They didnt have no horses. They all walked from Claude Browns. It was
about a mile, I guess, from Claude Browns to the schoolhouse. Claude Brown
and Fred Roberts had pistols. Robert Leventon, he had a rifle, the only
rifle there and Claude Morris and I, we had a spoke a piece. Those spokes
were brought down by these fellows from the Brown ranch. They got them from
Leventons blacksmith shop. We went into the barroom at the Myers hotel,
where frank Hall, Jim Hall, Dan Yantis and Martin Wilson were in charge of
Jim Brown and Sid Goyette. Claude Brown was in the lead. We were all going
in double. Claude Morris and I were side by side. We were about the third
pair back. Behind Claude Brown and Robert Leventon.
As the first two pair went in, one took Sid Goyette and the other took Jim
Brown and told them to hold up their hands. And then the other next two
behind them came in to start in on the prisoners. They went to Frank Hall
first and jumped onto him. The next two was Claude Morris and I. We took
the next one by the side of him. That was martin Wilson. We had these
strips of sacks and we tied his hands and they come in one right after the
other and all were talking at times and they were telling us how to fix the
sacks, tying them over the head and mouth and gag them so they couldnt
holler. We tied the gag before we did the hands, then we rolled them over
and tied hands back of them. Claude Morris and I helped on the little
fellow and by the time we got him tied, the other fellows had the others
tied. There was one fellow that hollered. I was in the crowd and couldnt
tell which one it was. Then we got them all up and there were four fellows
got over frank Hall and started with him first and got him out to the steps
of the porch. He wasnt going and one more made five to go with him.
Kresge, Colburn, Robert Leventon, Will McDaniels and Henry Knox, I believe,
was the five that took Frank hall. He put up a fight there. He got a hand
loose and one of the boys said, he chugged him in the stomach with his fist.
I think it was Will McDaniels. When Frank hall got a hand loose he was
getting the best of them a little bit and one of the fellows that had the
spokes hit him a pop with a spoke. They had ropes around all of their
necks.
Frank Hall was the only one to put up a fight. Frank Hall was the first
one they took out. They hung him on the first bridge. They could get him
no further. They said, We cant get no further; we will hang him here.
Frank hall was the first with five fellows. The bridge, they hung him off
couldnt have killed a cat to have hung it off of there if he hadnt been
killed. Before he was hung, he was as good as killed. I rather be hung,
than killed with that spoke. He was senseless when they threw him over that
bridge. His feet hung on a barb wire fence. They hit him two or three
times up there and I dont know whether they hit him any more after that or
not. We got ahead of them after they began fighting. Then went right on
with the others and this Frank hall, he was such a load to drag along and
when they got to the first bridge, they said: We dump him off here. They
dumped him off on the little bridge and he didnt have more than four feet
to drop and in kicking and struggling, he kicked his pants off there.
They had Dan Yantis ahead of us. There was three holding him. Fred
Roberts for one and Polmanteer for another and I think Isom Eades. They
took Dan Yantis down there. They was just ahead of us. They took him down
and tied a rope. One man tied the rope on the bridge and the other two held
him. They all three got hold of him and he was the first one hung just
dumped him right over. Then Martin Wilson was the next one.
When Claude and I got down to the bridge, we give Martin Wilson to the
first three that hung Yantis. We said; We dont understand this business.
They said; We hung this man. We understand it better than you; we better
take the fellow now. It was Fred Roberts, Isom Eades and Polmanteer.
Those were the three that hung Martin Wilson. When we give him up, they
were just at the place where they threw Dan Yantis over and they said: We
will take him over about midway of the bridge, and Fred Roberts tied the
rope to the bridge and Claude Morris and I followed right up and seen them
tie the rope and all three got hold of him and over he went. I could tell
who they were by the walk and clothes.
The next fellow, that come was the big boy, Jim Hall. I dont remember
who did have him. The rest of the mob by this time had got rid of Frank
Hall on the bridge and they come on and then the whole mob was right there
to hang one fellow and I didnt get close enough to see who did throw Jim
Hall over the bridge. Three or four or half dozen grabbed hold of him.
After we got through with the four they said: We will have to hang old
Calvin hall or he will sock it to us if we dont. They all seemed to agree
on that. That remark was made by Fred Roberts, Robert Leventon and Kresge.
Then they went after the old man. Claude Brown and Will McDaniels, I
believe, went around to head old Hall from going out the north door of the
room where he was sleeping. The first to venture into the parlor from the
south was Robert Leventon and Fred Roberts. The door was not locked. I
think there was about five or six went in and in just a few seconds, they
come out with old man Hall. He was gagged and tied. Then the crowd went
back down to the bridge. They run him out in his nightclothes. He didnt
have nothing but his under clothes on. Then, we went back down. We didnt
have to go, but we we just went down and they tied and threw him over on the
north side of the bridge. They didnt say anything to him at all. I
believe he said something before they gagged him. He wanted to know what
they were going to do. I didnt hear him say it, but I heard the other
fellows say he said: What are you going to do with me? and the other
fellows said, We are going to hang you. Robert Leventon made that remark.
They had him gagged and four fellows hold of him. The rope for him was left
out on the porch at the time we went out. We had the rope with us when we
went in for the first four. There was a pile of boxes on the left side of
the porch and the rope was left there. Roberts carried the rope into the
parlor. When they finished the hanging of old Calvin Hall, Fred Roberts
said: I guess we will have to make a move. Some one will come and be
finding us out.
The country fellows went their way and the town fellows returned to their
homes. The latter kept their heads covered until they reached town. I give
my sack to Potter and Joe Leventon. Claude Morris and the other fellows
when we last seen them had their sacks on. I dont know what they done with
theirs. Isom Eades helped hang the old man Hall for one and I think he
helped hang the big boy Jim hall. It is now kind of hard to get them all
placed around. Trowbridge wasnt in the crowd that night. The next
morning, E. S. Trowbridge said to me: You hung them fellows. I said:
Yes. Well, he said, what did you have any trouble? I told him, No,
didnt have no trouble; Frank fought a little.
Orrin Trowbridge was there. I left him out, I forgot all about him. He
come up from Bieber and got in with the Brown clique. He come up on a
bicycle; that is he said he did. When we were at the schoolhouse, he was a
fellow and I didnt know his walk very well, being down to Bieber and
finally I knew his voice.
Since I came to Alturas, Trowbridge said a fellow that was in that mob and
helped to hang those fellows and would turn States evidence and tell on
them ought to be shot down or hug. I heard him say it, and old man Myers
was saying it and I heard Parks say it and Mr. Myers son Cyrus. Cyrus
Myers was not in the hanging. Parks did not have any knowledge of it, but
he has taken a lot of interest in it now. He wants to see fellows who do
such a deed clear.
Jim Brown went to Erv Carpenter, the constable down there and asked him if
he would stand in with them and hang these fellows. They were nothing but
thieves and cutthroats and get them out of the way. Jim brown said: You
dont know after you turn these fellows loose after this charge, they will
burn the houses down and cant tell what they will do. An Erv Carpenter
made the remark: Wait and see what the law will do with them. I believe
Erv did know something about their coming after them.
When we came back after Calvin hall, Jim Brown was standing on the porch,
old man Myers was standing on the hotel porch and Claude Brown and
Polmanteer went right around and went right through his house and they never
said anything to them or they to him and they went right through the main
part of the house. I believe Myers women folks knew this thing was coming
off, almost sure, they did.
