GBR Law & Order, Life & Death Series

Great Basin Research

Law & Order Life and Death In the Great Basin – EVENTS RELATED TO THE GREAT BASIN, BUT OCCURING ELSEWHERE Historical News of Misdemeanor, Felony and Internment Death and Near Misses by Natural Causes, Accidents and Human Hand compiled from newspaper research by David A. Wright

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Location	Items Pertaining to Area
Unidentified Locations, Locations Outside of but Related to the Great Basin, or Items With No Specific Details	Newspaper Articles *Inyo Independent, October 10, 1870 "ATTEMPTED TO ESCAPE"* Summary: Two prisoners en route to San Quentin prison with Inyo County Sheriff Elder tried to make a getaway. They got free of their irons, but the sheriff brought a Henry rifle to bear on them, and they decided to stay with him a little longer. They were near Visalia, California when the attempted escape occurred. *Bullfrog Miner,* April 15, 1905 “JIM WARDNER DEAD.” Many old miners will regret to learn that Jim Wardner is dead. During an uneventful career he made and lost fortunes. He was the discoverer of the famous Wardner mines in Idaho. *Rhyolite Herald, October 6, 1905 “LOCAL PANNINGS”* The Wells-Fargo Express Co., has a scheme figured out whereby the danger of loss from stage and train holdups is reduced to a minimum. Instead of shipping money by express, a special check for $200 and under will be issued for C. O. D.'s and collections will be forwarded to the shipper by mail and will be cashed by the office of the company in the city where the shipper lives. No money will be shipped by stage unless a surplus accumulates in the same office, in which case it will be sent out under guard of special armed messengers. *Inyo Register,* January 4, 1906 “PROBATION NOTICE.” Summary: Estate of Sophronia A. Smith, deceased. *Inyo Register,* January 11, 1906 Summary: Solomon Jewett, pioneer of Kern County, died. *Beatty-Bullfrog Miner, July 28, 1906 “PHASES OF DESERT THIRST.”* Half of the people dying from desert thirst perish in thirty-six hours, a quarter within forty-eight or fifty hours and all others of which the history is known within eighty hours. The phenomena of desert thirst may be arranged in three stages, namely normal thirst, functional derangement, and structural degeneration. These three stages are made up of five phases – the clamorous, cotton mouth phase, the shriveled tongue, the blood sweat, and the living death. There is hope in saving the lives of the victims whose thirst is diagnosed in the first three phases; but for the fourth and fifth death is certain. The clamorous phase of desert thirst may be relieved with water, or in some instances fruit acids or similar substances. The second, or cotton mouth phase, should be treated by giving the victim quarts of water taken in small sips, and flooding his body. Practically the same treatment may be applied to the third, or shriveled tongue phase, with the addition of a medicine to counteract the fever and a tonic for the heart. Water would only prove a damage in the fourth or blood sweat phase, and even if it were possible to satisfy the thirst of the victim, his mental condition would never be clear. Death from thirst is often painless. *Rhyolite Herald, May 6, 1908 “DEATH OF CAPT. SIBBLE.”* No summary *Rhyolite Herald, June 10, 1908 “DEATH OF SAMUEL A. SHIPLEY.”* No summary *Rhyolite Herald, August 5, 1908 “‘DEATH VALLEY SPECIAL’ ENGINEER IS KILLED”* Summary: H.S. Rossiter, engineer for Death Valley Scotty’s famous run, is killed in Kansas when his train hit an open switch. *Inyo Register, November 5, 1908 Summary:* Henry A. Butters, a prominent mining man of California and Nevada, has died in Berkeley, California. *Inyo Register, November 26, 1908 "RICKEY SUED SOME MORE" Summary:* The Nevada-California Power Company has a suit against Thomas B. Rickey, of the Nevada State Bank, in the amount of $25,000. The case is being handled in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as that company was incorporated under the laws of that state. *Inyo Register, January 14, 1909 Death Valley Scotty is supposed to be laying at the point of death in a hospital in Chicago. A double fracture of the skull and hemorrhages may cause his death. He was beaten by robbers and left unconscious in the snow last week. Beofre [sic] leaving his hotel, he was known to have a large amount of money upon his person, but when found had nothing of value was on him. He predicted while in Reno a few weeks ago that sometime he would be attacked and robbed, for everyone knew that he always carried a large amount of money wherever he went. - Carson News. Inyo Register, July 15, 1909 “NOTICE TO CREDITORS.”* Summary: David Olds, deceased. Main Law & Order, Life & Death Index

Location

Items Pertaining to Area

Unidentified Locations, Locations Outside of but Related to the Great Basin, or Items With No Specific Details

Newspaper Articles

Inyo Independent, October 10, 1870
"ATTEMPTED TO ESCAPE"
Summary: Two prisoners en route to San Quentin prison with Inyo County Sheriff Elder tried to make a getaway. They got free of their irons, but the sheriff brought a Henry rifle to bear on them, and they decided to stay with him a little longer. They were near Visalia, California when the attempted escape occurred.

Bullfrog Miner, April 15, 1905
“JIM WARDNER DEAD.”
Many old miners will regret to learn that Jim Wardner is dead. During an uneventful career he made and lost fortunes. He was the discoverer of the famous Wardner mines in Idaho.

Rhyolite Herald, October 6, 1905
“LOCAL PANNINGS”
The Wells-Fargo Express Co., has a scheme figured out whereby the danger of loss from stage and train holdups is reduced to a minimum. Instead of shipping money by express, a special check for $200 and under will be issued for C. O. D.'s and collections will be forwarded to the shipper by mail and will be cashed by the office of the company in the city where the shipper lives. No money will be shipped by stage unless a surplus accumulates in the same office, in which case it will be sent out under guard of special armed messengers.

Inyo Register, January 4, 1906
“PROBATION NOTICE.”
Summary: Estate of Sophronia A. Smith, deceased.

Inyo Register, January 11, 1906
Summary: Solomon Jewett, pioneer of Kern County, died.

Beatty-Bullfrog Miner, July 28, 1906
“PHASES OF DESERT THIRST.”
Half of the people dying from desert thirst perish in thirty-six hours, a quarter within forty-eight or fifty hours and all others of which the history is known within eighty hours.
The phenomena of desert thirst may be arranged in three stages, namely normal thirst, functional derangement, and structural degeneration. These three stages are made up of five phases – the clamorous, cotton mouth phase, the shriveled tongue, the blood sweat, and the living death. There is hope in saving the lives of the victims whose thirst is diagnosed in the first three phases; but for the fourth and fifth death is certain.
The clamorous phase of desert thirst may be relieved with water, or in some instances fruit acids or similar substances. The second, or cotton mouth phase, should be treated by giving the victim quarts of water taken in small sips, and flooding his body. Practically the same treatment may be applied to the third, or shriveled tongue phase, with the addition of a medicine to counteract the fever and a tonic for the heart. Water would only prove a damage in the fourth or blood sweat phase, and even if it were possible to satisfy the thirst of the victim, his mental condition would never be clear. Death from thirst is often painless.

Rhyolite Herald, May 6, 1908
“DEATH OF CAPT. SIBBLE.”
No summary

Rhyolite Herald, June 10, 1908
“DEATH OF SAMUEL A. SHIPLEY.”
No summary

Rhyolite Herald, August 5, 1908
“‘DEATH VALLEY SPECIAL’ ENGINEER IS KILLED”
Summary: H.S. Rossiter, engineer for Death Valley Scotty’s famous run, is killed in Kansas when his train hit an open switch.

Inyo Register, November 5, 1908
Summary: Henry A. Butters, a prominent mining man of California and Nevada, has died in Berkeley, California.

Inyo Register, November 26, 1908
"RICKEY SUED SOME MORE"
Summary: The Nevada-California Power Company has a suit against Thomas B. Rickey, of the Nevada State Bank, in the amount of $25,000. The case is being handled in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as that company was incorporated under the laws of that state.

Inyo Register, January 14, 1909
Death Valley Scotty is supposed to be laying at the point of death in a hospital in Chicago. A double fracture of the skull and hemorrhages may cause his death. He was beaten by robbers and left unconscious in the snow last week. Beofre [sic] leaving his hotel, he was known to have a large amount of money upon his person, but when found had nothing of value was on him. He predicted while in Reno a few weeks ago that sometime he would be attacked and robbed, for everyone knew that he always carried a large amount of money wherever he went. - Carson News.

Inyo Register, July 15, 1909
“NOTICE TO CREDITORS.”
Summary: David Olds, deceased.

Main Law & Order, Life & Death Index

Page Revised: 01/30/2006