How A Dead Man Was Able To Send His Killer To The Gallows 1910

According to sources, today Plush, Oregon, is an unincorporated rural community, a census-designated place, in the Warner Valley of Lake County. Today, Plush can brag about having a store, an elementary school, a Post Office, and a church. So for Plush, with a population of 39 as of the 2020 census, that's not bad at all. 

As for the name "Plush"? Supposedly, the name "Plush" is said to have derived from a mispronunciation of the word "flush" during a poker game that was played there in the 1800s. That area in Southern Oregon became a region of sheep grazing and cattle ranching by the late 1800s. In fact, according to sources, American settlers developed the community there around sheep grazing and small cattle ranches. 

Today, Plush School District 18 is one of five school districts making up the Lake County Education Service District. Plush School, grades K–3, shares students with Adel School District 21, grades 4–8. The two schools combined have about a dozen students. For grades 9–12, those students generally attend Lakeview High School or Paisley School. I read where that part of Lake County is not in any community college district, but the county has a "contract-out-of-district" (COD) with Klamath Community College.

So now, let's talk about a murder that took place near Plush in 1910, and how a dead man was able to send his killer to the gallows. 

In the middle of June of 1910, Plush, Oregon, was the site of an intense manhunt for a killer. In fact, it became the epic center of public panic for good reason. In June of that year, 1910, a double murder of brothers Walter and Herbert Newell took place just outside of Plush. And yes, he was on the loose.

Walter Newell, who was 21 years old, and his brother Herbert Newell, who was 24, were the sons of a prominent Lakeview sheep rancher. They were murdered near their sheep camp near Honey Creek, just outside of Plush, by a sheep herder that Herbert had just fired.

The following was published in the Alturas New Era newspaper, Volume 23, Number 16, on June 15, 1910:

A DOUBLE MURDER NEAR PLUSH, OREGON

Discharged Sheep Herder Shoots Walter and Herbert Newell From Ambush

PLUSH, OREGON. -- The following telegram, received here last Saturday, caused no end of excitement. "The murder of Walter and Herbert Newell, sons of J H. Newell of Lakeview occurred today, when they were shot from ambush by a discharged sheep herder named Boliver a few miles from Plush in Lake County.

Great excitement prevails and two passes of heavily armed men under Deputy Sheriffs Sniter and Arthur , went to the scene of crime. Since then a number of men have gone around the country on horses.

The boys 21 and 23 years of age, bore exemplative characters. There may be a lynching if sheriff posses fail to get the killer. First cause supposed to be temporary insanity while drunk. It seems that the young men mentioned. were running a band of sheep near Plush, and Bolivar was in their employ as herder. They found it necessary to discharge the herder, which enraged him. and he laid in wait, and when he found the two gentlemen at the camp ambushed them.

It is supposed he killed one instantly out side the tent. The other man was shot through the body, and crawled inside the tent. The fiend then followed him inside, and placing his rifle at the mans mouth, fired, blowing off the top of his head.

The shooting occurred a few miles from Plush, Oregon. and the victims were not found until eighteen hours after their death. Posses of men are searching every where for the murderer but as yet he has not been apprehended.

It is claimed that the fellow has a rifle and Luger pistol and 300 rounds of cartridges with his, and a desperate fight is expected if he is overtaken. It will probably go pretty hard with him, if he is captured. The Newell brothers were well known and very popular in Lake County, and by hard work had accumulated a nice band of sheep. Their parents live in Lakeview, and are highly respected.

-- end of news story

The murderer was initially identified in telegrams as Pat Boliver or Bolivar. It was soon learned that the killer's name was actually Ike Harrold. He was said to be a "disgruntled sheepherder" who had just been discharged by the brothers for leaving their flock unattended. 

When confronted about leaving the sheep unattended, Harrold drew a semi-automatic Luger pistol and shot Herbert in the head. He then shot and killed Herbert's younger brother Walter.

The murder was witnessed by a hired camp hand named Dick Allen. After he  witnessed the shooting take place, he rode into Plush to sound the alarm. Later during questioning folks, it was found out that before the townspeople fully realized the gravity of the situation or they had located the bodies, the murderer, Ike Harrold, is said to have calmly walked into a local Plush restaurant and ate breakfast. He did so completely unnoticed after just killing the two brothers.

Of course, once the crime was realized, Lake County Sheriff Dent and multiple heavily armed posses immediately launched a search for Ike Harold. In fact, while the pursuit was taking place, the Newell family and the state of Oregon got together to offer a massive $2,000 reward for Ike Harold's capture. 

That was a lot of money in 1910.  And yes, the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem even loaned out their bloodhounds to assist tracking the murderer when it was through that Harold had escaped through rugged terrain. 

As for the townspeople of Plush, the double murder left Plush in a state of alarm. In fact, it is said that that was so much the case that even local women began carrying firearms for personal defense until the threat was contained. 

Why was there so much of an alarm over this killer? It was because of what he did to Herbert Newell. Remember, he shot Herbert first. When Ike Harrold shot Herbert Newell, he shot him in the head before turning his pistol on Herbert's younger brother Walter. While the killer did in fact kill Walter instantly, Herbert was only stunned by the initial bullet. 

Then, while murder Ike Harrold temporarily fled the immediate scene, and actually went to Plush to have breakfast, amazingly the mortally wounded Herbert managed to crawl over half a mile back to his campsite and into his tent. When the killer returned to rob the camp and make his escape, he found that Herbert was still alive and had crawled into his tent. That's when Ike Harold entered Herbert's tent and found the dying young man still alive. That's when the killer placed the barrel of his rifle into Herbert's mouth, and fired, blowing off the top of Herbert's head.

The people of Plush knew that this killer sounds like as vicious an animal as one can find. They knew that anyone who was able to kill like that would not stop at killing anyone, man, woman, or child. 

Tensions were relieved when the killer was apprehended. In fact, the intense manhunt culminated a few days later when the murderer was captured. It was then that the people of Plush realized that the person known as "Boliver" was actually the sheepherder named Ike Harrold

They found out that Ike Harrold had been fired by his employers, young brothers Herbert and Walter Newell, because Harrold left their flock unattended. In retaliation, Ike Harrold drew a semi-automatic Luger pistol and shot both brothers at their sheep camp near Honey Creek, just outside of Plush. 

Following a major panic and a widespread manhunt which involved using tracking hounds, murderer Ike Harrold was cornered about six miles from the scene near Lakeview. Deputy Sheriff Charles Arthur and Creed McKenzie apprehended him after a brief gunfight in which the killer Harrold was shot and wounded in the leg. Upon his capture, Ike Harrold confessed to the Deputies and was taken into Lakeview to await trial. 

For folks around at the time, they just wanted to skip the trial and find a tree to lynch him. Maybe that's why the trial moved along so fast. It took only three weeks for the case to go to trial in Lake County. And from there, a jury swiftly returned a guilty verdict. 

Isaac Newton Harrold was sentenced to death. He was transferred from Lakeview to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, where the execution was carried out. According to local reports, he went to the gallows without saying a word. All in all, Ike Harrold was found guilty of murder and executed by hanging. 

As for local reaction, the folks in Plush were not too happy about him being hanged in Salem. In fact, the decision to carry out the execution in Salem rather than locally in Plush is said to have caused a great deal of anger among the Lake County residents. They were deeply upset by the murders and preferred that the punishment take place within the community where the crime occurred. They wanted his to hang near Plush. 

So now, let's talk about how Herbert Newell sent he and his brother's killer to the gallows. 

Yes, it's true. Herbert Newell provided the evidence that it took to move the trial along so quickly, and put a noose around his killer's neck. 

That part of this story has to do with a note that was found by Deputies. During the investigation of the crime scene, Deputies found a note that was left written by one of the victims, Herbert Newell. Remember, while his killer Ike Harrold temporarily fled the immediate scene and went to have breakfast, the mortally wounded Herbert Newell managed to crawl over half a mile back to his tent. 

Well, believe it or not, while Herbert knew he was dying, he used his final moments to write a brief note that served as a direct message to authorities. The note was a dying declaration written by Herbert Newell that named Ike Harrold as his killer. And more so, the note detailed the attack on his brother. 

Herbert explicitly named Ike Harrold as the killer. He explained that the shooting occurred while he was attempting to write a check to pay Harrold off after firing him. Herbert documented that his brother Walter had been shot down while bravely running to his brother's assistance.

Tragically, after writing the note, Herbert Newell was still lying there dying in his tent when his killer Ike Harrold returned to the camp for food and supplies. The killer found Herbert was still breathing, and shot him again to finish him off.

The circumstances surrounding the note was seen as both tragic and remarkable. You see, despite the killer's attempt to cover his tracks, the note remained hidden in the tent and was only found later when it was recovered by deputies. That note from Herbert Newell provided the crucial indisputable evidence that sealed the fate of Ike Harrold at his trial. So yes, that note was what got Ike Harrold hanged. 

Tom Correa