Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-10-20
A BAD MAN FROM BINGHAM.
ssMormon Joe,' Robs His Partner
of His Wife and Also of Fifty
Dollars.

Judge Speirs' undivided attention was
absorbed this forenoon with the Joseph
Larson robbery case of Saturday last.
Mr.. Critchelow appeared for Mormon
Joe" and Mr.. Moyle represented the
plaintiff, Alex. Shannon.
The defense offered no evidence, while
that of the prosecution showed that
Shannon came in from Bingham last
week with three $40 gold pieces and some
smaller change. He met Larson at the
De- R. G.sHotel saloon, opposite
the depot. Several drinks were taken,
and Shannon became intoxicated VIM.
Sanders, an employee of the Rio Grande
shops, and others, testified that they saw
Mormon Joe" call Shannon out of the
saloon on the pretense of waiting to speak
with him, and as soon as they got outside
Shannon went staggering along the side
walk with defendant hold of him.
Nightwatchman Thomas Daniels, en-
ployed at the D. & R. G. depot, saw
Mormon Joe" leading Shannon about
block from the depot, and suspicioning
a niger in the wood pile" he fol-
lowed, out of sight, and secreted himself
behind some lumber within a few yards
of the men, where he could watch the
man9uvers of the defendant. He saw
Shannon lie down on the sidewalk in a
drunken stupor. Then defendant re-
clined beside him, gazing into the help
less mans face several times to make
sure that he was asleep; Joe then
put his hand in .Shannon's left pocket
and took out a buckskin purse with
clasp and removed something from it,
and left Shannon lying there. Officer
Daniels went in pursuit of the suspicious
man, and arrested him later on.
This happened last Saturday afternoon,
and Shannon being found there intoxi-
Gated at about 4 o'clock was arrested by
the police. 1t was then that he discov-
cred and informed the officers that he had
been touched" for $50. and had but SIS. 10
left about him. He paid his fine for being
drunk and was released.
w. II. Sheppard, who works for the Rio
Grande Company, saw Mormon Joe'' and
Shannon lying down, and corroborated
much of the testimony of the other wit
nesses.
The defense moved to have the case
discharged, on the ground that the COM
plant was faulty and the evidence insult
fcient to hold the accused. ~
The Court differed, and was inclined to
think the evidence adduced strong
enough to warrant the holding of de-
fendant, even though the complaint be
insufficient, and the motion was over
ruled. Exception was taken.
MIR. Shannon says he intends to prose-
cute his wife as well as Larson. In con-
versation with the reporter he stated that
at one time he took Larson, or Mormon
Joe" as he is better known in Bingham,
into his home, and made him
partner in some N mining business.
Larson stole his wife's affections
from him SO that she took her little boy |
and left her home. Larson is reported to
be a bad man with a gun, and at one
time he came to Shannon's house and
beat him most numerically over the
head with a six-shooter, all of which he
intends proving in the course of time.
He further states that his wife has lived
with Larson for nearly two years in
illicit relations punishable by law. The
case is one of the most entangled and
mixed affairs Prosecutor Moyle has had
to handle during his present position in
the Police Court.