4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL MAY 2, 2018
O PINION
Offbeat Oregon History: "Unwritten law" and murder
By Finn JD John
Working together to be our best
C
o t t a g e
Grove has
always been a
special place to
me. I got to know
one of my close
friends while hav-
ing dinner at the
Axe and Fiddle.
By Ned Hickson
The
public library
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
was the fi rst place I
spoke at following the publication of my
fi rst book back in 2013. During my 20
years at The Siuslaw News in Florence,
I’ve come to know several members of
The Sentinel newsroom staff, including
Finn John, Matt Treder, Jon Stinnett and
others — all before our two newspapers
became part of the same news company
family several years ago.
That being said, you’ll notice my name
has been added to the staff box on page 4
as the managing editor. I’m glad to say I
can add current editor Caitlyn May to the
list of Sentinel folks I’ve come to know
and, in this case, am looking forward to
working with in the weeks and months
ahead.
Cottage Grove’s historic district and
diverse mix of both urban and rural com-
munities create a broad tapestry of expe-
riences, perspectives and opportunities
for those who live here, as well as the
journalists who chronicle it.
Ultimately, a newspaper is a refl ec-
tion of its community, serving as both a
rearview mirror to the past and a look at
who we are today — and both of which
are necessary for looking ahead as an in-
formed and united community.
Without question, The Sentinel has
seen changes over the past year. Some
of those changes have come as a result
of Caitlyn’s goal, as editor, of providing
more relevant and timely coverage of
news and events. This can be particularly
challenging when faced with the limita-
tions of a weekly publication and a small
staff.
Those changes have also helped usher
The Sentinel toward a more traditional
newsroom structure that utilizes a manag-
ing editor, which has become a standard
among newspapers, both large and small.
Through a recent survey, as well as
your letters, emails, phone calls and con-
versations during the past several weeks,
we’ve had a chance to hear what many
of you like and dislike about the changes.
Some appreciate the longer, more in-
depth series examining the impacts of
state or national issues on the local level;
others feel our scope has broadened too
much.
Some readers think we lean too far left,
others too far right — and some feel we
try too hard to straddle the middle with-
out taking a stance.
Ultimately, our objective is to serve
you in the best way we can by providing
the kind of news, information and cov-
erage that offers something for each of
you — whether it be local politics, sports,
business news, the arts, and coverage of
special events, organizations or individ-
uals within the six communities The Sen-
tinel has come to serve over the last year.
Like many small newspapers, we are
also working to utilize our online pres-
ence through The Sentinel website and
social media page to close that time gap
and improve the relevancy of the news
and information we provide. This is par-
ticularly true of breaking news situations
that involve public safety, as well as im-
portant information that can’t wait for
several days to see print.
Continuing to achieve these goals takes
trust, communication and a strong work-
ing relationship with our readers — areas
that will continue to be an important fo-
cus for us, and my primary focus as man-
aging editor.
Though I remain editor at The Siu-
slaw News in Florence, I will be in Cot-
tage Grove every Wednesday, all day, so
please feel free to stop in; my door is al-
ways open. I also welcome you to call or
email me any time with questions, com-
plaints, suggestions or concerns.
In addition, Caitlyn and I will be host-
ing a free Press Release Writing Work-
shop at the Cottage Grove Public Library
on Wednesday, May 16, from 6 to 7:30
p.m.
I encourage anyone involved in a
non-profi t group, community organiza-
tion or local club who wants to learn the
ins and outs of writing press releases (and
who doesn’t!) to attend this free work-
shop. As a small newspaper with limited
staff, press releases are an important tool
in assuring information about your orga-
nization or event gets into the community.
As I mentioned at the beginning, Cot-
tage Grove has always been a special
place to me. This makes it just one more
reason to feel that way.
I hope to see you May 16, or any time.
Ned Hickson
Managing Editor
541-902-3520
For The Sentinel
Alfred Lester Belding may have
intended to try to claim the protec-
tion of the “Unwritten Law” when
he made his plans for revenge. But,
reviewing the historical record, it
seems more likely he didn’t give a
single thought to anything beyond
the four murders he had planned.
It would have been a long shot
anyway. The “Unwritten Law” was
a social convention that “allowed”
a man to murder another man if he
sincerely believed the victim had
been intimate with his wife, or had
adulterously “ruined” a close female
relative. It didn’t have much to say
about murdering mothers-in-law, fa-
thers-in-law, and/or the wife herself.
Belding and his wife, Sylvia
Maude, had been married for sev-
en years — long enough to pro-
duce one son, Eddie, now 6. Their
marriage had been, to use a euphe-
mism of the day, a stormy one, and
by July 11, 1902, everyone knew it
was over. Sylvia, after at least fi ve
years of everyone in her family urg-
ing her to do so, was fi nally suing
him for divorce; moreover, she had
been seen with another man, George
“Gyp” Woodward. Belding was
convinced that they were having an
affair, cuckolding him. He himself
had been carrying on an adulterous
affair with a younger woman named
Cora Dawson for a number of years,
but that, of course, was different.
So, Gyp Woodward had to die.
And Sylvia had to die, because if
Belding couldn’t have her, nobody
could. And her mother and father,
who had urged her to leave him and
then taken her in when she fi nally
had — they had to die, as accesso-
ries to the crime of home-wrecking.
And now, as the evening of July
11 wore on, it looked like Belding
was going to get his chance. He had
learned that Gyp Woodward had
come over to the in-laws’ house
for a visit. All four of them were
there. The only way it could be bet-
ter would be if her brother and sis-
ter were in the house too, but one
couldn’t be too picky. Four was
enough.
So after bracing himself up with
a generous measure of liquor, he
armed himself with a pair of re-
volvers, which he “borrowed” from
his employer — he worked as a
bartender at a saloon at 14th and
Marshall. He didn’t know it, but the
wheelguns — a Colt and a Smith
& Wesson — weren’t fully loaded;
there were only nine shells between
the two guns, a fact that would quite
possibly save at least one life that
night.
Then he headed over to Sylvia’s
parents’ house, on the corner of
Fifth and Flanders.
Out on the porch Belding found
his son, young Eddie. He paused for
a few minutes to talk to the boy, then
gave him a kiss goodnight and told
him to go inside to bed.
Just then, Gyp Woodward stepped
into the doorway. Belding lifted the
Colt and let him have it. One shot,
right through the head. The curtain
had gone up.
Belding stepped past Eddie and
over the dead body of his “rival”
and stepped into the house. Startled
by the noise of the shot, Sylvia now
stepped into the hall, met his eyes.
The Colt bellowed again, and Sylvia
Maude McCroskey Belding died in
her tracks.
The murderer now started down
the hall, knowing his in-laws were
both still alive and in the house
somewhere. He found his mother-
in-law, Deborah McCroskey, fi rst.
Again he fi red one fatal shot.
Belding was obviously quite
a good shot when his victim was
standing there waiting to be mur-
dered. But his skills weren’t nearly
as good when his victim was shoot-
ing back, as his next victim, Lem-
uel McCroskey, was. Lemuel had
had plenty of notice as to what was
going on, and he’d gotten his own
pistol out. When Belding found him,
he was charging, fi ring as he came.
Luckily for Belding, Lemuel
wasn’t a very good shot; none of his
bullets touched their mark. Belding
had better luck; of the three shots
he fi red, all three hit. The fi rst one
nicked his neck; the second one
infl icted a minor fl esh wound in
his arm; and then the older man
clinched with him. Belding got one
more shot in, and this one did the
trick — it would have been fatal
had it not been defl ected by the old
man’s pocket watch. As it was, it put
Lemuel out of commission for the
night.
Knowing the house was now
empty of targets that could shoot
back, Belding now turned and
opened fi re on little Eddie, who was
apparently still on the porch.
“Pa fi red three times at me,” Ed-
die testifi ed at the subsequent trial.
“Once at my right foot and then
at my left, but the third time it did
not come near me. I was across the
street.”
Leaving one of the now-emp-
ty pistols lying on the fl oor where
he had dropped it wrestling with
Lemuel, Belding now strolled lei-
surely across the street to the Lake
Charles Saloon, throwing the other
pistol down in the street as he did.
Then he telephoned the police to let
them know what he’d done, ordered
a drink, and waited for the cops to
arrive.
At trial, Belding’s attorney didn’t
have much to go on; but he tried to
argue his client had been tempo-
rarily insane, driven thence by the
sad news that his wife was moving
on and his happy home was lost
and gone. This proved to be a real-
ly tough sell. For one thing, when
Belding had learned that his fourth
victim — Lemuel McCroskey —
was still alive, he’d become visi-
bly enraged. That didn’t strike the
jurors as consistent with a claim
that the crime had been done in hot
blood during a temporary bout of
rage-induced insanity. It was, how-
ever, very consistent with the pros-
ecution’s claim that Belding was a
cold-blooded monster who had tan-
trums when he didn’t get what he
wanted.
Another blow came from a po-
lice detective, who testifi ed to hav-
ing seen Belding smoking in opium
dens several times. Opium was legal
in 1902, but in mainstream Portland
society, indulging in it was regard-
ed in much the same way injecting
methamphetamine is viewed today:
Please see OFFBEAT PG. A9
C ottage G rove
S entinel
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Ned Hickson, Managing Editor.........................................541-902-3520
nhickson@cgsentinel.com
Caitlyn May, Editor. ................................................................. Ext. 212
cmay@cgsentinel.com
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MAY 1-MAY 14
South Valley Farmers' Market will open on Thursday, May 3
from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the corner of Main St. and 7th.
The American Legion will host bingo on Friday from 5 p.m.
to 7 p.m. at 826 W. Main St. Proceeds ( 50 cents per card) sup-
port local veterans' programs.
Sustainable Cottage Grove will host its First Friday Potluck
this Friday, May 4 at the Healing Matrix at 632 E. Main St. For
more information, call (541) 543-5735.
Coast Fork Feed Company's 2018 May Fair is set for Satur-
day, May 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 106 S. 6th St. Features
local farmers, crafts, interactive exhibits and Celtic music.
Do you have an event, lecture or gathering you want people
to know about? Send details to cmay@cgsentinel.com.