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Shocking MurderrBrave Ni^ht-watchmanBUSY TIMESCOURTMany Defendants Tried Be-Excitement Runs Hi^h Over Cowardly Shootfore City and TownyHingAndrew M. McNaughton.ship JudgesygeSeveral Arrests Made and Notorious Alley in the Ked LightDistrict Closed.ai *:h(•f*lt;1hBeautiful Luneral Service at Masonic Temple.WedoMdll was a busy day at the City Hail. A large number of last I Saturday's drop of prisoners came up j for trial tiefore Township Jaitlrw Mehn and one before City Judge Short, and a good part of the day was taken up in disposing of their oases. The little CKNSft room wasOne of the most frightful and atroclou- iriines that has ever shriekedist.he people of thii- or any other section was committed at a little after threeshe had heard the shots and saidgtbatthey had been tired id the alley backwheneeilrHko'clock last Saturday morning,Night Watchman Andrew Murray Mo Naughton was foully shot to death by a murderous and dastardly assassin in an alloy back of one of the cribs of the red light district.1 tie body of the unfortunate manwa- discovered at about seven « ’dockmby Mr.in the morning by Sam Rowe, a well* known rancher of this valley and anof the city. Mr. Roweex-Marshalwas passing through fhe district inof her place. The two officers ran track there and looked around, but the darkness foiled them and they saw nothing. And so the liody of the murdered Night Watchman remainedwhere it had fallen until it was discovered some hours later Rowe.Mrs. McNaughton, widow of the unfortunate officer, when informed of the shocking altair, was at first almost prostrated with griet, but soon pulled herself together and bore up under the subsequentt tie bereavedryi-tsearch of h Chinese beet thinning con j ordeal with a fortitude and calmness tractor when tie suddenly came upon which ha.- elicited the admirbtiou ofallhis dead friend lyin^ii-fdj the hody of face downwards in a pool of Mood in a small opelt shed in the alley backof the crib of one Josephine Lillie, There was no mark of violence save a single bullet wound in the left ear, but the face of the murdered*itifblood stained and mottledIntreohsit.8Sni-tiwas sowith powder marks that identificationwas at first impossible. The body was still warm, showing that death I had occurred within a very few hours. The fatal shot had evidently been fired at close range, as was evidenced by the powder marks which completely covered the whole left side of the face.Directly behind the spot where the dead man’s head lay was a bullet mark in the wooden floor of the shed, and beyond this, in direct line with the first mark and the unfortunate man’s head, was a second mark in the wall cd ttie crib, showing that the bullet which left the two marks badndeewho knew her and sympathize with tier in her terrible affliction.On Sunday afternoon h simple but beautifully impressive funeral service was held in the Auditorium of the Masonic Temple uuder the auspices of the Oxnard Lodge of the Uniform Rank Knights of Pythias, of which fraternity Mr, McNaughton was a prominent member. The members of the lodge were mustered out in fulluniform, under the command of Capt. Rowe, to do honor to their deadbrother, and the casket was borne toand from the Temple by pall hearersJ. W. Rose, C. J, Elliott, F. W.Train, Louis Wells, R. M. Edgar I and Ju«. Sailor,The Rev. J. D, Hart, pastor of theChristian Church, to which Mr. Mo-( Naught on belonged, made an eloquently simple and straight forward address in which be briefly called attention to the blameless character anil useful life of the officer who had beencrowded to the doors during both the morning and afternoon sessions, and great interest was manifested rn theday's proceedings.The first defendant was Josephine Lillie, the woman behind whose crib Night Watchman McNaughton wasshot to death last Saturday morning. She was charged with vagrancy, plead guilty, and was sentenced by Judge Mehn to thirty days’ imprisonment in the county jail, in the hope that she may tie able to throwsome light on the McNaughton affair.Five Chinamen, Soo Hoo Hoc of Saticoy and Gee Hing Chuck, Hong Kee, Hong Sing and Soo Hoo Wing of Oxnard, were arraiuged for smoking opium. W. E. Shepherd of Ventura, one of the cleverest criminallawyers in Southern California, defended Soo iloo Boc in an aide speech and asked that a change of venue tie gtanted so that the defendantmightbe tried at Saticoy, where he is knownand where itis thought that auti-Oriental prejudice ts not so strong as it is here in Oxnard. After a good deal of objection on the part of theDistrict Attorney, the appeal wasfinally granted by Judge Mehn. The other four defendants were also given changes of venue, and all five cases of hop smoking will therefore be tried at Saticoy.Three other Chinamen, Lip Kee, Soo Hoo Oil and Ben l'ee, were charged with running gambling joints.Lip Kee and Soo Hoo Dil plead guilty and were fined 8100 each. HenYee then came up before the Townshijglanced up from the floor and struckthe wall directly beyond. It did notlodge in the wall, but bounded back out into the alley, where it was after-Marshal Reno.thus ruthlessly shot down while fearlessly and conscientiously discharging the duties of his calling.Justice, but on motion of the District Attorney, the indictment was dis-missed and ihe prisoner discharged. He was then technically re-arrested and arraiuged before City Judgewards picked up by This bullet, which iswas perfectly deanShort on the same charge, to whichr. Hart j not gUjj|y, trial is setclosed by exhorting all good citizens for ,eu c,c|ock tomorrow raori||Dg.to do everything within their power w K Shepherd and Sing Hing, atowards purging the town of the ele- caugio of tbe aocU6edf fatD,bbedand free from i rneut which makes murders of this j poudt, f0Iof 38 calibre,133IB0rbloodstains, showing that it bad without doubt been fired by the murdererat the prostrate body of his victim after a first and better aimed shot hadsort possible.The untimely and shocking yleath i of Mr. McNaughton at once plunged !Ben Yee’s appearance incourt at the appointed time.i*done the work of destruction, andthat it had barely missed the head of the fallen man, passing over it to the floor and glancing up from the floorto the wall beyond. The bullet that did the work was extracted later inthe day tty Dr. Hunning, the County Physician, who came over from Ventura along with Sheriff McMartiu, District Attorney Selby and Coroner Beck ley.Upon discovering the body,Rowe immediately notified Reno, who came post haste to the scene of the tragedy and had the body conveyed to the undertaking rooms of Kirby Rounds, where it was later examined by officials.the town into a furor of excitementand caused an energetic crusade against vice by the city and county officials, who were busy all day Saturday raiding opium joints in the Chinese quarter and arresting inmates. Several handsomeNEW PEWS FOREPISCOPAL CHURCHMr.opiumlayouts were confiscated and taken to the City Hail. Great credit Is due to Marshal William Reuo, who at once oidered every crib in the tenderloin district closed and gave the inmates twenty-four hours in which to leave town.J. H, Carroll has been awarded the contract foi the building of a set of twelve pews for the Episcopal Church of this city. These pews, of which there are to be seven on one side ofthe church and five on the other, are to ire built of Oregon pine, to match the material of which the main strut;will hethe countyThe woman Josephine Lillie, behind whose crib the shooting occurred, tried to leave the city on an early train Saturday morning, hut was ap-nlaced under arrest, andture is bail!. The design similar to that used in the Trinity Church, Hueneme. Mr. Carrol1 will begin work on the pews at once, andhopes to complete the Easter.job beforepreMr. McNaughton was la.-t seen alive at about three o’clock by some of ft*** employes of the Ox card Light vV Water Company, who were workingn the electric light mains. A uumher of extra Deputy Marshals hadbeen appointed for duty on the nightof the murder, owing to the presence here of the Norris Rowe circusfeartroupe and the consequent fear of lawlessness from the hangers-on who always follow a large traveling show Two of these deputies—S, H. McGary and Charles Brown -were s not far from where the crime oo* corred ttt about three o'clock, when they heard two shots tired in rapid succession. They started at once in the direction from which Die reportscame Htid saw two Japs running away, One of these they caught, hut finding him unarmed released him. They then entered the crib of the Lilliesent to the courty jail at Ventura for safe beeping. Later in the day the two Mexicans who were seen with her immediately after the shooting were also arresteu and sent to Veutuia.vootber woman of the crib district and her Japanese paramour were ar~ rested and came up for trial on Monday* The woman was fined twenty-five dollars and the -lap was -enter seed to five months at hard labor.Mr. McNaughton wahorn in New York State in 1863. He came to Calian a 1yo a i 08_ tomiPmostFor the latest and designs in wail paper, see hooks at. Claud Myers’ shop.hi;artistic j sample» 11charge of his duty that brought hi to his death in the prime of his lift and usefulness.rThe interment took place last M day in Rosedale Cemetery, Los Ange ies. The six pall bearers who had officiated on Sunday at the funeral service in Oxnard accompanied the remains to their Huai resting place and did the last sad honor- tomilSOImuraiwtiCatheir !eofasfornia about teu yeais ago, and lived for sometime in Los Angeles, where j departed brother, he joined the Cbristiau Church, of The deceased which he at once became a valuable I widow, Fiauoes au'i hard-working member. tromLositwo children, a Angeles he went to Chino, where he daughter, Alta.became identified with the American Mr. McNaughton, who was a Knightis survivedMcNaughton,son, Ray,by a andand asu*se 1c hiBeet Sugar Company. He came to j of Pythias and a Forrester,Oxnard in 1900 andj u s tworked at the j purchased for himself aud his familymost attractive littlewoman and found the latter in a high state of excitement, talking with two Mexicans, The woman admitted thatgugar factory until his appointmout; one of the to the position of Night Watchman houses in the city, aud his prospect* two years ago. Mr. McNaughton was | for a happy future had never been a capable aud fearless officer aud it brighter than at the time of his shockwas his scrupulous zeal in the dising and untimely death.cortrlt;Wflit! steorPabustrtinI tht
Newspaper Details
Oxnard Courier
Oxnard, California, US
Fri, Mar 23, 1906
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
WA, USA 16 Dec 2018
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