Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-09-13
A Letter from Utah.


SALT LAKE CRY, July II, 1889.
Editor Star:-Things are drawing to i focus
here very fast, and most probably we will sos
have exciting times. Last week, a man by the
name Of McNell was murdered. To-day another
murder has been committed in the open street, at
midday. lst Sergeant Pike, 10th Infantry, L. s
A. was without hardly a word passing, shot
down in the main street with a mortal wound
Sergt. Pike was attending court In this CITY, on
charge OF assault against one Howard Spencer
During the recess Of the court he went TO dinner
According to bis deposition, taken by Judge Sin
clair, he states that he was going TO dinner at tine
Townsend House; just as he stepped on the por-
tico he heard his name called, he turned and OBJ
served a man walking rapidly towards him; at
first he did not recognize him but he came
nearer he recognized the man Spencer, who had in
sttuted the suit against him; Spencer saying. ''you
are the man who struck me,n and immediately
drew pistol; saw that he would get the first
shot and started to get behind Of the posts of
the portico, as turned heard the shot and felt
the ball." The ball entered behind close to the
backbone, and was extracted from the right
breast; one Of the ribs were broken, and the ball
is supposed to have passed through the liver
While ] write, Thursday night, Pike s very
low and there Is no hope Of his surviving until
tomorrow The man who shot him was suffered
to escape, although fifty men were in the immc-
diate vicinity. AS Spencer started the
street. previous to the shooting, he is reported to
have said, ''There is got be a row here. and
will begin it by shooting soldier
Ills Is tle DeglnnlnE. W0en IL Will enQ no one
can foresee. An express was sent to Gen John
ston Immediately 10y Maj. F. ]. Porter, who is in
the city. What the action of the General will be-
cannot be known; many opinions are expressed
There is much excitement among the "Gentile"
portion of our inhabitants. The general remark
Is. no one knows who will be the next issassi-
mated
News gathers force az II flies and as camp
Floyd is some fifty miles from here, the report
may have magnifed until it will be understood
that we all are murdered, and induce Gen John
ston to send large force up here, in which case
collision may take place between the L. s.
troops and the Mormons. The ball will be OPEN
ed, and the voice of tue nation will undoubtedly
sustain the matter until the vexed question of Nor
monism shall be settled forever. Tie evil Is
deeply seated. and the cure TO be radical must
have the benefit of energetic and severe measures
The general opinion Of the outsiders" here is
that the recent transactions have been done ad-
visedly and s'under authority with The special
object of rendering the United States Ia this coun-
try mere matter Of form, and defeating the ends
of Justice. We hear rumors that the Judge will
be constrained to adjourn the court Hae die By
the murder of two men, and running of OF an
important witness in the case, three of the grand
jury indictments have been rendered void
IL Is also reported that the man Gebrin who was
convicted of murder by the Probate Court but
whose decision was set aside by Judge Sinclair
presiding in the District Court of the 3d Judicial
district, has been allowed to esca pc while being
taken 70 some other place to get his supper
These are some of the difficulties which attend
on the administration of justice in this territory
CAPITOL HILL