Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-22
DEPUTY COLLIN ON TRIAL.
where's the Hat mcmurriu Wore ?
Several Witnesses give Their
Evidence.

The case Of Deputy II. F. Collin, held
for the shooting OF Joseph w. McMur-
rim, came up before Commissioner Nc
Kay this morning in the chambers of the
District Court. Mr. Collin was repre-
sented by Judge Hoge and ]. L. Rawlins,
while w. II. Dickson prosecuted the case
for the people.
Mr.. Alfales Young was the first wit
ness called, owing to the urgency of his
business elsewhere. He testified that he
was in the house Immediately north OF
the Social Hall on the night of November
the 2Stli. HE was here shown dia-
gram of the premises, and pointed out
Mrs. Clara d. Young's residence as the
house referred to- He had heard several
pistol shots that night, little after Z
o'clock. Yes, there were others in the
house at the time. He heard five shots
altogether, the last two little apart and
the first three in close succession to
each other. He asked for a Lantern, in
tending to go out and investigate, al
though he was inclined to regard the
shooting as the work OF some hoodlums I;
not obtaining lantern he did not give
the matter further attention till some
minutes later, when in accompanying
two OF his nieces down the street he was
led out of curiosity to go into the alley
way. In doing 80 he stumbled against a
hat-a black hat-which was lying in
the alley near the fence where the latter
is protected by curbstone. He took
the hat to the street-lamp and examined
it; it was black or blue black. Went
to the City Hall, where he saw about
dozen persons near the front door
OF the City Hall, and went in and
asked II anyone had been shot,
his suspicious being aroused by finding
the hat. He was told that IL was Joe
McMurrin who had been shot.
He handed the hat to Mar
shall Phillips, who was present. Knew
nothing further. The first three shots
had sounded as though they were fred
into wall close TO the muzzle OF the
pistol.
The witness was excused.
Mr.. Rawlins here requested that
stenographer be employed to take the
evidence, and Marshal Ireland tele-
phoned for A. s. Patterson, for whose
arrival the proceedings were kept waiting
more than half an hour.
Mrs. Joseph w. McMurrin, the wife of
the missing man, was called and took the
witness chair with evident courage. She
is decidedly nice-looking and answered
the numerous questions with re-
markable fortitude and composure,
occasionally, however, breaking loose
from her studied and cautious non-com-
initial attitude with show OF embarrass-
ment Whenever the matter of the
shooting came up, whether applicable or
not, she would volunteer the gratuitous
information in very emphatic way that
her husband did not do any shooting.
She had evidently been well trained on
this point, rs well US in the matter of her
Ignorance Of her husbands whereabouts.
She had seen her husband about o'clock
on the evening of November 2Sth; also
saw him later in the evening, when he
was brought home wounded. She saw
his two wounds, and described their loca-
ton. She had last seen him on the
evening of December the 2Sth. He
left without any company; had learned
from him that he was going Have not
seen or heard from him since; he was
still suffering when he left; asked him
where he was going, but he answered he
did not know; had not been anxious or
worried thought he was getting along
all right. Did not know anything about
his whereabouts now. He was night
Waterman at the tithing office had been
home all day; had come home about 5
O'Clock that morning; said nothing to
her about his intention to visit the alley
He had OH gray suit and overcoat; al
ways wore the same suit; he wore diff
ferent hat "a soft one) at his work from
the one worn on the street; he left home
with his stiff hat on could not de-
scribe the hat he wore at his work !;
he had had it about two weeks; the
soft hat was left at the Tithing office !;
could not say exactly how long he had
had it. He had been at work at the
Tithing Office about two years. Had
never carried the soft hat home; she
had seen it once at home; the hat had
not been worn much; could identity it..
marshal Phillips was asked to produce
the hat He did not know where it was !;
it was not in his possession.) Her hus.
band had told her that he had bought
the hat for use at the Tithing office. Had
been present while her husband was on
duty; he was guard of the premises; had
no other duty; it was his duty to inspect
the cellars and see that they were locked !;
he also guarded the gates. She was
snre as to the knowledge that led
to the purchase of the hat; knew it had
not been used when she saw it; did not
know that he had duties in the cellars, or
that the low ceiling would injure his stiff
hat; he had worn brown stiff hat prior
to purchasing the soft one. The stiff hat
had not been injured perceptibly; the
soft hat looked black had not examined
1t closely did not know what it cost had
no idea what it had cost. He obtained
the hat after the shooting, and had worn
it in going away on the night OF Decem-
Der 2Sth; had taken his soft hat on the
night before. He left as usual, about 6
O'Clock, to go on duty she supposed; had
no idea he was going elsewhere; it might
have been little later; he went alone.
He had not habitually told witness
where he was going; he usually told her
when he was going to meeting.
He left homo on the 2Sth OF December,
was weak, very weak had been sitting
up two weeks, most OF the day the doc
tor had called regularly up to that date !;
her husband had never been outside
since the shooting; it was considered
dangerous; his condition was at that time
critical; he had been told by the doctor
that there were ominous symptoms; the
doctor was not consulted about the pro-
priety OF the patients leaving home; he