Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-11-05
THE NEBRASKA MURDERER.
The Arrest Of SprOnt by Defective
Frnnks-l $500 Reward.

Ex.Deputy Marshal Franks recently
made an arrest which reflects great credit
upon him IS detective, and from his
account OF the affair he alone will carry
the honors and the reward. When asked
by u reporter OF the DEMocRAT this morn
ing as to the particulars OF the arrest MIR.
Franks stated that the Tribupe's account
OF it was entirely off The story as given
below is as told by Mr. Franks, and will
he seen to coincide with that OF the Trib-
me only in the matter OF the murder.
Some time ago the Sheriff OF Nebraska
was in this city looking for man named
Sproat, who had escaped from jail in
Grand Island Adams county, Nebraska.
In the latter part OF September last
Sproat, who is butcher by trade, be-
came intimate with u Mrs. Quinn, the
wife OF his employer, and in order to ia
Cilitate matters it was agreed TO put the
husband out OF the way. One day Sproat
knocked Quinn down, cut his throat and
buried him in corn field. He then
went on living with Mrs. Quinn until
some time later the body, which had
been dug up and mutiated by hogs, was
discovered, and SprOat was arrested.
He soon afterward made his escape and
has ever since been at large.
Last Saturday night Mr.. Franks re-
ccived description OF the man from the
Nebraska Sheriff and Immediately set
out to scour the town. Finding no clue
| to him here, he went to Ogden, on Mon
day, and made an equally fruitless search
there. He left description with Deputy
| Exum, who kept close lookout for the
man, and he then started up the Northern
road Franks visited every town and
station along the line, and finally re-
ceived dispatch from conductor to the
effect that u tramp answering the dcscrip-
! ton had been put off the train at
Brigham in company with a iel-
low tie-walker. Franks then returned tc
Brigham and learning that the tramp'
had gone south, he walked to the mex
station. Learning that the tramps haC
started toward Corinne, the detective
returned to Ogden and gave up that trail
He then made another search OF Ogden
and at last inquired OF a butcher who ha
a shop opposite the Central Hotel, anC
offered him 500 for information tina
would lead to the mans arrest. TIT
butcher told Franks that the man wa
then out behind his shop dressing sheep
Knowing that Sproat was desperate
man, Franks concluded to avoid trouble
and so crossed to the hotel and tele
phoned for Exum. When the latte
arrived they both crossed back I
the butcher shop. and going through
to where Sproat was working Frank
began to ask him questions, unde
, the pretense that he wanted to emplo
HIM. When Franks asked him ii he ha
ever been to Nebraska, Sproat becam
r nervous, and for the first time suspecte
the pair to be officers. Finally Frank
r told Sproat to drop his knife, which h
: hesitated to do until the detective ha
4 lovelcd gun at him. He was hanC
! cuIlied and brought to this city to ava
4 the arrival of the sheriff OF Nebraska
= Sproat had been sailing under the nam
y OF Maicr during the time he had lived i
;, Ogden
1t will be seen from the above that tn
whole business was worked up by Nj
> Franks on his own hook, and he is q
n well justified in claiming the credit rs h
8 will be in demanding the $500 rewar
r offered for the man.