I do not remember what
Speaker 2: became of the thing. I decided that it was all
Speaker 2: up when I crossed the long time, and was so
Speaker 2: wet and tired, I did not care what happened to me.
Speaker 2: Then it was out there by Cook's place, I lost
Speaker 2: my pistol, and I did not care enough about anything
Speaker 2: to look for it. I've been unarmed for three days.
Speaker 2: Question how'd you get into Eugene? Answer? I ate breakfast
Speaker 2: Sunday morning with the German family name grouped and dried
Speaker 2: out good. Then I went to a straw stack in
Speaker 2: a field about one hundred yards away and slept until
Speaker 2: five o'clock, when I set the stack on fire, accidentally
Speaker 2: trying to burn some straw to get some black ashes
Speaker 2: to my face. I left the straw pile about half
Speaker 2: past five o'clock and went to the railroad and walked
Speaker 2: toward Irving. When it was dark, I circled around Irving
Speaker 2: below the town and got on the track again and
Speaker 2: walked to Eugene. I was held up a mile from Eugene,
Speaker 2: but I was unarmed. The two men did not want me.
Speaker 2: Question did you stop at any house in Eugene?
Speaker 1: Answer? No, I did not.
Speaker 2: I went around that hill Skinner's Butte, and rested a
Speaker 2: while under those fir trees. I got here about one o'clock.
Speaker 2: Question did you try to leave on the southbound passenger train?
Speaker 1: Answer?
Speaker 2: Now, I waited until that train was out and struck
Speaker 2: down the track. My leg hurt me, so I could
Speaker 2: not walk more than three hundred yards at a time.
Speaker 2: Then i'd have to rest. I got out near Gashing
Speaker 2: and slept a little while near some ties. Pretty Soon
Speaker 2: I got up and went on to Cresswell. Question what
Speaker 2: made you show up in Cresswell at daytime?
Speaker 1: Answer?
Speaker 2: I don't know, I don't care what came of me,
Speaker 2: and I don't now. He added the last with a
Speaker 2: painful short laugh, but immediately recovered the worried look with
Speaker 2: which he had been talking. Question what made you shoot Withers?
Speaker 1: Answer?
Speaker 2: Ah, I told him I wouldn't go with him and
Speaker 2: wanted to be stubborn. I guess my wife commenced to
Speaker 2: plead for me, and I saw a small chance to
Speaker 2: get away. Billy didn't have his gun pulled, so I
Speaker 2: thought I would hold him up and force him to
Speaker 2: let go. He held me by the coat. I had
Speaker 2: my gun in my pocket. I just pointed at him
Speaker 2: from my side when I saw the chance and fired.
Speaker 2: I wish I hadn't right away, but I ran as
Speaker 2: fast as I could.
Speaker 1: Question, if the.
Speaker 2: House had been surrounded with men, would you have fought
Speaker 2: your way through?
Speaker 1: Answer?
Speaker 2: No, I would have quit right there when I shot.
Speaker 2: I said, that was the last shooting for me.
Speaker 1: Question.
Speaker 2: Was your father in the room at the time of
Speaker 2: the shooting?
Speaker 1: Answer?
Speaker 2: Nah, he was in the dining room talking with mother.
Speaker 2: Wife was in the room pleading for me with Billy lions.
Speaker 2: Cannot plead insanity as he is perfectly rational, he added,
Speaker 2: You're entirely welcome to the reporters. Thank you at the
Speaker 2: conclusion of the talk, and resumed his couch in the
Speaker 2: corner of the cell. February twelfth, nineteen o three, when
Speaker 2: the grave clouds clanked dismally upon the untimely remains of
Speaker 2: the late Sheriff Withers, the curtain of life stage of
Speaker 2: action was wrung down upon the spectacle of an honest
Speaker 2: man severed from his loving family and doting friends by
Speaker 2: an assassin's foul deed. The second at the placing of
Speaker 2: responsibility for the cowardly act upon Lions, the dastard and
Speaker 2: by his accessories, was concluded before Coroner King and his
Speaker 2: veneer yesterday. The third act leading up to the finale,
Speaker 2: the verdict providing for meeting out a just retribution to
Speaker 2: the guilty, will soon propitiate an outraged justice and fulfill
Speaker 2: and injunction of the old Mosaic law an eye for
Speaker 2: an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Following are
Speaker 2: the findings of fact by the Coroner's Jury, whose session
Speaker 2: began Monday and ended yesterday. We the undersigned jurors, find
Speaker 2: as follows. First that the body of the person exhibited
Speaker 2: to us by the Coroner of Lane County as the
Speaker 2: body of William W. Withers, who was at the time
Speaker 2: of his death Sheriff of Lane County, Oregon. Second that
Speaker 2: the said W. W. Withers came to his death from
Speaker 2: a gunshot wound.
Speaker 1: That the show that.
Speaker 2: Killed the said W. W. Withers was fired by Elliott
Speaker 2: Lyons with intent to kill the said W. W. Withers.
Speaker 2: That the shooting was premeditated. Third, that at the time
Speaker 2: of the said shooting, the said W. W. Withers was
Speaker 2: in the performance of his duties as said Sheriff, and
Speaker 2: was at the time of the act arresting the said
Speaker 2: Elliott Lyons for a felony. Fourth that at the time
Speaker 2: of the said shooting. The said Sheriff was interfered with
Speaker 2: in the performance of his official duties by the wife
Speaker 2: of Elliott Lyons, and by the father and mother of
Speaker 2: said Elliott Lyons. Dated this eleventh day of February nineteen
Speaker 2: oh three. February nineteenth, nineteen o three. A visit to
Speaker 2: the County jail gives one a slight insight to the
Speaker 2: life and condition of Edward Elliott Lyons, who lies incarcerated
Speaker 2: awaiting trot while for the murder of Sheriff Withers. Since
Speaker 2: the tragedy, he has not read any of the papers
Speaker 2: containing the account of the shooting or the subsequent chase,
Speaker 2: nor has he asked.
Speaker 1: To see them.
Speaker 2: He eats and sleeps regularly, and, as he has recovered
Speaker 2: from his terrible flight, is not exhibiting any outward signs
Speaker 2: of physical worry. Neither does he peer repentant of his crime.
Speaker 2: He lounges on the couch in his cell or sits
Speaker 2: in the solitary chair with his back to the light,
Speaker 2: and reads such books as are furnished the prisoners of
Speaker 2: the County Bastille. He appears comfortable and entirely oblivious of
Speaker 2: his surroundings. Or the enormity of the penalty which he
Speaker 2: is sure to suffer within.
Speaker 1: The next two months.
Speaker 2: Lions exhibits no religious tendencies which so often appear in
Speaker 2: the criminals who are about to suffer death. He looks
Speaker 2: well but has very little to say, sometimes passing whole
Speaker 2: days without a word to anyone. In spite of this,
Speaker 2: he does not appear melancholy. Missus Lyons, wife of the murderer,
Speaker 2: has also become eased somewhat of her nervous tension and
Speaker 2: sees things in a more rational light. She appears to
Speaker 2: feel the disgrace more than her husband. The routine of
Speaker 2: jail life has also agreed with her, and she looks
Speaker 2: quite well in spite of the terrible burden upon her mind.
Speaker 2: March fourth, nineteen o three. As was expected, the court
Speaker 2: room was crowded to its utmost capacity this morning at
Speaker 2: nine o'clock, the time for opening of court and the
Speaker 2: commencement of the trial of Edward Elliott Lyons for the
Speaker 2: murder of Sheriff Withers. Shortly after nine o'clock, Sheriff Fisk,
Speaker 2: deputies Gainy Matthews and Harry Boun appeared in court with
Speaker 2: the prisoner who appeared just the same as on previous days.
Speaker 2: He has an appearance of trying to withhold tears at
Speaker 2: all times, his mouth being drawn down at the corners,
Speaker 2: and his eyes were constantly moist and glistening. The prisoner
Speaker 2: wears the same clothes in which he fled through the
Speaker 2: country during the exciting chase of a few weeks ago,
Speaker 2: with the exception of his shoes, which were rendered worthless.
Speaker 2: He wears a pair of arctic gaiters and court no
Speaker 2: vest and a soft shirt. He took a seat between
Speaker 2: the deputies and behind his attorney and nodded to prosecuting
Speaker 2: Attorney Brown. He assumed his customary position, hands clasped in
Speaker 2: front of him, feet crossed, and chin considerably elevated. At
Speaker 2: but one time did the accused speak to his attorney,
Speaker 2: and he told him that Juror Jenkins, who was being examined,
Speaker 2: had conversed with him in jail and had acted as
Speaker 2: a guard.
Speaker 1: In jail over the accused.
Speaker 2: On this ground, the juror was challenged by the defense.
Speaker 2: The policy of the defending attorney was revealed by his
Speaker 2: questions to the jurors. He has something unexpected on hand.
Speaker 2: The question mister Doris asked which created the excitement is
Speaker 2: as follows.
Speaker 1: Quote.
Speaker 2: If we introduce evidence other than what has been published
Speaker 2: showing that the accused did kill Sheriff Withers, but that
Speaker 2: the circumstances are different from what was published, would you
Speaker 2: give proper weight to the testimony from this? The policy
Speaker 2: of the defense is discernible. Lions will admit that he
Speaker 2: fired the shot, but he will either make a defense
Speaker 2: on the plea of accident or undue provocation with the
Speaker 2: hope of escaping with his neck. The examination of jurors
Speaker 2: was taken up immediately after the twenty four trial. Jurors
Speaker 2: had been examined, but nine of them were found qualified
Speaker 2: to serve as jurors on the case. The veneer was
Speaker 2: exhausted and the order given for a new a fifteen
Speaker 2: qualified jurymen. The jurymen selected were allowed their liberty in
Speaker 2: the interim. Lyons leaned on his elbow in the meantime
Speaker 2: and slowly scrutinized the various lawyers and the judge in court. L. T.
Speaker 2: Harris made the opening statement for the prosecution. He recalled
Speaker 2: rapidly the event's incident to the shocking tragedy of February
Speaker 2: fifth and the facts in the case as to the
Speaker 2: performance of the deed. The statement was brief and to
Speaker 2: the point, intending to show that Elliott Lyons was the murderer.
Speaker 2: No recess was announced. Attorney George B. Doris addressed the
Speaker 2: jury as to the course of the defense. He said,
Speaker 2: in part, I have been appointed to see that a
Speaker 2: human being has a fair trial. I do not appear
Speaker 2: here to try to defeat the ends of justice, but
Speaker 2: to see that mister Lyons secures what every human is
Speaker 2: entitled to, a fair trial by jury of his countrymen.
Speaker 2: If the state fails to prove at every point, it
Speaker 2: is my sworn duty to see that the defendant has
Speaker 2: the advantage of the omission. Doctor Payne was the first
Speaker 2: witness called. He testified as to the condition and appearance
Speaker 2: of the dying sheriff when he reached him on the
Speaker 2: afternoon of February sixth. He testified that Withers stated to him,
Speaker 2: while under the fear of death, that Lyon's mother, father,
Speaker 2: and wife had interfered and held him, and Lyons shot him.
Speaker 2: The course of the bullet was described as being from
Speaker 2: the front to the back of the neck, extending downward
Speaker 2: paralyzing the man from his neck down. Doctor Day, the
Speaker 2: second witness, corroborated the testimony of doctor Payne, including the
Speaker 2: damaging statement which Withers had made concerning the interference of
Speaker 2: the wife, mother, and father of lions. Constable A. J.
Speaker 2: Smith recited the events leading to and subsequent to the shooting.
Speaker 2: He was with the sheriff and assisted in arresting Elliott Lyons.
Speaker 2: He heard the Sheriff's voice and the shot fired, broke
Speaker 2: into the house and found Sheriff Withers prostrate with a
Speaker 2: bullet wound in his neck.
Speaker 1: WJ.
Speaker 2: Cornelius introduced testimony damaging in the extreme to the father, mother,
Speaker 2: and wife of the accused. He was deputized by Sheriff
Speaker 2: Withers and stationed with Smith at the rear of the house.
Speaker 2: He heard a scuffle in the interior of the lion's
Speaker 2: home and heard Withers say let go let loose, let
Speaker 2: go of me three or four times during the scuffle,
Speaker 2: just previous to the shot quote. I went in with
Speaker 2: Smith and found Withers on the floor. He said to
Speaker 2: us boys, I guess they've got me. Lion shot me
Speaker 2: and has gone out the front door. These folks held
Speaker 2: me and I told them to let loose, and they
Speaker 2: wouldn't unquote Marshall's styles went on the stand and swore
Speaker 2: to the accuracy of a drawing of the premises which
Speaker 2: was introduced as evidence. Sheriff Fisk testified that the warrant
Speaker 2: for lions for horse stealing was in the office prior
Speaker 2: to the tragedy. Later, he identified a bundle which was
Speaker 2: taken from the prisoner by the posse at Creswell, and
Speaker 2: also a revolver which was in the bundle at the time.
Speaker 2: The members of the arresting posse from Creswell were examined.
Speaker 2: Nothing new was deducted from their testimony, excepting that of
Speaker 2: Hamilton Veech, who said that Lyons stated that he only
Speaker 2: intended to break Withers's arm or shoulder, and not to
Speaker 2: kill him. Morrison White, a boy of Eugene, testified that
Speaker 2: he sold two horses for lions. J. M. Williams produced
Speaker 2: the bullet extracted from Withers's body. Justice Wintermeyer recited the
Speaker 2: arrayment of the prisoner, and the Grandeur said that yesterday
Speaker 2: Lion said in jail that anybody who valued his life
Speaker 2: would not have come after him at this junction, the
Speaker 2: state rested its case. The most exciting and dramatic event
Speaker 2: of the entire week occurred this afternoon, just after four o'clock.
Speaker 2: It was the appearance of the aged and helpless mother
Speaker 2: and father of Elliot Lions. A sad scene was witnessed
Speaker 2: in the courtroom when the aged parents of Elliot Lions
Speaker 2: were brought in court to testify for their son. The
Speaker 2: carriage was sent for them. Grandmother Lions, sixty six years
Speaker 2: of age, feeble and nervous and sobbing convulsively, was carried
Speaker 2: to the witness stand in a chair for some time.
Speaker 2: She was unable to control her feelings and sobbed out
Speaker 2: the words my heart is broken. Prompted by excitement, the
Speaker 2: crowd surged forward, and Judge Hamilton was several times compelled
Speaker 2: to threaten to have the courtroom cleared to preserve order.
Speaker 2: The prisoner exhibited visible signs of remorse for the first time,
Speaker 2: and tears welled into his eyes. The prisoner did not
Speaker 2: break down, although momentarily had the appearance of doing so.
Speaker 2: The mother was carried into court on pillows and was
Speaker 2: attended by several ladies. She testified somewhat differently concerning the
Speaker 2: events in the house. She said she never heard Withers
Speaker 2: say anything, never touched them, but pleaded with him to
Speaker 2: know the reason for the arrest. Mister Lyons testified the
Speaker 2: same things March fifth, nineteen oh three, in the Circuit
Speaker 2: Court of the State of Oregon, County of Lane, the
Speaker 2: State of Oregon, plaintiff versus Elliott Lyons, defendant. We the
Speaker 2: jury and paneled to try the above case. Find the defendant,
Speaker 2: Elliott Lions, guilty of the crime of murder in the
Speaker 2: first degree, as charged in the indictment signed M. J.
Speaker 1: Hilligas foreman.
Speaker 2: Such was the verdict the jury brought in after ten
Speaker 2: minutes deliberation, and which.
Speaker 1: Will hang Elliot Lions.
Speaker 2: The court chambers was crowded to their utmost capacity by
Speaker 2: interested spectators. About five hundred people were in the room
Speaker 2: at the opening of court. Elliot Lions, the accused murderer,
Speaker 2: was brought in at nine o'clock. The prisoner was seated
Speaker 2: in front of the jury box, facing the witness stand,
Speaker 2: with his back to the audience, and between Sheriff Fisk
Speaker 2: and Deputy Sheriff Bound. Lyons's appearance in court was much
Speaker 2: the same as Monday and Tuesday, except that he was
Speaker 2: a trifle more at ease and occasionally looked about him.
Speaker 2: His expression of countenance was, however, abject in the extreme.
Speaker 2: At eight fifty five, or just twenty minutes after retiring,
Speaker 2: the jury reported a verdict of murder in the first degree,
Speaker 2: and the verdict was read lions. His head dropped, the
Speaker 2: muscles of his face twitched, and for a time it
Speaker 2: looked as if he would give way to his feelings,
Speaker 2: throwing his head back and assuming this customary position. Enjoy
Speaker 2: ad free listening at the safehouse. Dubbadubbadubba dot Patreon dot com,
Speaker 2: slash true crime Historian March twenty first, nineteen o three,
Speaker 2: by the courtesy of Sheriff Fred Fisk. A newspaper representative
Speaker 2: was admitted to the county jail this morning and permitted
Speaker 2: to converse with the murderer, Elliott Lyons. The prisoner was
Speaker 2: sitting in his lone chair in the narrow prison cell
Speaker 2: with his hands folded. He looked up quite interested when
Speaker 2: the reporter entered and recognized him as a previous interviewer.
Speaker 2: Extending his hand between the gratings of steel as a greeting,
Speaker 2: he shook hands fervently. Lions resumed his seat, making commonplace
Speaker 2: remarks about his surroundings, laughing frequently, not seeming to be
Speaker 2: under a great strain, as would become a man who
Speaker 2: has less than a month of precious life on earth.
Speaker 2: In answer to a question about how he felt, he remarked,
Speaker 2: it does not seem that I have done what I have.
Speaker 2: I have not been such a bad character as you.
Speaker 1: People may think.
Speaker 2: I've never been drunk in my life, and I've never
Speaker 2: played a game of cards in a saloon. I was
Speaker 2: not in the habit of doing such things at all.
Speaker 1: Question.
Speaker 2: It has been stated that you were penitent of your
Speaker 2: crime and professed conversion.
Speaker 1: Answer.
Speaker 2: I have always believed in the Almighty and his power
Speaker 2: to save and do Now. I'm not going crazy on religion,
Speaker 2: mind you, but I think the Bible contains the truth
Speaker 2: and I will be guided by it. Question do you
Speaker 2: read much? Answer? Yes, I do considerable reading. See my Bible.
Speaker 2: He pointed to a well thumbed Bible furnished him by
Speaker 2: religious visitors. It lay between the bars by the side
Speaker 2: of a tobacco pouch and a bunch of matches marked
Speaker 2: at various passages with bits of paper he added, I
Speaker 2: get a few magazines in the like the papers did
Speaker 2: me wrong by saying that I did not regret what
Speaker 2: I did. No one regretted the shooting worse than I did.
Speaker 2: I did not see the papers, but my wife wrote
Speaker 2: me about it. You should be fair on a fellow anyway.
Speaker 2: It is evident that Lions considers himself considerably abused by
Speaker 2: the public and the press. He does not seem to
Speaker 2: realize the fact that he killed one of the most
Speaker 2: popular and one of the finest men in the county.
Speaker 2: He half justifies his act at the same time, saying
Speaker 2: he regrets it in a half hearted way. He has
Speaker 2: a proud spirit, although he does not resent direct allusion
Speaker 2: to his deed. Question do you feel the weight of
Speaker 2: your guilt? Answer well, I don't feel nervous or strung up,
Speaker 2: if that's what you mean. Yes, I eat well and
Speaker 2: sleep passably well, he added, with a glance at the
Speaker 2: betting stuffed in the corner. At one time, the prisoner
Speaker 2: laughed long and loud at some remark that was made
Speaker 2: by one of the inmates of the jail. He appears
Speaker 2: to enjoy a good joke, but recovers a serious mean
Speaker 2: quite promptly. Religious visitors are admitted to talk with lions.
Speaker 2: Among the visitors are Reverend John Hansaker, Reverend Woolly, and
Speaker 2: Reverend Green. He has encouraged their efforts after a few
Speaker 2: inconsequential remarks. The prisoner responded to the farewell salutation politely
Speaker 2: and turned his eyes toward the blue opening in the
Speaker 2: wall of the jail, the only evidence of the joyous
Speaker 2: springtimes he is able to see. With an expression half
Speaker 2: longing and half musing on his face, was left to
Speaker 2: the lonely vigil of the death Watch, who paced to
Speaker 2: and fro in front of his cell. April seventeenth, nineteen
Speaker 2: o three, Edward Elliott Lyons, the slayer of Sheriff Withers,
Speaker 2: this morning, at nine thirty one o'clock, dropped to his
Speaker 2: death through the sky floor in the jail yard at Eugene,
Speaker 2: Thus in expiation of the crime of murdering Sheriff Withers,
Speaker 2: February fifth of this year, near Walton, Suslaw Valley. The
Speaker 2: only previous hanging in Lane County was that of Claude
Speaker 2: Branton Friday, May twelfth, eighteen ninety eight. Branton was convicted
Speaker 2: of and executed for the murder of John A. Lynn
Speaker 2: near the summit of the Cascade Mountains on the night
Speaker 2: of June fifth of the previous year, Branton cremated the
Speaker 2: remains of his victim, taking all night for the burning.
Speaker 2: Sheriff Withers performed this disagreeable duty of the hanging of Branton.
Speaker 2: To Sheriff Fisk, the successor of W. W. Withers, came
Speaker 2: the duty of hanging the slayer of his former chief.
Speaker 2: There are things about a hanging which cause even the
Speaker 2: duty bound and officers of the law to WinCE. Yesterday,
Speaker 2: Sheriff Fisk was asked for an invitation to the hanging.
Speaker 2: He respectfully said that there were no more to be issued.
Speaker 2: He said, if you ever come out for public office,
Speaker 2: I will vote for you if you give me a ticket,
Speaker 2: and if you won't, I won't vote for you. Fisk
Speaker 2: answered him, saying, I'm not for sale on any such grounds.
Speaker 2: If I had one hundred invitations to give out, I
Speaker 2: would not give you one. After such a statement and
Speaker 2: the dowty sheriff turned to walk away, and both noticed
Speaker 2: for the first time a reporter was standing near. It
Speaker 2: speaks well for Fred. At nine fifteen Friday morning, Sheriff
Speaker 2: Fred Fisk, followed by the jury of twelve men and physicians,
Speaker 2: Pain and Day, left the courthouse and proceeded to the
Speaker 2: enclosure within the jail yard. The door to the enclosure
Speaker 2: was then opened to those holding passes, and soon the
Speaker 2: place was filled with spectators. The awfulness of the occasion
Speaker 2: seemed to be felt by the crowd, and all talking
Speaker 2: was carried on.
Speaker 1: In subdued tones.
Speaker 2: Sheriff Fisk maintained a firm, determined countenance while he paced
Speaker 2: a bit restlessly back and forth, watching the big clock
Speaker 2: in the courthouse tower. About nine to twenty, he mounted
Speaker 2: the scaffold and carefully examined the death trap, which was
Speaker 2: found to be in perfect order. In one corner of
Speaker 2: the small enclosure, a photographer was mounted on a high
Speaker 2: step ladder with a camera adjusted in proper position to
Speaker 2: get a picture of the execution. Suddenly, the sturdy sheriff
Speaker 2: gazed intently at the courthouse clock for a moment, then
Speaker 2: turned and entered the jail. The time had arrived for
Speaker 2: Elliott Lyons to give up his life. Elliot Lions spent
Speaker 2: a very easy night Thursday, and rested as one having
Speaker 2: no reason to think that tomorrow would be the date
Speaker 2: for the end of his earthly life. He conversed with
Speaker 2: the death Watch, Wallace Chamberlain, and John John's until eleven thirty,
Speaker 2: when he retired. He talked cheerfully about his life in
Speaker 2: southern Oregon. The death Watch eyed him continuously, but he
Speaker 2: gave them no reason to think that he had designs
Speaker 2: to cheat the rope of the sentence.
Speaker 1: Of the law.
Speaker 2: Lions slept well and did not seem to be haunted
Speaker 2: by any terrible dreams. He woke at five o'clock and
Speaker 2: some time later arose, and then, without any sign of nervousness,
Speaker 2: chatted with his guards and stretched himself with the possible
Speaker 2: attempt to appear at ease. His breakfast consisted of a
Speaker 2: generous supply of ham and eggs, which he ate without
Speaker 2: the least diminished appetite. Every morsel of food was consumed
Speaker 2: in the coffee, of which he was quite fond, went
Speaker 2: the same way. Later the prisoner underwent a partial collapse,
Speaker 2: and was not until after he was visited by the
Speaker 2: Reverend Billington and Handsaker, who comforted him with religious advice
Speaker 2: that he braced up for the trying ordeal. Lions told
Speaker 2: the ministers that he had no fears to meet his God,
Speaker 2: but he hated to leave his family. He had no
Speaker 2: ill feeling against any man. To some, he said that
Speaker 2: the gallows would never be the cause of his death.
Speaker 2: He said that on the morning which would be his last,
Speaker 2: he would not have to go up the little stairs
Speaker 2: to the hangman's knot. But Lions was too closely watched
Speaker 2: by the death watch, who have stayed by his side
Speaker 2: for several days. He never made the attempt to commit suicide,
Speaker 2: as he knew it was probably useless to do so.
Speaker 2: He asked for no drugs of any kind, but accepted
Speaker 2: the consolations of religion as ministered by several pastors of
Speaker 2: the city.
Speaker 1: In the cell.
Speaker 2: A few minutes before the time of his death, Lions
Speaker 2: was on his knees by the side of three ministers
Speaker 2: of the Gospel. They were praying fervently, and the officers
Speaker 2: respectfully awaited with bowed heads for the amen before proceeding
Speaker 2: to strap the prisoner. When the minister had finished, Lyon's
Speaker 2: voice was raised in prayer. He offered a really splendid petition,
Speaker 2: remembering his wife, his children, his parents, and all his friends,
Speaker 2: in words that were uttered with trembling lips. It was
Speaker 2: the only time he showed signs of breaking down. He
Speaker 2: wept bitterly as he prayed and bowed his head upon
Speaker 2: the bed, and as he finished and uttered his amen,
Speaker 2: the keys of the deputy rattled in the lock. The
Speaker 2: guards assisted him to don his coat and vest. A
Speaker 2: pretty rose adorned his coat lapel. The tears were dried away,
Speaker 2: and he sat straight and resigned as the straps were
Speaker 2: placed about his limbs. His eyes were closed, and his
Speaker 2: breath came and went rapidly, his knees trembling as he
Speaker 2: supported himself by holding to the iron bars of the door.
Speaker 2: At nine o'clock, Share of Fred Fisk entered the jail
Speaker 2: and the cell where Lions has been confined, and read
Speaker 2: to him the death warrant issued by the Circuit Court.
Speaker 2: As he read, the prisoner paid close attention to the reading.
Speaker 2: Reverend Green and Reverend Handsacer were in the cell with
Speaker 2: the prisoner, and the latter lay stretched upon his bed
Speaker 2: in his shirt sleeves, clean shaven but for his well
Speaker 2: groomed mustache, and with little nervousness. He was asked to
Speaker 2: sit up to listen to the warrant.
Speaker 1: Red.
Speaker 2: At first he did not understand, but was assisted by
Speaker 2: the guards at his side to sit on the edge
Speaker 2: of the bed. They tell of the clock on the
Speaker 2: courthouse striking nine o'clock was the death knell to the
Speaker 2: doomed prisoner, and as it sounds entered the gloom.
Speaker 1: Of the cell.
Speaker 2: He bowed his head slightly, while the men of the
Speaker 2: gospel prayed in silence by his side upon their knees.
Speaker 2: As the reading was finished, he made some inaudible remark
Speaker 2: and again sank back upon his couch, and the bars
Speaker 2: closed before him, to be opened again in a few
Speaker 2: moments to let him breathe the air of partial freedom.
Speaker 2: On his short walk to the scaffold, he begged goodbye
Speaker 2: to the guards and his other friends by shaking hands.
Speaker 2: He spoke his farewell words without a tremor, and looked
Speaker 2: his friends squarely in the eye. Then he was told
Speaker 2: all was ready. He said that he was too, and
Speaker 2: fell into the procession, headed by a share of Fisk
Speaker 2: and composed of four deputies and two clergymen, all of
Speaker 2: whom were with him on the scaffold. Just at nine
Speaker 2: point thirty the death party emerged from the jail. Share
Speaker 2: of Fisk led the procession, and closely behind him came
Speaker 2: the doomed man, dressed in a neat suit of black
Speaker 2: clothes and low cut shoes. At the lapel of his
Speaker 2: coat was pinned a pink rose. The prisoner was supported
Speaker 2: on either side by the members of the death Watch,
Speaker 2: and his arms were strapped tightly to his body. Lions
Speaker 2: gave evidence of labored breathing, and there was ghastly pallor
Speaker 2: on his face, but his walk was very firm. As
Speaker 2: he mounted the steps to the gallows, he seemed utterly
Speaker 2: unconscious of those about him, and looked neither to the
Speaker 2: right nor to the left. He walked bravely to the
Speaker 2: foot of the scaffold and mounted the steps without assistance.
Speaker 2: A prepared board was ready to him if he gave away,
Speaker 2: but there was no need of it. He took his
Speaker 2: place and clenched his fist, determined to display no nervousness.
Speaker 2: Lions was quickly placed in the proper position, and his
Speaker 2: legs strapped firmly together. The voice of Sheriff Fisk broke
Speaker 2: the stillness with mister Lyons, have you anything to say? No,
Speaker 2: only this, I think everyone who's been kind to me
Speaker 2: May God forgive you people, for you know not what
Speaker 2: you do. That's all muttered the unfortunate being as he
Speaker 2: gasped for breath. The victim heaved a sigh as he
Speaker 2: cast a last glance at the upturned faces of the
Speaker 2: crowd and closed his eyes, and the black cap was
Speaker 2: pulled down over his face. The Reverend Green spoke, mister
Speaker 2: Lyons wishes to thank all his friends who have been
Speaker 2: so kind as to call upon him during the imprisonment,
Speaker 2: all relatives for their sympathy, and the officials who have
Speaker 2: showed him kind consideration. He has confessed his crime, and
Speaker 2: may God receive his soul as it leaves the serve.
Speaker 2: Sheriff Fisk quickly adjusted the noose around the murderer's neck,
Speaker 2: made a swift movement with the hand, and the body
Speaker 2: of Elliot Lions shot swiftly downward, and his soul passed
Speaker 2: to the great beyond. The body dropped about seven feet,
Speaker 2: unjointing the neck. The body doubled convulsively once and then
Speaker 2: straightened out and hung in stillness until fourteen minutes had passed,
Speaker 2: when doctor's day and Pain pronounced him dead. Missus Elliot
Speaker 2: Lions and Benton lions wife and brother. The hangedman signed
Speaker 2: the receipt for his body, and undertaker Day removed it
Speaker 2: from the jail yard. Sheriff Fred Fisk has handled the
Speaker 2: details of the affair from the start, and no item
Speaker 2: has escaped him which he could use to make the
Speaker 2: event one which had appealed to the morbidness which attaches
Speaker 2: itself to similar things. He conducted the direction of the
Speaker 2: posses which were after Lions. Every avenue was guarded, every
Speaker 2: lane had a man watching for the fugitive. The system
Speaker 2: was perfect and there was no means for escape, as
Speaker 2: the captured man soon found. Fisk and his deputies have
Speaker 2: done an excellent work and deserve commendation for their thankless labors.
Speaker 2: It was less than a minute from the time Lions
Speaker 2: reached the top of the scaffold until he was swung
Speaker 2: at the end of the rope. Immediately following the execution,
Speaker 2: workmen began at once to tear down the scaffold and enclosure.
Speaker 2: At five o'clock. There was nothing to indicate eight that
Speaker 2: such an event had taken place. Sheriff Fiske was expeditious
Speaker 2: throughout the entire undertaking, carrying out the details promptly and accurately,
Speaker 2: with no mistakes being.
Speaker 4: Made epilogue, Idaho. Jane Baker Lyons was never tried for
Speaker 4: her part in the murder of Sheriff Withers.
Speaker 5: She was left a widow with two sons, William Ellis Lyons,
Speaker 5: age fourteen and Claude Cecil Lions, aged seven. Ida, as
Speaker 5: she was known, remarried a man named Benjamin Edward Robertson
Speaker 5: in nineteen oh eight, five.
Speaker 4: Years after her husband's execution, and died of a heart
Speaker 4: attack in Portland, Oregon, nineteen thirty eight at the age
Speaker 4: of seventy three.
Speaker 2: That was the largest sheriff in Oregon. The Terror of
Speaker 2: All Tufts Killed by horse thief called from the historic
Speaker 2: pages of the Oregon Daily Journal, the Eugene Morning Register,
Speaker 2: the Eugene Guard, and other newspapers of the era. True
Speaker 2: Crime Historian is a creation of popular media. Opening theme
Speaker 2: by Nico Vitessi. Incidental music by Nico Vitesi, Chuck Wiggins,
Speaker 2: and Dave SAMs. Some music and sound effects license from
Speaker 2: podcast music dot Com. Closing theme by Dave SAMs and
Speaker 2: Rachel Shatt. Engineered by David Hish at Third Street Music
Speaker 2: Media Management and original graphics for each episode by Sean R.
Speaker 2: Miller Jones and don't forget about Me. I'm true crime
Speaker 2: historian Richard O. Jones, signing off for now.