Looking Back: Shooting leaves man dead; former police chief accused of embezzlement
Published at
IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of Oct. 26 to Nov. 1 in east Idaho history.
1900-1925
MUD LAKE — A shooting in Mud Lake left one man dead, The Blackfoot Optimist reported on Oct. 30, 1913.
Sam Thomas, also known as “Scarface Thomas,” was shot and instantly killed near the Livermore Ranch Sunday night.
Bill Williams and Mose Johnson both fired at Thomas but it wasn’t clear who actually killed him. One shot killed Thomas and the other shot killed a horse.
Bill had reportedly gone into the Mud Lake section to get some horses that belonged to him. His brother, Joe Williams, along with Sam Thomas, had possession of the animals and a fight broke out. The fight was between Bill on one side, and Joe and Thomas on the other.
“When the smoke of battle cleared away, Thomas lay on the ground dead, having been shot off his horse,” the article explained.
Joe, who was regarded as a “bad man,” immediately left the scene on his horse and hadn’t been heard from since.
1926-1950
IDAHO FALLS — Two toddlers were found safe after being reported missing, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported on Oct. 27, 1938.
Caroline Clark, 3, and her sister, Jeralyn, 4, went for a walk. Within a few minutes, police officers and alarmed parents were franticly searching for the girls.
Both of them were found safe standing at Ninth Street and Boulevard. They lived at 680 Ninth Street. Officers gave them a ride home.
1951-1975
TERRETON — Dozens of sheep were killed after a truck loaded with cattle crashed into the herd, The Rigby Star reported on Oct. 28, 1971.
Bill Call, of Salmon, had his truck loaded with cattle when he plowed into the herd of sheep belonging to David Phillips, of Terreton. Thirty-nine sheep were killed and a number of others injured. The sheep were valued at $30 a piece.
No cattle were injured in the crash but damages to the truck were estimated at $1,000.
The sheep had been taken to the McCrary field for the night but then wandered onto the highway. The herder reportedly saw the truck approaching but was unable to flag the driver down.
Phillips believed the combination of the sheep being dark and the rain that was falling at the time made it difficult to see the sheep.
Joe Potter, who investigated the incident, said no citation was given because it was an “unavoidable accident.”
1976-2000
LAVA HOT SPRINGS — A former Lava Hot Springs police chief was bound over to Sixth District Court on three more charges of embezzlement by a public official, the Idaho State Journal reported on Oct. 27, 1977.
John C. Burris, 37, was accused of selling three city-owned .38-caliber revolvers in 1975 and using the money for his own use.
Magistrate Dell W. Smith ordered Burris bound over for arraignment after a nearly four-hour preliminary hearing. Bannock County deputy prosecutor Steven L. Clark called 10 witnesses to the stand.
He was awaiting trial in district court on an earlier embezzlement charge filed in June. On that count, he was accused of selling a city-owned shotgun for $80 without reimbursing the city and without the city’s permission.
Burris served as police chief from May 1, 1974, until his resignation Aug. 31, 1976. At the time the article was published, he was living and working in Pocatello.