The Corvallis Times

TRUSTY WHITE, CORNERED NEAR EDDYVILLE AND KILLED

After Being Wounded, He Placed His Revolver to His Own Forehead and Sent a Bullet into His Brain—Body Passed Through Corvallis,

There was an unusual buzz about the Corvallis & Eastern station at Corvallis on the arrival of the train from Yaquina, Thursday. In the baggage car was the dead body of a man, and gradually it leaked out that the deceased was none other than Ed White, the fugitive trusty who escaped from the Oregon penitentiary a couple of weeks ago, and who has since become notorious in connection with the scandal in which the name of a female convict from Jackson county is mentioned.

In a desperate encounter with officers, worn out with the fatigue of flight, and exposure to the weather and the constant pursuit of the Lincoln county sheriff and deputies, and eager to find in death a relief from his troubles, White, after the manner of Tracy, finding himself wounded, placed his revolver to his own forehead and sent a bullet crashing through his brain. He died five minutes later, still clutching with a death grip, his revolver, one hand holding the handle and the other the muzzle of the weapon.

The encounter happened Wednesday, near the farm house of Robert Warnick, who resides a short distance beyond Eddyville, Lincoln county. The only participants were the fugitive and Robert Warnick. Warnick, armed with a Winchester rifle, ordered White to throw up his hands, and the reply of the latter was to present a 44 calibre Colt's revolver, which, however, though every chamber was loaded, he did not discharge. At the moment, Warnick leveled his Winchester, and White quickly turned and fled. After several shots a ball fired by Warnick brought the culprit to his knees, when he ended his life by his own hands.

The fact that White was in hiding in Lincoln county became known last week. He stopped for a time at a farm house not far from the Summit. From there he drifted southwest across Lincoln county, until Sunday afternoon, when he was overhauled by Sheriff Ross, and in an encounter that took place between them, both emptied their revolvers at a range of only 35 yards, without effect. White escaped, and during the night crossed the Alsea Bay from Waldport to Lutjens, and thence took a northeasterly course, passing through the Drift Creek country and ultimately appearing in the vicinity of Chitwood. Monday night he slept in a barn on the farm of Charles Bruner. Tuesday morning he was driven from the school house near Chitwood, by parties who went there to hold some kind of a meeting. Later, the same morning he took breakfast at a farm house in the vicinity.

Meantime, officers were trailing him, and the whole country was excited over the situation. Reports of all kind were in circulation, and the next development was watched at Toledo, Elk City, and other points along the bay with feverish interest.

Among those on the lookout for the fugitive was Warnick. Armed with a Winchester and traveling along the railroad track on a hand-car with the section gang, Warnick observed a man answering White's description, Wednesday forenoon. The stranger was in the county road, and as he noted the approach of the party on the hand-car, he immediately disappeared in the bushes. The car did not halt, but kept on its course, past the fugitive's hiding place, and to a distance of 150 yards beyond. There, out of sight of White, Warnick dismounted from the car, and stole back towards the fugitive's hiding place.

Within a few minutes. White appeared in the road again, moving toward Warnick's house, only a short distance away. A saddled horse stood tied to the fence in front of the door, and apparently the convict was making for it.

White's first knowledge of the presence of Warnick was the latter's command to halt and throw up his hands. The fugitive turned suddenly and presented his revolver as if to fire. The deputy immediately leveled his Winchester and White wheeled and ran swiftly toward the horse. Warnick opened fire, shooting high at first in the hope of inducing the fugitive to stop without shedding blood. White never halted, however, but soon reached the horse, untied him and started to
mount. At that moment, a bullet from the Winchester passed through his clothing. This caused a change of plan, and the convict, wheeled from the horse and started for the Warnick barn, but a short distance away. He had gone but a short distance, when a ball from the rifle entered his body. It went in at the small of the back, and came out four inches above the navel. White staggered, and fell to his knees.

Up to this time, he had not used his revolver. It was a 44 calibre Colt's, and clutching the handle with his right hand and the muzzle with his left, he pressed it close to his forehead and sent a bullet crashing into his own brain. The ball entered the head just below the hair. The discharge set fire to his hat, which was subsequently picked up a few feet away, still on fire.

When Warnick reached him, White was lying on his face, his arms under him, his hands still clutching the revolver in the same manner that he held it when he fired his last shot. He was still alive, but he died five minutes afterwards.

The body was taken to Eddyville and there a coroner's jury returned a verdict that White came to his death by gunshot wounds inflicted by his own hands and by the hands of Robert Warnick. The verdict also exonerated the latter from blame. The body was taken to the penitentiary for interment.