Murder Or Suicide In Colorado Springs? 1876

On September 12, 1876, The Colorado Daily Chieftain newspaper reported the following:

Singular Occurrence at Colorado Springs 

Body of A. L. Soblessinger found near a Deseerted Cabin 

Yesterday afternoon a rumor reached this city that Mr. Schlessinger, the private secretary to Gen. Palmer, had been killed in a duel at Colorado Springs.  During the afternoon, a telegram was received here directing the arrest of "a person of good address apparently in good circumstances, either a Frenchman or  German, who might take passage on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe train for the East." It is needless to say that upon this description, no arrest was made. 

The finding of the body of A. L. Schlessinger in a ravine some two hundred yards from a deserted cabin, upon the ranch of Mr. Lawson, about sixteen miles East of Colorado Springs, is associated with a mystery that a coroner's jury is now endeavoring to unravel. 

Schlessinger is a young man about nineteen years old and came to Colorado Springs last April. He is an Englishman by birth, but of German descent. His uncle is said to be of the firm of Schlesslnger & Nailor, iron dealers, in John Street, New York. _

Schlessinger, the deceased, was the private secretary of Gen. Palmer, president of the Denver and Rio Grande railroad, at the time of his death, which is believed to have taken place yesterday, Sunday, September 10th, after twelve o’clock, noon. 

He was seen leaving town between ten and eleven in the forenoon, and his body was found between four and five o’clock the next morning. It appears that two letters were taken from the post office by Dr. S. E. Solly at about four o’clock on Sunday afternoon. 

These letters, which purport to have been written by Schlessinger, informed the doctor that he was going out to fight a duel near Lawson’s Cabin; that he would be killed as he did not intend to fire at his opponent, and wished him to come or send for his body if he did not return to town by half past four p.m.; and further, they request the doctor to never let any person see or read the letters, but to inform his uncle that he had been killed in a duel. 

A little further on, in one of the letters. he informs the doctor that he can use the letters to show that he came to his death in a fair and honorable way. 

There is a rumor upon the street that this boy- had a personal difficulty with his tutor in England, a few years ago and that his tutor had crossed the Atlantic, came to Colorado Springs, and called him out to fight a duel. Englishmen say that no such person could have come to Colorado Springs without being known as a stranger to some of them. The boy was well known here to be a quiet, harmless person, never known to have had any difficulty with any person. He was not known among the young men of the town, as an associate — being of a reticent turn of mind — with a habit of making remarks that would seem to indicate a disturbed mind.

The story of a duel is strongly suspected to have been gotten up to arrest inquiry and conceal the cause of his death. The evidence as far as brought before the coroner’s jury goes to show that there could not have been suicide committed, but that all the appearances and indications in the vicinity of the body appear to have been made after the death occurred, and with the view to leave the impression that a duel had been fought. 

Two lines had been drawn in the sand about twenty yards apart, the dead body was found 1ying upon its face, stretched out along one of these lines, so that the line was concealed from view. The two marks in the sand appeared to have been made with a boot heel, his pistol lay about six feet from the body, and a white handkerchief lay about where he stood, as though it had been dropped as a signal to fire, which if placed there by design, was intended to leave the impression that there was no third person present. 

On the line in point, twenty yards distant from the body, were two footprints standing side by side, upon the line, with the toes pointed towards the dead man. There was a depth of their impression that would go to show that they were made by design, and not in accordance with the position of the duelist. 

There was a buggy track, with no indications of there being but one person besides the deceased. The murder was evidently not for money, as a valuable watch and pistol were not taken. 

The coroner’s jury is composed of six of our most intelligent citizens and it is believed that they will give the matter a careful and thorough investigation.

In an extra edition of The Gazette, the editor reported the following statement by a first-hand witness Mr. H. A. Risley:

When found, the dead body of Mr. Schlesinger was lying face downward, stretched at full length, with a pistol by his side and a white pocket handkerchief. On examination, a wound was found in his breast, and evidently, a ball had passed into his body in the direction of the heart. From the stiffened appearance of the body, the doctor said he must have been dead for several hours. 

A line was made in the sand across the gulch where his body lay, as if by the heel, and twenty paces Westerly in the gulch was a like line found across it with steps upon it, and the heel sunk in the ground, where it was very evident that a man had stood.

Our supposition was that the parties had paced the distance and marked the line where each was to stand, that Schlesinger had dropped the handkerchief as a signal for firing, and that after the fatal shot, the survivor fled. No horse could be found, and nothing more was found to throw further light on the subject. 

After consultation, we concluded that it was our duty to leave everything exactly as we found it, and give immediate information to the coroner. We drove into town at a rapid pace, Coronor Taylor was summoned, and together with Dr. Solly and Mr. R. F. Weitbree, treasurer of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, returned to take possession of the body, over which an inquest will be held this morning, either on the ground or in this city, where all obtainable evidence in regard to the transaction will be disclosed. 

Mr. Schlesinger was a young man of intelligence and promise, who is understood to have relatives of high character and standing in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, and he came here in April last from Philadelphia with Gen. Wm. Palmer, president of the Denver and Rio Grande railway company, and has since that time acted as his private secretary. 

It is believed, and some evidence will be disclosed, that the transaction grew out of an old quarrel and that he was killed by some stranger, perhaps from Europe, who came here for that purpose. No clue has yet been obtained in regard to him.  

-- As reported on September 12, 1876, The Colorado Daily Chieftain newspaper.

This is a great example of the sort of information that would be gathered while investigating a crime scene in 1876. Frankly, it is pretty thorough. 

As for the mystery of who killed Schlesinger, what reason was there for their duel, and the bigger question of why did he leave a letter saying that he would not defend himself in a duel? From my research, it appears his killer was never found. As for the reason for it taking place and the reasons for him saying in his letter that he "would be killed as he did not intend to fire at his opponent"? 

We will never know the answers to those questions.

Tom Correa

September 1897, Five Lynched In Indiana

On September 15, 1897, The New York Times reported:

FIVE LYNCHED IN INDIANA; Wholesale Killing by a Mob of Men Suspected of Numerous Robberies. TAKEN FROM JAIL AT NIGHT Four Hundred Men Ride into Versailles, Overpower the Sheriff's Deputies, and Wreak Vengeance on a Party of Prisoners.

OSGOOD, Ind., Sept. 15. -- Incensed by numerous depredations, repeated burglaries, and daylight robberies, the people of Ripley County. Indiana, last night lynched five men who had long been a terror to the citizens of the county. When the citizens of Versailles, the county seat, arose this morning they found the bodies of the five men dangling from as many limbs of an elm tree in the center of the public square. -- reported by The New York Times on September 15, 1897.

Believe it or not, while the headline in The New York Times was slightly misleading, this story was reported across our nation. But what's the full story of what happened? 

Well, The San Joes Herald reported the following:

WHOLESALE LYNCHING

Four Burglars Hanged in Indiana.

People Determined to Make an Example of Them.

Citizens of Versailles Declare That No Troops Are Wanted. — Over Two Hundred in the Mob. — The Lynchers Are Not Known. —  Trouble May Follow.

Versailles, Ind., Sept. 15. — Four hundred infuriated men last night lynched Lyle Levi, Bert Andrews, Clifford Gordon, William Jenkins, and Hiney Shuler, arrested for burglary. 

Ripley County for a long time has been terrorized by a gang of bold robbers and burglars. 

Versailles is the county seat and when the citizens arose this morning they found five corpses dangling by the necks from an elm tree in the center of the public square. Their feet were but a few inches from the ground and their hands and feet tied by stout ropes. 

For four years the people of the county have been subjected to outrage and robbery. Farmers were held up, beaten, and robbed, women tortured to make them tell where money was concealed, being compelled to stand on a red hot stove. Many arrests have been made but the guilty parties always managed to escape conviction.

Last week robberies were frequent and on Saturday the Sheriff was informed that an attempt was to be made to rob a store at Correct, Indiana, a mere ten miles away. 

Securing five deputies Sheriff Bushing went to the place, concealed himself and his posse in a cellar, and waited for the burglars. They came at midnight. 

Clifford Gordon entered first and as soon as he did the Sheriff grabbed him. Both drew pistols at the same time and opened fire. The robbers and the deputies followed suit and thirty shots were fired. 

The Sheriff was shot in the hand and in the body four times. The robbers escaped but were subsequently arrested and taken to the Versailles Jail. Others of the gang were arrested later and the citizens soon gathered -- determined to make an example of them. 

Shortly before 2 o’clock this morning a crowd assembled quietly and compelled the Jailor to deliver the keys and open the Jail. The mob filed in and took Henry Schiller aged 24, Lyle Levi 67, Clifford Gordon 32, Bert Audsome 30, and William Jenkins 27. 

Three of them showed fight. Levi was shot through the breast and the skulls of Jenkins and Schiller wore crushed with a stool. A rope was put over the neck of each of the five and after their hands and feet were pinioned -- all were dragged 200 feet to an elm tree from which they were suspended. 

The hanging of two or three more of the gang is already talked of and the citizens say that no troops are wanted. None of the lynchers are known. 

-- Reported in The San Jose Herald, Volume LXIII, Number 65, 15 September 1897

First, there is a question about whether or not Ripley County Sheriff Henry Bushing was killed. Well, from what I've been able to determine, though the newspaper stated that he "was shot in the hand and in the body four times," it appears he survived the shooting. 

As for 67-year-old Lyle Levi who was the first to be shot and hanged, it appears he was a member of a group of counterfeiters and highwaymen known as the Rittenhouse Gang in Southern Indiana. It also appears he "surrounded himself with desperate young men who terrorized the community." Levi became linked to the gang when it was learned that Levi's wagon was used by his gang when they robbed the store -- the place where the shootout took place. 

Also, in a short opinion piece posted on September 25, 1897, in The Atlanta Journal, the Editor of that paper wrote the following: 

In the state of Indiana last night a mob lynched five men charged with burglary. This beats anything the South has ever done. Men are not lynched down here for burglary and they are not hung five at a time. It shows that mob law is not sectional. The spirit of lawlessness is likely to break out anywhere, and no state or section can afford to lecture another upon it. 

I guess the Editor of The Atlanta Journal missed the report about how the five "burglars" were in fact more "terrorists" than mere burglars. He may have missed reading about how that gang held up, beat, and robbed farmers, and tortured elderly women to make them tell where money was concealed -- like making women stand on a red hot stove to get them to say where their family's savings were kept. 

Maybe, just maybe, the Editor of The Atlanta Journal didn't read about that or about how members of that gang shot up the Sheriff of Ripley County, Indiana, and his posse.  Maybe if that Editor had learned more of the facts, then just maybe, he would have understood why the citizens of the town of Versailles, Indiana, were angry over how even after arrests were made -- the guilty parties were always acquitted and let go to rob and terrorize again. Maybe the Editor should have researched why citizens, because no convicted ever followed the arrests, became fed up and decided to do away with such criminals themselves.

As for Indiana Governor James A. Mount who called for those responsible for the lynchings to be brought to justice? As with most politicians then and now, he saw those who lynched the criminals as criminals themselves. And yes, I can't help but wonder how much political pressure he was under to catch the men who lynched those criminals. 

After all, he did write a personal letter to Ripley County Sheriff Henry Bushing ordering him to "proceed immediately with all the power you can command to bring to justice all the parties 'guilty of participation in the murder' of the five men alleged to have been lynched." The governor closed his letter by saying, "Such lawlessness is intolerable." 

While thankfully, the identities of those responsible for lynching those brutal criminals were never discovered, I find it very interesting that Governor Mount didn't see the actions of the criminals involved in that campaign of terror in the same light that he saw those who lynched those terrorists. Maybe he should have said about those criminals, "Such lawlessness is intolerable. Their crimes must be stopped." But of course, he didn't. He only became concerned when citizens decided to stop the crime spree. 

And really, why is that? Why was Governor Mount so concerned about apprehending the citizens who stopped the criminals who were known to be terrorizing that part of Indiana at the time? Why didn't he see the horrendous acts of those criminals in the same way that he saw those who stopped them?

My thought is this, just as we see taking place today, some politicians see citizens getting involved as being a threat -- worse or as bad as that of what criminals do. They scream that the public has an obligation and absolute need to uphold the rule of law while criminals refuse to observe any laws. 

In the case of that criminal gang in 1897, we know that those criminals were arrested time and time again but never convicted. We also know that those citizens took action for their own protection. The 400 or so citizens who took action in order to remedy the situation became the very people who worried Governor Mount at the time. The reason is that politicians become frightened when citizens act to remedy a broken justice system. 

In today's society, citizens who take decisive action against criminals are the very people who worry some politicians the most. Even though we see so many murders, assaults, and blatant robberies taking place these days, all happening while law enforcement is being defunded and demoralized, and while criminals are not being charged and simply being set free to act out and commit more crimes, citizens taking action is something that some politicians don't want to see happen.

In fact, we have politicians who believe that citizens who defend themselves are themselves criminals -- even though those citizens have defended themselves against criminals who have absolutely no regard for the law. And sadly, we have politicians who refuse to acknowledge the untapped asset of an available armed citizenry. An armed citizenry can make a difference by taking part in protecting our communities, including backing up our law enforcement when needed.   

And really, while I believe armed citizens are a threat to criminals, it's sad to think that there are some politicians who believe armed citizens are a threat to them as well. Instead, I'd love to see a politician who would say, "Lawlessness is intolerable. Crime must stop. And frankly, armed citizens can help solve the problem." 

But no, I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen. 

Tom Correa

Climate Change Crazies Destroying Food Supplies In A Hungry World

Like many people in our late 60s, I remember when it was considered a sin to waste food. Because my grandparents raised my parents during the hard days of the Great Depression, and because my parents certainly remembered the food shortages and rationing of World War II, food was not something to be thrown away. 

During the Cold War years of the 1950s and early 1960s, the fear of being attacked and nuclear war had many people putting food and other supplies aside. I remember how my family had canned goods and dried foods like beans and rice stored for such an emergency. Of course, growing up in Hawaii during the days when labor union strikes in California and the rest of the West Coast could shut down food shipments to the islands was also a lesson that I've never forgotten. 

We were also taught that famine around the world was a real concern and not something to be taken lightly. I believe our view of a hungry world also contributed to our seeing food as something precious. Because of world hunger, we were taught that food was something not to be wasted. And while we all know very well that food is essential to our existence, today world hunger is still very real. 

In fact, it is estimated that there are almost 900 Million hungry people in the world. Of the approximately 900 Million people facing hunger, it is also estimated that just over 9 Million people around the world die from hunger every year. To add to this concern, it's estimated that there are 2.3 Billion people facing less extreme levels of food insecurity. One source reported that roughly "29% of the global population" might not know where their food is coming from tomorrow.

Why people go hungry has everything to do with the following: 

• Food availability: Is there a sufficient amount of quality food available to sustain communities?
• Food access: Are people able to access the amount of food they need to maintain a nutritious diet for themselves and their families?
• Food utilization: Can people use the food available to meet their nutritional needs? 
• Food stability: Will people have access to an adequate amount of food even during times of cyclical weather conditions such as periodic or long-term draughts? 

World hunger is obviously impacted by famine taking place in various nations around the world. As most of us know, famine describes food crises of varying size and scope. The United Nations established that a famine is when at least 20% of a population is suffering extreme food shortages, 30% of children under the age of 5 are suffering acute malnutrition, and the death rate in an area doubles. In general, famines take place in areas where there is a lack of infrastructure coupled with the following contributors: 

• Government Controls Create Limited Food Availability 
• Government Regulations Limit Food Production
• Government Controls Limiting Water Allocations To Farmers
• Government Controls Create High Food Prices
• Government Controls Create Limited Food Access 
• War / Armed Conflicts
• Government Corruption / Bribery
• Limited Humanitarian Access
• Natural Disasters
• Cyclical Weather Conditions

Looking at the above, you may notice that some of these causes of hunger in the world are connected. This is one of the biggest reasons that a hunger crisis becomes a famine. In such situations, there is never an easy fix. The United Nations says that the causes of famine are largely man-made, meaning that people can control the outcomes.

So now, we know hunger and famine take place because of government corruption, draconian government controls and over-regulation, war, natural disasters, and cyclical weather conditions which many today want to call "Climate Change."

Since we know this, why is the Irish Government planning on slaughtering 200,000 cows? Believe it or not, as crazy as it sounds, in a hungry world, Ireland plans to slaughter 200,000 cows because they "Fart." 

200,000 Farting Irish Cows Slaughtered In The Name Of Climate Change

Yes, in their minds, as insane as their thinking is, they believe that they need to kill a "farting" food source to save the planet. It's all about the hoax that more of the world is learning is the biggest hoax ever played on the entire world. 

Because someone said a "farting cow is bad for the planet," the Irish Government will slaughter 200,000 cows. But make no mistake, the Science that they adhere to is nothing less than the "Global Warming" data which have been proven to have been altered -- for the financial gain of those who pray at the altar of Climate Change and Communism. 

Such is the work of Globalist Fanatics who are now after our food supplies. Those who want to see an all-powerful world government of globalists are now targeting food production. Of course, crooked government officials who are easily bought through bribes and "campaign contributions" are assisting in the extermination of the world's food supplies. 

If you've read this far, you're probably thinking that I've finally lost it. But hear me out, it's not merely the crazies in a corrupt Irish government who are doing what they can on behalf of their Climate Change benefactors.  

Government officials in the Netherlands, a major European Union food producer, forced the shutdown of over 3,000 productive farms to comply with Global Warming mandates in November 2022. And in December 2022, a supposedly "democratic" Germany "ordered" its farmers to slash fertilizer use after the Dutch farms were shut down -- all to comply with Global Warming mandates that were agreed upon by Climate Change proponents within the European Union.

To adhere to what the European Union wants, their Irish lackeys within the Irish Government will reduce the number of dairy cows -- and consequently, Ireland's food production -- in order to reach the European Union's Climate Change mandates.

Is the Irish Government made up of lackeys of the European Union? Well, yes, since they have shown the world that can be bought off like servants to the EU. All while using the excuse that they are reducing emissions from farming in Ireland. 

And by the way, as insane as it might sound, one proposal in the Irish Government is to reduce their entire nation's dairy herd by 10%. That means the Irish will intentionally cut their food supply to appease the Climate Change fanatics. That's the equivalent of removing 65,000 cows a year for three years, according to The Irish Independent.

As sad as it is for food to be targeted, that's what's going on. The Irish Minister of Agriculture Charlie McConalogue told an Irish radio station RTE Morning Ireland that a dairy vision group with farmer representatives has been looking into a range of options to reduce emissions on farms. And no, the Climate Change crazies who want this really don't have an answer to why only attack "farting" cows and not farting sheep, goats, horses, pigs, or animals in the wild. 

According to The Irish Mirror, the Department for Agriculture has said a report outlining a 200,000 reduction in dairy cows was a "modeling document." And really, let's remember that computer modeling has not been very accurate -- even after Global Warming proponents were caught altering the Climate Change data to fix it in their favor. 

Of course, those like me who argue against Climate Change are called "deniers" and "skeptics." But really, I'm not a "skeptic." I go beyond that. I believe the scam that the Left is calling Climate Change, also known as Global Warming, is a hoax just as a hoax is defined: an "act intended to deceive or trick. Something that has been established or accepted by fraudulent means." 

Fraud involves deceit with the intention to illegally or unethically gain at the expense of another. For example, in finance, fraud can take on many forms including making false insurance claims, cooking the books, pump & dump schemes, and identity theft leading to unauthorized purchases. Fraud costs the economy billions of dollars each and every year, and those who are caught are subject to fines and jail time. This describes the Climate Change scam and its proponents who are perpetrating fraud.

Of course, the same people who call me a "denier" seem to conveniently forget that none of the "predictions" that they have made millions of dollars predicting have ever come true. And worse, their computer models were rigged to disregard data that was not accomplishing their prediction that the sky is falling when it hasn't. But then again, that's how scams work. All someone has to do is say that something will happen, and get people to believe it -- it never has to happen for the scam to work. 

And yes, over the years, I've seen the Global Warming hoax as no different than the Y2K scam back in 2000. Though "experts" assured everyone that Y2K meant that our computers would crash and our society would collapse, it didn't. And while it became something that people soon forgot, we should remember that a lot of crooked people made a lot of money getting people to believe that Y2K would be the end of humanity.  

If that sounds familiar, it should since that's exactly the sort of scare tactics the Left is using to get people to believe that the Climate Change scam will do the same thing. Yes, even though nothing that the Climate Change proponents have predicted has ever come true.

In fact, really thinking about it, such scare tactics in regard to Global Warming have never come true! None of the Left's predictions about climate and environmental disasters that were supposed to take place have ever come true. None! 

The seas have not risen. The snow has not stopped falling. Islands have not disappeared and have been wiped off the map. We have not been met with extinction in 500 days, 2 years, 12 years, 20 years, or 50 years. After we were told that the world would end as we know it, and on and on, none, not one single prediction, computer or otherwise, has ever come true. And frankly, I've been hearing about it for over 50 years.

Although, after this year 2023 with more snow accumulation than ever noted in recorded history -- something that Global Warming fanatics said would never happen -- I might be ready to accept the 1975 prediction of a New Ice Age just around the corner. And yes, I sort of wish the Irish Government would do the same and prepare for food shortages -- instead of creating them.

And yes, their lies are part of the irony of all of this. We are told by Climate Change proponents like John Kerry that Climate Change will result in crops being ripped away and more hunger will take place.

It's true, we have been told that Climate Change would lead to our extinction because it would wipe out or curtail food production. 

First, if that's so, why wipe out the agriculture that is doing fine right now? Why eliminate the existing dairy production, cattle production, and crop production that is presenting taking place? If they know it's in danger, why attack it and work to eliminate farms and food production?

And that goes to the Second part of that question, why are they themselves attacking agriculture worldwide? What they didn't tell us is that they themselves, those who advocate all of the draconian measures to alter the Earth's temperature, are the very culprits to wipe out or curtail food production. They didn't tell us that it would in reality be Climate Change crazies themselves who would be totally responsible for destroying food supplies during a time of widespread World Hunger.

Of course, we need to recognize that it's fanatics like the Climate Change crazies in Ireland who are bowing down to their European Union Masters and attacking their own food sources. Let's not even start to guess how bad that's going to turn out in the future -- especially when European food shortages start taking place. And frankly, I never thought the Irish were so dumb as to kill their own food supply over a computer prediction -- or to suck up to the EU. 

It's 2023, and so the scam goes on!

Tom Correa

Democrats Know Nothing About Our Oil & Gas Needs

Whenever I hear someone like Jamaal Bowman make such an asinine statement as "We must stop drilling for oil completely," I immediately ask what's his background? I usually hope he worked in engineering in the energy sector or maybe in power plants or maybe manufacturing. Of course, these days, when I hear something so dumb come out of the mouth of a Representative in Congress, I know it's a sure bet that that fool is talking about something that he or she knows absolutely knowing about.

According to Wikipedia, "Bowman briefly attended Potomac State Junior College before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management from the University of New Haven in 1999. He played college football for the New Haven Chargers. Bowman later earned a Master of Arts in Counseling from Mercy College and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville College.

He is a member of the Lower Hudson Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. Bowman was inspired to run by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez."

While that should tell you everything that you need to know about this guy, his stance on oil and gas, the whole idea that "We must stop drilling for oil 'completely' shows how utterly stupid he is when it comes to the role of oil and gas in our society.

The New York Democrat Congressman Jamaal Bowman said the United States must "stop drilling for fossil fuels completely" or Americans will continue to suffer from "severe weather events."  

"Number one, we need to stop drilling for fossil fuels completely," Bowman said. "But number two, we need an expedited way to get us to clean, renewable energy, or we will continue to have these severe weather events that we have been having for quite some time because of the warming of the planet."

Bowman's call to end oil and gas drilling in the United States comes as Americans recover from sky-high gas prices under Biden. The national average price for a gallon of gas last summer exceeded $5 for the first time ever. Here in California, we were paying more than $6 a gallon in some places. Some places were more than that. And now, forecasters are saying the average could again go to those same levels this summer. 

Biden's 2020 campaign was geared to cater to the crazies on the Left who want to end drilling for oil. Biden has shown the world that he is against American oil and gas production. He promised to "end fossil fuel" and allow "no more drilling." He then canceled the Keystone XL pipeline and put in place a moratorium on new gas leases within days of his taking office. 

Biden has also targeted the oil and gas industry through heavy-handed regulations. Earlier this month, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new standards that force coal and gas power plants to slash their carbon emissions a whopping 90 percent between 2035 and 2040. The rule is expected to force many of those plants to shut down rather than spend millions of dollars to comply.

Please understand, Democrats are all for shutting down power plants while at the same time pushing Americans to use more electricity. How is that possible? Pixie dust! Democrats think electricity comes from pixie dust that falls from the sky. And they believe pixie dust should be free.

It doesn't matter if reductions in fossil-fuel power plants and oil and gas drilling would cripple America's energy and murder our economy. They have no idea and they really don't care to learn that about 80 percent of America's energy comes from fossil fuels. They think pixie dust will power their electric vehicles, electric stoves, and the electricity they use to power their cell phones. They probably think so because they have degrees in Sports Management, Counseling, Educational Leadership, Communism, and Gender Studies.

Wind and solar alternatives come with a lot of negative issues, including reliability, storage, maintenance, and project size and scope. Wind and solar are unreliable, can't be stored, the cost to maintain is astronomical, and the size and scope of what is needed to merely contribute to our needs is bigger than anyone expects. Of course, there is also the problem of mining for the minerals to create the batteries and the problem with the inability to recycle the waste used in both the wind and solar industries.

There is something else that Democrats either don't realize or simply don't care about. 

As I said in a post in March of 2012, oil is more than just fuel. Even if we miraculously found some way of making planes fly without fuel, we would still need oil. Even if we found a way to power every car, truck, train, boat, tractor, and piece of heavy equipment with gasoline and diesel fuels, we would still need oil. Even if we eliminated the use of oil to produce heat and create light for our homes, schools, and businesses, we would still need oil. Even if we found a way to replace oil entirely for our energy needs, we would still need oil. This fact of life has to do with our need to manufacture petroleum-based products. 

If we eliminated oil for all of our energy needs, we would still need 47% of every barrel of oil coming out of the ground to manufacture the thousands of oil-based products that we use every day.  And, since some of you have asked if I could reprint that information, here it is.

Oil Is More Than Just Gasoline

Just as important as our fuel needs, are our manufacturing needs - Over 6,000 products we use on a daily basis are manufactured from oil. Of every barrel of oil produced, 51% of a barrel of oil goes to something other than fuels. Out of one 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest, over half, is used to make things like:



Friends, the list above is only about 150 of the approximately 6000 items made from oil that we use every day. The list above is only a partial list of products made from petroleum. As we can see, it's not only about gasoline and cars. 

And ask yourself this, if 49% of all the oil we use is for fuel and the other 51% is for manufacturing products - how much oil would we still need if somehow every Democrat in America could wave their magic wand and eliminate the need for oil for our energy needs?

Currently, the United States consumes 19.6 million barrels per day. So even if every truck, car, big rig, train, jet plane, power plant, and home had an alternative fuel source to go to - we would still need at least 50% (or half) of the amount of the oil we are using today for our manufacturing needs.

Even if we never needed oil as an energy fuel source again, we would still consume over 10 million barrels a day just for our manufacturing processes. That means, oil as a base product is almost indispensable for us or others. If we want to continue making the products that we use on a daily basis, then we need to recognize the importance, the absolute need, of oil.

When Biden and Congressional Democrats talk about not drilling for oil because they want us to use other "energy" sources,  they completely ignore the manufacturing aspects of oil. And really, just how many manufacturing jobs are Democrats talking about putting at stake by not drilling right now?

How expensive will these oil-based products become if they can't be made easily or at all right here? How many companies are going to have to relocate their manufacturing facilities overseas to a country that is not playing into the Climate Change hoax? How many companies will want to take their manufacturing jobs somewhere else because oil is not readily available in the United States and may also be cheaper in other countries than it is here?

China and India don't care about Climate Change and are taking over as manufacturing giants while Democrats here are limiting what Americans can manufacture. Why won't Democrats stop attacking American businesses with regulations and senseless notions such as eliminating oil completely? Where do they think American workers will work when Democrats put manufacturing businesses out of business?

Ask yourself, how many Americans are going to suffer because of the arrogance and ignorance of fools like Biden and Democrats in Congress? Facts are facts, there are reasons to drill for oil that have nothing to do with cars and transportation -- and everything to do with manufacturing and the industrial might of the American economy.

A reader sent me the following information, she wrote, "If you think the Green New Deal is environmentally friendly, think again. Currently, the fossil fuel industry only uses about 1% of our landmass. If we do go to only using "green" energy, it will take at least 20% of our landmass to produce the minimum needs.

 
Wind turbine blades have to be replaced over time. Did you know that they’re not recyclable? Off to the landfill, they go! Keep in mind their size. Also, wind turbines kill over 300,000 birds each year. 

Solar panels crack and break and when they do, it’s too difficult and too expensive to recycle the materials found in the panels. So, like the blades, they are thrown into landfills. Solar panel fields have to be cleared, destroying large acreages of the environment. Solar panels must be cleaned in order for them to effectively collect sunlight. This means millions of gallons of water must be used.

 
Wind turbines and solar panels aren’t made from flowers. No, they are made from materials that must be mined, even from petroleum products. The mining process for rare earth materials is incredibly destructive to the environment in which they are collected. And because much of the materials are found in 3rd World Countries, the mining is not done in a safe manner for the land or the people.

 
Is it logical to think we can power our country’s industry, transportation, and homes with such inefficient energy sources? Is the fossil fuel industry perfect? No, but it has made remarkable strides and is the most efficient use. Let’s continue to strive to make cleaner and more efficient sources of energy -- but in good time without causing great disruption and even destruction of our economy and our lives. As there can be and should be a marrying of the two thoughts." 

This brings me to what Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member Mark Christie said during a May Senate hearing, "I'm afraid to say it, but I think the United States is heading towards a catastrophic situation. The problem is not the addition of wind and solar, it's the subtraction of dispatchable resources like coal and gas." 

Frankly, experts on the subject agree that we cannot and should not stop drilling for American oil. I wish Democrats were smart enough to know that they need to educate themselves -- and give a damn instead of simply wanting to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Tom Correa

THREATENING TO LYNCH A FIEND 1896

 Since I was in a conversation with someone who asked me where I get my information, I thought I'd take the time to let my new readers know that I still depend on "Primary Sources" instead of "Secondary Sources" for my articles. To understand the difference, we have to understand what is meant by a "Primary Source."

A primary source is defined as "a first-hand or contemporary account of an event or topic. They are the most direct evidence of a time or event because they were created by people or things that were there at the time or event. These sources have not been modified by interpretation and offer original thought or new information. Primary sources are original materials, regardless of format.

Oral histories, newspaper or journal articles, and memoirs or autobiographies are examples of primary sources created after the event or time in question but offering first-hand accounts. News articles, letters, diaries, meeting minutes, photographs, artifacts, interviews, and sound or video recordings are examples of primary sources created as a time or event is occurring. 

Primary sources may be transformed from their original format into a newer one, such as when materials are published or digitized, but the contents are still primary. There are many primary sources available online today, but many more are still available in their original format, in archives, museums, libraries, historical sites, and elsewhere."

The key to the validity of a primary source is that it remains unchanged and uninterpreted by those who may offer their opinions, conjectures, and suppositions of what took place. Some writers presume things and lead their readers to think something is true when there isn't any proof that it is true. They assume that something must exist, or is factual, or truthful when their statement is just assumed true without proof at all -- or is flimsy and sketchy. 

I like dealing with proven facts that I can prove by using a primary source. And really, as an old evidence teacher used to say, "What isn't a primary source is merely a secondary source -- and that's just second-hand information."

Secondary sources are defined as "sources which offer interpretation, analysis, or commentary. These resources are often information with the addition of hindsight or historical perspective. Common examples include criticisms, histories, and magazine, journal, or newspaper articles written after the fact. Some secondary sources may also be considered primary or tertiary sources - the definition of this term is not set in stone.

Below is a great example of a primary source about an event that took place in 1896. 

San Francisco Call, Volume 80, Number 1, 1 June 1896 — THREATENING TO LYNCH A FIEND, [ARTICLE]

This story is right out of the San Francisco Call newspaper just as if you were reading it on June 1st, 1896. This is as good a primary source as one can get.

Tom Correa

Wallace Wilkerson -- An Execution Gone Wrong 1879

I was recently asked if I've ever heard of executions in the Old West that didn't exactly go as planned. While the most famous example of a hanging that didn't end as everyone expected is probably the hanging of  Thomas "Black Jack" Ketchum. 

When Ketchum was hanged, his weight gain and the use of a rope that was too thin, resulted in his head being ripped from his body. Another botched execution, while not as famous as what happened to Ketchum, is what happened to murderer Wallace Wilkerson.

Wallace Wilkerson was born sometime in 1834 in Quincy, Illinois. Because they were Mormons, his family moved to the Territory of Utah when he was eight. By seventeen, young Wallace Wilkerson worked as a local stock tender and horse breaker in and around the town of Payson, Utah. 

Most of this story comes from newspaper articles published in May of 1879. One of those articles states Wallace Wilkerson enlisted in the military and actually served in the Army stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco, California, for two years. While that article says it's so, I can't seem to find a record of his enlistment.

Sometime before 1877, he was married and lived with his wife in Payson, Utah. In 1877, Wallace Wilkerson and his two brothers worked in the nearby town of Homansville, Utah. While today Homansville is a Ghost Town that's little more than rubble about two miles east of the town of Eureka, Homansville developed around a water pumping operation for that area. Some sources say it once had more than one smelting operation, multiple homes, a general store, at least four saloons, and even a post office. Having a post office was a big deal because that means that it was recognized as a legitimate town at one time.

The nearby town known as Ruby Hollow was founded in 1870. It changed its name to Eureka in 1892. By 1910, Eureka had a population of around 3500 residents and was considered the 9th largest city in Utah. Today, with a population of 658, Eureka is referred to as a "Modern-day Ghost Town." 

But really, I sort of question the whole "Modern-day Ghost Town" label because other than a lot of empty old buildings on Main Street, the town still looks very much alive. Frankly, to me, especially based on where I live here in California with a population of 187, a town of 658 has a lot of people. And before you write to ask about my fascination with Eureka, let me explain. I know a Utah historian who said that when Eureka was known as Ruby Hollow, it was known as one of the quietest mining towns in the West in 1881. Imagine that? A "quiet" mining town in the Old West. 

As for a mining town being "quiet," it was anything but quiet in nearby Homansville on June 11, 1877. That was the day that Wallace Wilkerson was in a Homansville saloon owned by James Hightower. It was also the day that Wilkerson executed William Baxter. 

Baxter was a bartender who worked for James Hightower. But on that day, Baxter was not working there when he decided to stop in. Though they really didn't like each other, Wilkerson and Baxter began playing cribbage for money. 

According to reports, there was already bad blood between the two men ever since Baxter once called Wilkerson a "California Mormon" which is said to have been some sort of a slur at the time. Of course, what didn't help was that Baxter once pulled a pistol on Wilkerson during a situation when Baxter tried to stop Wilkerson from getting into a fistfight with another patron in the saloon.

So no, no one was surprised later when it was found out that a quarrel started during the cribbage game. And no, no one was surprised when Baxter accused Wilkerson of cheating. It's said they had a deep-seated hatred for each other. Of course, Wilkerson countered Baxter's accusation by telling Baxter that he was demanding money he didn't win. 

At some point in the argument, Wilkerson is said to have jumped up from his chair and started removing his coat as if preparing for a fistfight. Witnesses to what happened said that Baxter's tone changed, and told Wilkerson that he didn't want trouble. Frankly, that point had passed and Baxter backing down didn't stop Wilkerson from reaching under his vest and pulling out a pistol. 

Wilkerson shot Baxter in the forehead. To make matters even worse, reports say that after Baxter was slumped back in his chair, Wilkerson shot him again. In fact, Wilkerson walked around the table and grabbed Baxter by the hair, turned his head, and then shot him again in the temple before walking out of the saloon.

Those in the saloon who scattered for safety at the first shot had reemerged to attend to Baxter. While some left to put out the "hue and cry" and alert the citizenry, others are said to have guarded Baxter's body until the next morning when a local doctor acting as the coroner examined the body of Baxter.

For you who may have never heard of the "hue and cry," it is defined as "a loud cry calling for the pursuit and capture of a criminal." It was used throughout America for many years. Today, we use one version of the "hue and cry" by getting involved and being the "Eyes and Ears" of law enforcement. 

Back in the day, and as far back as the 13th Century in England, it was a law that ordered that  "anyone, either a constable or a private citizen, who witnessed a crime shall make hue and cry, and that the hue and cry must be kept up against the fleeing criminal from town to town and from county to county until the felon is apprehended and delivered to the sheriff." 

Believe it or not, all able-bodied men, upon hearing the shouts, were legally obliged to assist in the pursuit of the criminal. It was a violation of the law if one did not. That Old English law is believed to have been part of the foundation for our Posse Comitatus laws. As today, as what took place in the Old West, a posse is made up of citizens who are mobilized by a sheriff or other law enforcement official to suppress lawlessness, defend the people, or otherwise protect the place, property, and public welfare. Law enforcement officers today still maintain the authority to summon to his or her assistance any citizen to assist them.

To address what took place, and since there was no organized law enforcement in the area at the time, as was the case throughout the Old West, the local vigilance group was called out and started a search for Wilkerson. That posse didn't take them too long to find him and soon captured Wilkerson without trouble. Soon afterward, they almost immediately took him under guard to the town of Goshen. Acting in the absence of organized law enforcement, they knew that they needed to get him to the town of Goshen to prevent him from being lynched by locals who were friends of Baxter.

The next day when a doctor arrived to act as the coroner, it was a horrible scene of conflicting testimony at first. But then, it became apparent that Baxter was unarmed at the time of the shooting. It also became apparent what Wilkerson did after he initially shot Baxter. His actions were not merely that of someone committed to self-defense. He displayed the sort of malice which is defined as a desire to do evil.

When doing the research on this, I read that there was some speculation that a pistol may have been removed from Baxter's body in an attempt to make things appear worst for Wilkerson who was said to be unliked in the area. Of course, that was only speculation since no weapon was for on Baxter's body.

And in reality, even if Baxter was armed, even if Wilkerson's first shot what taken out of self-defense, the second shot fired by Wilkerson was enough to get him lynched as a mad dog killer. And no, that's not conjecture on my part. That's me simply stating that that's how people at the time looked at such horrid acts of malicious murder. 

Remember, in many places in the Old West, a malicious murder, or malice murder, was a criminal offense committed when a homicide is done with express or implied malice. Wilkerson grabbing the already dead Baxter by the hair, turning his head, and then shooting him again in the temple before walking out of the saloon demonstrated that.

The county grand jury didn't take too long to reach a conclusion. In fact, Wilkerson was indicted and charged with premeditated murder by a county grand jury. Yes, the grand jury realized the fact presented to them and determined that Wilkerson intentionally killed Baxter willfully, deliberately, and with planning. Whether it was Wilkerson's actions at his first shot or his second, the grand jury believed that he planned it in advance and carried it out willfully.

On September 29, 1877, he was arraigned and pleaded not guilty. He was placed in the Utah County jail awaiting his trial which took place at the First District Court of Utah Territory. His trial commenced on November 22. Believe it or not, he was convicted by a jury just two days later. 

On November 28, State District Judge P. H. Emerson stated that he was tired of the "rampant violence" and wanted to make an example of Wilkerson. Emerson sentenced Wilkerson to death and set an execution date of December 14, 1877. 

Before going on, let's take a look at this for a moment. Wilkerson shoots and kills Baxter on June 11, 1877. Wilkerson is held and arraigned on September 29, 1877. His trial commenced on November 22, 1877. Wilkerson is found guilty two days later on November 24, 1877. And as a result was set to be executed on December 14, 1877. From the time of his murderous act to the date of his scheduled execution was almost exactly 6 months. That's something to note as an example of how the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and the right to a "speedy trial," is supposed to work. Six months from committing the act to being convicted of murder, when done right with evidence and witnesses gathered, and with all procedures being above board so as to not declare a mistrial, in my opinion, is unheard of these days. 

As for Wilkerson's execution, as crazy as it may sound, that Utah judge left it up to Wilkerson to choose how he would like to be executed. Wilkerson had to pick between three choices. Hangings and decapitation were legal in the Utah territory at the time. And yes, so was death by firing squad. Wallace Wilkerson chose death by firing squad. 

A stay of execution was issued after Wilkerson's attorney filed an appeal. But, the Supreme Court of Utah Territory denied the appeal in January 1878. Then on January 8, 1879, Wilkerson's attorneys E. D. Hoge and P. L. Williams submitted a writ of error to the Supreme Court of the United States during its October 1878 term. They raised an argument of "cruel and unusual punishment." 

On March 17, 1879, Supreme Court Justice Nathan Clifford delivered the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the verdict. It read as follows: 

Cruel and unusual punishments are forbidden by the Constitution, but the authorities referred to are quite sufficient to show that the punishment of shooting as a mode of executing the death penalty for the crime of murder in the first degree is not included in that category, within the meaning of the eighth amendment.

—U.S. Supreme Court, Wilkerson v. Utah (March 1879)

According to newspaper reports, on May 15, 1879, "Wallace Wilkerson was taken from Salt Lake City to a jail in Provo. Wilkerson spent his last day together with his wife until half an hour before the execution. He declined visits by the clergy. Wilkerson was brought out of his cell by Sheriff John Turner, a deputy, and U.S. Marshal Shaughnessy. 

Dressed in black with a white felt hat and a cigar which he kept through the execution. Wilkerson gave a farewell speech in which he thanked the law enforcement officers and even shook hands with some of the more than 20 people present in the jail yard in Provo. There were about 200 spectators who gathered outside the jail. 

It's interesting to note that Wilkerson told the crowd that he bore no grudge against anyone except a witness that he accused of committing perjury at his trial. And yes, multiple reports say that some there said later that Wilkerson with his cigar in his mouth thanking everyone for showing up actually appeared to be drunk." But really, who knows if that's true or not.

Wilkerson declined to be blindfolded as he sat on a chair at a corner of the jail yard about 35 feet away from a building with the shooters inside. He insisted that restraints were unnecessary One report said that he stated something to the effect, "I give you my word. I intend to die like a man, looking my executioners right in the eye." 

U.S. Marshal Shaughnessy pinned a small three-inch piece of white paper on Wilkerson's chest. It was meant to be the target on Wilkerson's chest over his heart which the firing squad was supposed to aim at. Later it was reported that after the sheriff pinned it, Wilkerson called, "Aim for my heart, Marshals!"

At approximately noon on May 16, 1879, the marshal rapped on the side wall of the small building where the firing squad sat, and out of small portholes came their rifle barrels. The second rap on the wall signaled the firing squad to fire. 

Whether it was when Wilkerson heard the first rap or a second before the second rap, he stiffened up and through his chest out as he sat up in the chair. He didn't realize that he unwittingly moved the small three-inch piece of white paper target. That created a mess that no one foresaw. 

At that split second of Wilkerson sitting up, the bullets fired had missed actually Wilkerson's heart. One of the bullets shattered his arm. The others slammed into his stomach. Hit but not dead, he leaped off of the chair and started screaming, "Oh, my God! My God! They've missed it!" 

Right then, the four doctors there rushed to Wilkerson's said not really knowing what to do. Were they supposed to treat him and try to stop his bleeding? Were they there to merely watch him bleed out, gasp, and struggle on the ground? Wilkerson convulsed and screamed in pain. The marshal said later that he didn't know if he was going to have to pick him up and place him back on that chair and actually have the firing squad shoot him again. 

It took Wilkerson a very long to bleed out and die. In fact, it was reported that time seemed to slow down before Wallace Wilkerson appeared to have finally died. He was actually pronounced dead a total of 27 minutes after he was shot. The doctors made that determination when he finally stopped squirming on the ground in the dirt. 

While some were horrified at what took place, some of Baxter's friends are said to have voiced their satisfaction to see that Wilkerson didn't die a swift death. Of course, in the end, Wallace Wilkerson's body was picked up off the dirt and carried to a nearby office at the county courthouse. He was washed and placed in a cheap coffin. His body was then turned over to his wife. She supposedly took him to the town of Payson for burial. 

Since a horse pulling a wagon while walking can go 3 to 4 miles per hour, one can only wonder how long that journey must have felt in a wagon going those 16 miles from Provo to Payson.

Tom Correa