James Cannon
James Cannon, about 28, was a miner from Bull Hill whose mother lived in Dubuque, Iowa. While officers were taking him and Thomas Short to the Colorado Springs jail, Deputy Sheriff Sterling shot Cannon, who died, and wounded Short. Sterling said the two men tried to escape and that he feared a rescue attempt. A coroner's jury cleared Sterling, but miners said Cannon and Short were innocent and that many of them would testify to where the men were at the time.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed). The coroner's jury cleared Deputy Sheriff Sterling, who said he shot Cannon while taking him to the Colorado Springs jail and feared a rescue attempt; miners said the men were innocent and that they had been at a ball when the crime occurred.
Reported by: Deputy Sheriff Sterling (the agency that held him); coroner's jury (medical examiner or coroner); miners from Bull Hill (witnesses).