At one stage of the proceedings there was talk of supplying troops from the National Guard to preserve order.  And yet there had at no time been a breach of the peace or threats made except by the man Miller.  On one occasion Miller drew a revolver in the court room and attempted to shoot Attorney Raker.  At another time he beat a young man named Russell over the head with a gun for some fancied offense.  A brother of young Russell kept the principal hotel in the town, and both had been open in their denunciation of the lynchers.  I mention these facts to show why it was that the citizens of the county turned from nine-tenths in favor of prosecuting the lynchers to the utmost limit, to nine-tenths the other way.

Early in January Detective Gibson went to a young man who was stranded in Alturas with his wife and offered him a portion of the reward, amounting to $900, to testify to a certain matter.  The young man and his wife were working, for their board, but he told Gibson that he knew nothing of the matter and that poor as he was he would not swear to a falsehood.  Gibson went away, but returned a few nights, later and again tried to get him to testify, saying that the men were guilty and that no one would ever be the wiser.  Slavin (the young man’s name) then told Gibson that if he ever came to his home with such a proposal that he, Slavin, would shoot him like a dog.  All these attempts at bribery soon became known and filled citizens everywhere with consternation.  They argued that under such methods an innocent man might be sacrificed that a lot of head hunters could gain a big reward.

On January 4th, 1902, Mary Lorenz, a half breed daughter of old Mary Hall, swore to a warrant charging, fifteen others with complicity in the lynching.  All were arrested, but not one was found to be armed.  They were placed in jail, and on the 10th indictments were filed charging each one with five different murders.

The causes leading to these arrests were said to be the confessions of John Hutton and Claude Morris.

It subsequently developed that Morris was taken to a room, there plied with whisky by the detectives, aided by Simmons, and at two o’clock in the morning signed an affidavit that had been prepared for him.  After he regained consciousness he denied the whole thing, but was told that he would be sent to the penitentiary for perjury if he went back on the confession he had signed before a notary public.  Under the circumstances the poor, weak boy, kept under guard and away from friends and relatives, was compelled to stick to the evidence that had been prepared for him.