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Death in Rock Creek George Chase shot by stepson with gun he gave as present Emmett Blood comes to Rescue of his mother when she is attacked by his stepfather and shoots to kill. George B. Chase, a rancher of Rock Creek, was shot to death last evening at 9:30 by his 17-year-old stepson, Emmett Blood, with a rifle given by Chase to young Blood against the wishes of his mother. Sheriff Ed Rand, Prosecuting Attorney Levens and Justice of the Peace, who acted as coroner in the absence of E. F. West, went to the scene of the tragedy last evening, picking up an auto load of people at Haines to act as coroner’s jurymen. The jury found that Chase came to his death as the result of a gunshot at the hands of Emmett Blood. He was taken to the County jail and witnesses have been subpoenaed for Monday when the case will be called to the attention of the Grand Jury. The only witnesses to the shooting were Mrs. George B. Chase, wife of the murdered man, her mother, Mrs. Mary Markle, a half breed Indian woman, Emmett Blood and three other children. They all testified before the coroner’s jury and the testimony was substantially the same from all. According to the witnesses, Chase was under the influence of liquor when he arrived at the house and went in to get the two younger children. When he had left with their mother ?? Emmett Blood jumped for his gun ?? Emmett Blood believes he shot but three times. The gun he used was a .22 caliber special automatic rifle and had been given to Emmett by Chase over the protests of his mother. Two of the bullet wounds are on the right side of the breast, one of the bullets going through the heart, another entered the left side and a fourth made a flesh wound in the right arm. The fifth entered the back and passed through. Immediately after the shooting young Blood went to Fidler’s sawmill where he told Ed White and Fred Coles what he had done. They accompanied him back to the house and notified the authorities. Emmett Blood is stoically resigned to his predicament in the county jail and had little to say. At the inquest neither of the witnesses exhibited any emotion, telling their stories in the most matter of fact manner. The Chases separated last April after a stormy marriage life, the troubles centering around the liking of the wife for another man, a ranch hand employed in the locality. Chase owned two farms and deeded the lower one to Mrs. Chase while he retained the upper one a short distance away. He took the two younger children, George and Malcolm, while she retained Emmett, 17, and Asa, 14. Whenever Chase went away he was in the habit of leaving the two children at the home of their mother as he did yesterday. Mrs. Chase intimated when interviewed this morning that Chase was bitter against the boys who were with her because they assisted her in earning a living and thus enabled her to live apart from him. The Baker Herald - - Saturday, July15, 1911. Chase Shooting Is Being Investigated The Grand Jury is engaged today in investigating the killing of George B. Chase, the Rock Creek rancher who was shot Friday evening at the home of his divorced wife by his stepson, Emmett Blood. All those present at the time of the tragedy was committed have been called before the grand jury body. Emmett Blood, Mrs. Chase and her mother, Mrs. Markle and the two younger children. So far the testimony that has been brought up is
similar with that at the coroner’s inquest, which was to the effect that young
Blood shot in order to protect his mother whom, they allege Chase was attempting
to shoot with a revolver. Emmett Blood Is Freed By County Emmett Blood who has been under arrest for shooting his stepfather, George B. Chase of Rock Creek, Friday evening, was released from jail last evening when the grand jury finished its investigation of the tragedy and decided that there was no evidence on which to successfully base a murder charge. The same stoicism that has characterized the members of the Blood family throughout the trouble was shown by Blood and his mother. There were no visible signs of joy over the outcome. The investigation was a thorough one and the district attorney was determined to leave no stone unturned to get at the truth of the matter so that there would be no questions in the future. The Baker Herald - - July 22, 1911. |
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