Multnomah County OR Archives News.....Saw Fatal Blow September 9, 1904
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Sheron Faynor nitwittwin@hotmail.com April 22, 2008, 11:15 am

Morning Oregonian September 9, 1904
Police Find Eye Witness To Murder
Gus Whalley Tells Story
Chinese Physician Was Struck By A Drunken Man,Who Fled When He Saw That Lee 
Sing Nom Has Fallen Unconscious
It has remained for Gus Whalley, a carpenter,to tell detectives working in 
which Dr.Lee Siing Nom met his tragic death at the corner of Fourth and Pine 
streets at 10:30 o'clock tuesday night.he has also furnished the officers with 
a description of the tow men implicated in the crime,and has also repeated a 
conversation he had with one of the two men after the crime was 
committed.Detectives are hot on the trail and a few hours may see the murderer 
in the City Jail,awaiting a preliminary hearing.
But the charge will not be nurder.Facts in the possession of th epolice tend 
to show that Lee Sing Nom came to his death,not from the blow str struck by 
his assailant,but by striking his head against a sharply pointed rock in the 
street when he was felled to the ground.The gravet charge that he can be 
placed against the man,if he was caught,will be manslaughter.
Gus Whalley,in company with his cousin,was near the corner of Fourth and Pine 
streets when the murder occurred.They say there were but two men concerned in 
the murder,instad of htree,as told by Ho Kee,the Chinese cook.
"The light on the corner was flickering badly and we could not get a good view 
of the two men," said Whalley to the detectiveds yesterday"but the assailant 
was a young fellow,rather heavy set,smooth faced and wore a straw hat.He 
seemed to have been drinking and when lee Sing Nom came out of the corner 
house he met two men,face to face,and the one who appeared to be half drunk 
addressed a remark to him.We were not near enough to understand what he 
said,and did not pay much attention to it at the partticular time.
"This man started to follow the Chinaman,who was crossing the street,as though 
desiring to avoid trouble.The other young man tried to hold his companion 
back,but the fellow broke away and ran toard the Chinaman,striing him on the 
head as he caught up with him.The Chinaman raied his arm above his head as 
though to ward off another blow,the turned half way around and fell to the 
ground heavily.He did not seem to move after he fell,and when the two men saw 
this they wlked away rapidly down Fourth street toward Ankeny.My cousin and I 
walked after them, and when they saw that we were following they broke into a 
run and turned west on Ankeny street.
Whalley's description of the crime tallies exactly wiht that of the Chinese 
cook with the exception that Ho says there were three men in th eparty.It is 
possible,the police think,that the Chinese cook saw one of the witnesses in 
addition to the two men implicated in th crime.
Another important clue to the murder was given Detectives Weiner,Kerrigan and 
Snow by Fred Neth,ticket seller at Fritz' theater.Neth as a witness of a 
dramatic scene in the City Chophouse,in which Whalley and his cousin also 
participated.
"I went into the chophouse.which is at 266 Burnside street,about 6 o'clock 
Wednesday evening." Neth told the officerws,"A young man,who was clean shavn 
and fairly well dressed ,followed me in and sat down at the same table.Before 
he had given his order two other young men entered,one sittingby my side and 
the other beside the first comer.They spoke to each oher,and after a brief 
conversation all ordered clams.They had just been served when one of the two 
remarked to the first man that there had been a murder in Chinatown the night 
before.
"What do you think about it?" asked the first comer.
"My cousin and I saw it." replied one of the other two.
"At this the firt comer started and spilled his coffee.He changed the 
conversation suddenly and began to talk about a contract he had just made to 
do some carpentering.Then he switched the talk again and began to tell where 
he had last worked,saynig that his boss had fired him with the remark that he 
wasn't worth a redwood plank.He seemed anxious to keep away from the subkect 
of the murder."
"Finally he got up suddenly and walked form the restaurant,paying his bill as 
he did so.He had eaten scarcely any of his clams.The wiater came to us and 
asked whether he manhad liked the clams.The man sitting beside me remarked 
that his own clams were all right and that he did not know why the other has 
left so suddenly.I told Detective Wainer what I had heard."
Charles Lawrence is the waiter who waited on the four men.Theman who sat at 
the table and showed such anxiety when Whalley said that he and his cousin had 
witnessed the murder is not known to Lawrence by name but it is said that he 
often eats at the chophouse.
Detectives Snow,Kerrigan,and Weiner who are working on the case,obtained a 
good description of the man and are at present looking for him.It is htought 
that he was one o fhte men implicated in teh assault.Whalley and his companion 
were unable to tell whether the two men they saw commit the criime.Once this 
man is in custody it is thought that the reward offered for information and 
his own connection with the affair will be sufficient to cause him to tell all 
ke knows.
Yesterday Nom's partners in the Lee Company placed $500 in gold in the hands 
of Chief of Police Hunt,which amount will be paid for the arrest and 
conviction of the murderer.The Chinamen were discussing last night the 
advisability of increasing the reward to $1000,but no final action was taken 
on the proposition.
Coroner Finley will hold an inquest over the remains of Dr.Lee Sing Nom at 10 
o'clock this morning.

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