La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959, July 21, 1905, Image 1

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    Tonight and tomorrow showers tod
tbaoder storms, oooler
ANOE EVENING 0
Llivv Lk
VOLUME IV
LA GRANDE. UNION COUNTY. OREGON FRIDAY. JULY 21. 1905
NUMBER 224
T0D4VS NEWS TODAY
LA- OR
9
fit'
0
NORMAN WILLIAMS
WAS HANGED
only after bitter straggle to whl h make alitor in court, or
the women evidsotly resisted to their gallows I stand there
dpoo .the
Scripps Newt Association
The Dalles, Or., July 21 Daniel
Norman Williams, the alleged multl
murderer, whose crimes extend from
Iowa to Oregon, and who (or eo many
years escaped the penalty of hie acts,
was hanged in the county jail here
today. - -
Williams was hanged at 6:03 thir
morning. lie went to the gallows
without faltering aod met his end with
out a tremor. He refused to talk at
all, and waa pronounced dead fllteen
minutes after the trap waa sprung
Williams was hauged for one of tbe
mutt aatrooious Crimea in tbe history
of Oregon, the cold blooded and brutal
murder of Miss Alma Nesbitt on tbe
night of March 8, 1000, on bis home-
stead ranch, about 20 miles from Hood
River. At the same time h ktiuA I
ber mother, Mrs Louisa Jane Nesbitt,
for the purpose of eeouring possession
of a homestead claim taken up by Mies
Nesbitt adjoining his, aud to cover up
other orimes which he ia alleged to
have committed againat Mlas Nesbitt
Uaok of this is a series of crimes in
Iowa with which he was connected.
Williams knew tbe Nesbltts In
.Nebraska and induced them to come
West, lie then persuaded Alma to
take up a homestead which she did in
1809. A short time after thie be In
d'lcel ber to marry him, although he
bad a wife living at that time in Iowa
and was tbe father of seve-al children,
who are now of an adult age.
But a short time after this marriage,
which was a secret one performed at
Vancouver, Wn., in July 1890. Williams
is tup posed to have learned that his
' wife could not hold her homestead,
which is believed to have been tbe
object of the marriage. On March 8,
1900, Williams, Alma Nesbitt and her
mother lett Poitland for Hood River
They arrived there late lu the evening
and started to drive to the claim of
Williams, a distance of 0 milei,
although tbe night was dark and
stormy. That was tbe last seen of the
two women in life. Williams returned
to liood River the following morning
without them.
Tbe evidence, which was circum
stantlal, showed that Williams took the
two women out in a buggy and mnr
dered both with an ax, horribly oiuti
latingthem
utmost their gruesome fate.
burled their bodies in a huge brush
pile and burned them.
Wltliama built his plans carefully
aod even went so far as to construct a
henhouse over the graves of the un
fortunate women. He endeavored to
account for their absence by declaring
that tbe had gone to Washington and
asserted that Alma had eutered on a
fast life, lie wrote such a story of her
to her sister, who is a resident of
Council bluffs, Iowa, and to other
frieoda of the murdered women ia tbe
East. ' .1 :
Sometime after, Geo. Nesbitt, of Ia.,
endeavored to trace tbe whereabouts
of his mother and alster and became
convinced that Williams bad murdered
tbem. Tbe' grave where the victims
bad first been placed was opened.
The murderer had failed to remove all
traces of his crime. A portion of Mrs
Nesbitt's soalp with long wtay treasei
attached thereto and eome bloodstained
ZZT.zjiJ iuuud. i tie bodies of
the two women have never been found.
Expert testlmoney allowed that a
portion of tbe hair and so tip had been
torn from the bead of Mrs Williams
while she waa yet alive and these grue
some relics were shown in court where
Williams sat unmoved. The murderer
had bean arrested meanwhile in Wash
Ington and the strongest evidence of a
oirouaistantial nature was built up
against him, Tbe trial which took
plaoe in Arrll, 1904 was an intensely
dramatlo one and resulted la the con
viotlon of the prisoner.
Attempts to appeal tbe case proved
fntile and in sullen silence Williams
wenl to the gibbet carrying with bim
the complete story of the way in
which be had murdered, in the
ditrkoess of the urmy March night.
two women who bad trusted him to
the full exteot of human confidence.
DuriDg.hislong eoni'uement Will
Unis has grown religion uod adopted
thetalth of the "Holy Rollers."
When his final appeal to the Supreme
Court was refused and Governor
Chamberlain declined to Interfere
Williams issued the following state'
ment.
In the name of Jesus Christ I forgive
all mv enemies As I will stand be
fore Uod on the great judgment day I
so now declare before all men that
am innocent of any and all charges
brought to bear againat me for tbe
leged murder of Alma Nesbitt and
within tbe
He then shadow or death to face my eternal
judge. Bo help me Clod Normal Will-
Urns
Williams la also accused of a donb'e
murder committed at Mneoatlne Ia.,
August 18 1002, when an aged couple
Mr and Mrs Tumsns, were killed in a
lonely hnt la the Shereby woods, near
the town Williams was known In Iowa
as Daniel Williama and as a farm hand
for the Tomans. lie dlsapt eared after
tbe murder and all trace waa lost of
him by Iowa antborltlee until his
arrest for the Keebltt murder when bie
photograph was identified and . the
connection made complete. " - 1
Williama was a heavy set atolid
looking man, weighing about 190 lbs
dark sandy comlexion, light mustache
bald on tba top of his head. He waa
about 50 years of age.
EXPLOSION OF
GUNBOAT BO.LER
ACCUSED MAN
HAD AMIS! RES
Panama Canal
. Sorippa News Association
Oys'er Bay July 21 President
Roosevelt was in oonNrsnos this
mornlog with Secretary of State Root
who cams from New York accompani
ed by Dr Lyman Abott, and who re
mained uutil after luncheon Secre
tary Root will remain over night
Among tbe question discussed was the
the proposed transfer of the Panama
eanal project from tbe war depart
ment to tbe State department, and
details of the peaoe conference.
Will Not Accept
(By Sorippa News Association)
Cleveland O July 21 Reverend
Frederick Lloyd baa, recalled his
acceptance of the election aa Episcopal
bishop coadjuator for the diocese of
Oregon, on tbe grouds of the con
tinned opposition of four of the leading
clergymen, who objected to hiui as
"hiah ebnrob man" Dr Lilnyd is now
at his home at Washington, Penna
Englishman Wins
(By Soripps Newa Association)
London July 21 -In the interna
tional challenge round for tbe Davis
cup today at Wimbleton, S H 8mitb,
of the English team, defeated W A
Larned, tbe Amerioan, 6 4, 6-4, 7-5,
6 4. Smith won' by bard driving, and
her olever playing along the lines.
mother. I declare that this ia the Dougherty, ol England, defeated
The crime was committed I on'' statement I ever made or ever wll) Halcorahe Ward of America.
' By Soripps News Association
8an Diego Oal July 21 The boiler
ol tbe gunboat Bennington, which waa
lying in harbor here, exploded at 10:30
this morning. Tbe entire ship was so
blown op that she is seen to be listed
heavily, Tbe first reports are that
sixty men are killed and over a hun
dred iujured." Doieos of dead and
wounded are now being brought
ashore.
Tbe exploslt n wsa plainly heard and
felt thronghoat tbe oity, aod along the
water front the buildings shook, . A
greet column of water waa burled Into
tLe air. The fact that a terrible ac
cident bad occurred was qniokly real
ised and immed'ately every available
crafts In the harbor made tor tbe trip
ttHi auip, and the work of picking up
tbe'dead and dying began. All around
lay many corpses snd moaning sailors,
many of them injured beyond hope of
recovery, tkeir legs and arma shattered
and tbelr oheeta aud faces so tided .
Home, maddened ty the pain, sought
to hurl themselves into the water,
but were restt atned . Others of the in
jured besought their resonrere to kill
ths, id iutciiso waa their, auuerlug.
As soon aa possible the dead and In
jnred were transferred to the waiting
boats and hurried to tbe ahore, when
tbe dead were taken to the morgue and
tbe Injured to tbe various hospitals,
word having been previously sent to
them to "prepare for the reception of
many wounded. The water front waa
lined with wagons and vehicles of all
klnda were pressed Into service.
Hurried oalla were sent to tbe
physicians throughout the city, and
also to the nurses. Praotically every
physician and professional nurse, aa
well as scores of volunteer noises,
responded to the cslL '
The scene on board the Bennington
when she reached tbe wharf was (right
(ul. Tbe deck timbers, beavy steel
snd iron beams, smokestaoks, gun
esiriages and scraps ol the engines and
boilers were heaped in one indiscrimi
nets mass. Two guna were gone and
tbe magssine let loose at almott tbe
same time tbe boiler exploded, aid
notbkg remains but a great gaping
hole, Much of the npper works waa
thrown info the water. .
IMPERIAL LRDER
ISSUED TO MEN
(Soripps Newa Association)
New York, July 21-After having
been croee examined by Inspector
Cross, Eleanor Van D enter, Freder
lck Carlton's ' mlstiess, attempted
suielde today by trying to jump from ;
a indow In the Inspector's loom at
police headii.iarter, at Brooklyn.
Thia attempt waa prevented by the
Inspector. The woman was arrested at
tbe iostigation of Anthony Cometock
charged with violation of the penal
code forbidding the exposure or sale of
certain photographs. The police
believe that tbe woman will tell facta
of senratioiial intereat concerning the
man suspected of poisoning his wives.
Carlton waa arraigned today In tbe
Brooklyn court house charged with
lacoeuy.
i By Soripps News Association
1 Tokio July 21 An imperial order v
was issued this morning authorizing j
tbs appointment ol non-conmlsioned ?
officers from the reserve conscripts,!
snd also converting those of sundry
source to rank Into privates of Ihel
fighting ranks. A dispatoh from
Otaru says that tbe Russians were ds-i
feated at Datine. They were five!
five hundrod, strong wi.b six fioldj
pieces and three machine guns, and j
offered a desperate resistance Tbe'
oauonuading began at six in the morn
ing of July 7, end tbe second line of
tbe .Russian defense was not tsksni j
until ths following morning, at whicbM
' hi ...... mtwm mntlilM m
.i
I 5
By Wireless
(By Borlppe News Association)
Norfolk, Va, July 21 Tbe 'squadron
under vice admiral SMgsbee got into
wireless communication with Cape
Heury at eleven fifteen this morning
CHICAGO STRIKE
ENDED AT LAST
Suicides In Bank
, (Soripps News Association) '
Chi. ago III July 21 Anna Tiller,
aged thirty, committed sulolde at noon
today In tbe Illinois Trust and Saving
bank, after having withdrawn ; her
savings. The shot created a panic
among the patrons of the bank. The
cause of the aot is not known at the
present time,
(8ortpps News Association)
Chicago 111a July 21 following the ;
calling off of the teamsters1 strike by'.
tbe teamsters' joint coouoil, tn: ;.
lid :
HOUSE ADJOURNS
FOR DECISION
NEVER BEFORE SUCH VALUES, NEVER BEFORE SUCH PRICES
TRULY BARGAINS IN MERITORIOUS MERCHANDISE
' Abound iu every nook aud cornor ol our big store ' The knife is making its rounds in
every department, and it is doing its work well. Never before, have we offered such a
HIGH-CLASS aggregation of absolutely NEW and SEASONABLE GOODS, at what may
almost be called Recklessly Mutilated Prices, as prevail during this
GREAT' CLEARANCE SAUE
Comparison is the true test of all things We ask you, in justice to yourself, to make the
fullest comparison. -: ' '. - '
Ladies' Black Hose
Of good standard
quality, flat knit,
and made for ser
vice, this sale
7Jc the pair
Men's Shirts.
Regular 75c and
85c soft front shirts
in a larg variety
of patterns, this
sale,
43c
Ladies' Collars
, j
in this assortment
are to be found a
great many of our
best 25c and 35c
sellers, this Bale
10c
Ladies' Waists
of the regular $2.25
and 2.60 ' kind,
good styles and un
qualifiedly the best
waist bargains' in
this country, v.
Choice this sale
$1.00
Ladies' Shirt Waist Suits
We ask you to note partic
larly the fact that prices
bere quoted are little high
er ' than actual cost ol
making.
$12.50 Silk Shirt Waist Suits
l 18.00
$10 Lustre Suits in Blue,
Brown and Black.
50 pair
Slippers.
$6.35
$1.25 Children's
79c
100 pair, $1.50 and
Misses Slippers.
$175
$1.19.
CALICO, as much
as you want, a yd
APRON GINGHAMS
PERCALE - -None
to Merchants
4'
4
5'
All Ladies' Hats
HALF PRICE
Call us up on Farmers' Line.
Boys' Suits
.values up to $3.50, good
assortment
$1.95
Men's Coats and Vests
iu all wool, black end fancy
worsteds, regular $10
values. .
$5.35
Men's Pants
$2.25 and $2 50 pants, in
all wool and mixed wor
sted and cheviots.
v $1.65
50c, 75c Men's Straw Hats
Choice 25c
ol
to
The esuse of ths explosion has not
been definitely ascertained. Eogiuetr
Nelson, parsooally malting aa in
speotinn'of the bil rs prtliminsry to
leaving the port, bad found everything
all right, and wsa sbiut to give oidere
to put ou stoam when tba explosion
occurred. Nelson was blown back
into tbe stare room and injured, but
not fatally.
The captain and a few others of the
officers had not vet Joined the ship
and thus escsped Injury. ' Ensign
Perry, tbe ufnoerof the day, was on
the forward deck snd directly a1 ova
tbe boilers, lie was injurod, perhaps
fatally. Other officers were injured,
but nona fatally. The engine orsw
were all at their plsoes when the ex
plosion occurred. Tba explosion was
followed by tbe ontpouriog of a sliest
of 11 iidp, scalding wster and smoke.
Thn caught every man in the boiler
and engine room, blew up , t'ue d ck
and threw dozens of men into the air,
and some into tbe by. In a psnio
other Jumped iuta the bay. ,
Captain Luoieo Young reports at
eleven this morn lot that every man
on deck was injured by tbe explosion
aod tbst between forty aod fifty were
killed.' Tbs ship settled rapidly after
tht explosion and Is now being towed
from the uoderttresm to ths wharf
by togs. Every available wagon on
tba water front was called upon to
bring the dead nJ wounded to the
morgue and hospitals. There are
twenty-eight at the hospitals and
seven sre dead at the morgue.
Whet) tba explosion occurred tbe
ore of tl.e Bennington numbered 197
officers and men "Among tba sailora
wsa a colored man by tba nam of
Cm pin, who a as lo tbs Maine explo
Ion. It ia belelved .that fully on
hundred and eighty men were on
board when tbe explosion occurred .
Tbe Bennington was a gnu boat of tba
3rd olasa and carried tlx guna, FUtv
bod 14 ot tba dead have bean recovered
By Soripps News Associatkn
Loudon July 21 After a blf hour'
session this morning, the bouse
oommons adjourned unt'l Monday
await tbe government decision regard
ing tbe future course of the present
ministry, on the bill to reduce the sp
propristion for the Irish land comiois
sion. It is believed in well inform
cirolss that tbe ttsllour ministry wi
not liktlv resign, aud that tbe govern
ment w.ll be sustained by a normal
majority on the vote Monday.
Tbe conservative papers today uro
that the Premier bold on to bu ollloo
at any oMt, while iu j liberal pauers
at any oont, wuito lha liberal papers
are sbriskiug at him to get out.
MAY KEtUuN
It is reported In lobby olroles about
tbe house of oommons that, nt a meet
Ing of the cabinet held this afternoon,
they decided to resign. There is no
confirmation of this report. ,
V
strikers broke tanks today tn a
aUmpede for work. In moat cases tht
conditions Imposed by tba employer
wss hiding nnlon buttons. Of th
five thoueaud men who qnit, probabh
not more than fifteen hundred will U?
taken baok within tbe next few daysi
The employers beld a meeting toda
and adopted rules to govern the oon
duct ot the employees, which will U
the one condition on which to'; I
strikers are taken' back. The atrlk?
has cost twenty one lives, fifteen mill
ion dollsrs, and fire hundred were in'.
Jured in the rlotlug.
CHINKS DISCARD I
AMERICAN BOOKS
By Soripps News Association !i
8b'aoghai July ?1 The boyoott c j
American goods Is now effective, al ;
though all of tbe ruoniog contract
will ba allowed, All eouoola and col
leses in tbis saotion nave aiecarde.
M Witte In Paris
(Sorippa Newa Association)
Paris July 21 M W.tte, the Rus
sian pesoe envoy, smvtu nere tuts
afternoon, enroute to tbe United
States to attend the peace cnnlerenoe.
st , t U
vS U ft!
Fads and Fanci
. Reripps News Association
New York, July 21. Presldec
Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland ar
don on the' "Fade and Fancies" liaij
tbe society publication figuring In th f
courts ae a result of the arrest of th '
solicitor, it is said that they will re
oelve their copies deluxe without cost
their fad and fanolea being doly a
plolted. Among tba prominent me
who subscribe fifteen hundred or mot
dollars for the copies are Thos. T By
aa, W K Vsndorbullt, James J Bill,
P Morgan, Oliver Harrlman, Ohaunoe,
Depew, Perry Felmont, John Jaca
Aetor and Thus, W Lawson . S
, Mr James E Nevin of Poitland j
in the city today on a short visit.
THIS WEEK
V $1.50
COPYRIGHT
TOR $1.10
BOOKS
SEE OUR
WINDOW
THIS WEEK
FOR SUMMER READING
Our stock of tnokV includes the choicest works of
standard authors aa well as the latett aud most popu
lar book by contemporary writers.' We make a ?peoial
effort to secure the new books at soon as their good
ness and popularity are assured.
If you wish anything in the book line for study
or pleasure, for home reading or to take with you ou
your vacation, it will be profitable for you to see wbat
we hrve to offer before deciding what and where to
buy. Our prices are alwaya right.
j j NEWLIN DRUG CO. j
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