| Was it Murder or Justice?
ONE WOULD ASSUME wanted posters would be common place in the old Wild West, maybe even as late as the early 1900s. Yet, as strange as this seems, there were wanted posters plastered around Nevada County in the fall of 1944!
In October of 1944, the body of Henry Lewis was discovered in Snow Mountain Ditch in Willow Valley just east of Nevada City. He had been deer hunting, and it was immediately assumed his death was an accident. When the coroner was summoned to the scene, he determined, however, that it was murder!
A deputy following a trail of blood and broken branches up hill from the ditch discovered a hideout consisting of a lean-to which was concealing the entrance to an old mine tunnel. It was determined this was the hideout of the fugitive William Ebaugh. It was also surmised that this was the scene of Henry Lewis' death and that his body had been dragged down to the ditch and left. Ebaugh immediately became a suspect, and the manhunt began.
Ebaugh was considered somewhat of a hermit and bohemian. He had a few run-ins with the law in the past, making him very unpopular with law enforcement and a number of Nevada County residents. On the other hand, he was admired for his independent spirit and many, particularly many women considered him a friend. He was even a good friend of the victim, Henry Lewis.
Suspected of rustling some cattle a few months earlier, a warrant had been issued for Ebaugh's arrest. He went into hiding, presumably at the lean- to. It was assumed that while deer hunting, Lewis had accidentally discovered Ebaugh's lair, and the fugitive shot him so as not to be discovered.
Weeks later the "Wanted Dead or Alive" poster was issued and circulated - not by the sheriff, but by a group of "concerned citizens." Ebaugh apparently found refuge in an abandoned cabin. An unemployed carpenter responded to the poster and shot Ebaugh through the heart while he was fetching water. He was dead before he hit the ground. Ebaugh's body lay at a local funeral parlor prior to burial, and a photo which ran in the local newspaper showed a long line of women waiting to get a look at him.
Much of the county was outraged by Ebaugh's death. How could a man be "executed" without a trial? Where was justice? Then there were those who were relieved the community was rid of a "dangerous menace" once and for all.
The case went to the California Department of Justice, and the result was the abolishment of Dead or Alive warrants. The carpenter was exonerated, collected his $300 and left the area.
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