The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-06-08
OUR LOGAN LETTER
Something About Cache County
The Roberts Case.
LOGAN. UTAH. June 9Th, 80,

be LOGAN, UTAH, June z th, $50,
se The first settlers in this valley ca
they have never before seen Loga
ID appear as beautiful as q! present
ID Everything looks health itself. Tn
weather is truly refreshing" w
had two viaitations of the "festiV
frost' last week, but in mild way
a II is stated, however, that i'll thi
:. northern part OF the valley the night
i OF late have BEEN 70 cold that fci
formed to the thickness OF one-eightt
Of an inch. The grass is good
throughout the valley, and the stock
Is looking much better. A few i'm.
= prevements have been made in the
Coop store during the last week.
RunaWays are scarce, hence but little
excitement prevails; except occasion
ally, when a rifle match takes place
between the Logan and WellsVille
clubs, which invariably interests all.
( Tho U. & N. r. &. is DOW 10
r full sway. The travel is very heavy.
Regular and extra freight trains are
daily passing over the road heavily
laden, and business ia rapidly in
creasing. Superintendent Thatcher is
using every available means by
which to get freight through, and
general satisfaction prevails.
The trial of Dan Roberts, con-
ductos on the Utah and Northern
road, which took place at Malad,
Idaho, last Tuesday, created intense
anxiety here and along the road, and
when the yer Iict, mot guilty" was
rendered and spread, a hearty amen
dropped from the lips of nearly all.
Many of your readers are more or
less posted in this case, and few
structures on it might not be I'M
interesting. Shortly after the rob-
berry, on the 9TH Of last September, q
fellow named Towing was arrested on
the charge, but for some account
able reason was let cut and |
and Mr.. Dan Roberts arrested as the
culprit. A preliminary examination |
at Ogden, lasting two days, resulted
in the scquittal OF Mr.. Roberts, with
out even q shadow of suspicion.
Subsequently The grand Jury OF Idaho,
at Mslad, indicted him, and en- this
indictment he has been tried and
again acquitted. Mr.. Roberts is a
citizen Of Cache Valley, who has
been long known and esteemed as a
most trustworthy man, and the result
of bis two trials has been to impress the
people generally with the idea that
Mahoney, the special mail agent, at
whose instance the expensive trials
have been brought about, is not Tar
from a fraud, and did not use his
utmost efforts to secure the conviction
Of the guilty party. He is said to
have perpetrated the remark: 81 be
Cd id il ever want another case
where Welshmeu, Mormons or
railroad employees are concerned. 1t
seems far from just that q person
should be put to such great expense
and trouble at the instance OF one indi-
Vidual when the whole result shows
that there could have been no reason
able foundation for the belief that he
was guilty. In conversation with one
OF the witnesses, Garrigsn, he gave
me some points which will be found
in the following affidavit; and as the
case is one that has occasioned q
great deal OF interest in this locality
and great deal of feeling, 1 give it
as follows:
TERRITORY OF UTAH, E.,
COUNTY OF CACHE. co
I, P. H. Garrlgan, being first duly
sworn according to law, depose and say:
On or about the 18th day Of September,
1879, was acquainted with II. Towing,
who was then under arrest on suspicion
of robbiDg the United States mail on the
Utah and Northorn Railway train. / was
at that time confined in the same cell
with said PoWling under another charge
Nearly every day while said Towling was
confined there the officers took him from
the cell and conversed with him. One
day, just after conversation between
United States Special Mail Agent j.. Il.
and said T0wling, / had con-
versation with said Towling; he was then
crying, and l asked him what was the
him that he (Mahoney) had sufficient evil
dence to convict him and he was good for
{ years in the Penitentiary.
Said Tewling then told me that that
son of bitch Of conductor, Dan Rob
erts, was doing this, and he (Towling) (
would swear the son of bitch 10 hell be-
fore he would spend ten years in the Pen
itentiAry.
The next night Towing talked in his
sleep, saying, "Bv God, partner. we
have got ourselves into a fix, and We had
better get out of it."
then called the attention Of Il IL low
who was sleeping in the same cell with
myself and Towing to the remark that
Towling had just made, and stated that
Towing was guilty fast enough" His
answer was, Yes, that is So" In the
morning, after Towing was awake, 1
said to him, You gave yourself away
last night" He replied, mo, I didn't"
And 1 asked the other person who heard
talk in his Sleep Didn't he?"
He replied, "Yes, you were talking in
your sleep last night, and said, By God,
partner, we have got ourselves into fix.
and we had better get ourselves out of
it Towing replied: "If say any
thing in my sleep again wake me up and
don't let me talk" After breakfast that
Deputy Marshal Young came in
and asked Towing for the key TO mis-
trunk, FOR the purpose of examining its
contents, which he gave him.
After Young len the cell, Towing
said: "If they go through my trunk,
they will fix me sure" That evening,
when Young returned Tewling his key,
he called me out and asked if Towing
made the remark that if l went through
his trunk would fix him sure. an
swered yes, and asked him if he heard it.
He said yes, l stood at the head of the
stairs and heard it as l was leaving.
asked him if he got any evidence from 1
the trunk, and he answered that Mahoney
would not allow him to examine the trunk.
During TOwling's confinement, his part
ner, Norton, came TO the window Of the
cell at night four or five different nights,
and talked with him in low tone of
voice. l was acquainted with Norton,
and he recognized me each time he came
to the cell.
After the examination Of Roberts, who I
was under arrest on the same charge as
Towing, through the evidence given st
examination by him (Tow- :
ling, Sheriff Brown and l walked down !
10 the depot for the purpose of giving my
statement to Mshoney. who was about
starting to San FrsnciIco. While going {
to the depot we met Towing, who was {
then discharged. He recognized me and ,
said: 'Hello, understood you were
coming down to Roberts examination TO
give me away" l merely said that is all J
right, and walked on to the depot.