The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-07-31
A BRUTAL ASSAULT.
Col. Atkins was Attacked for
Denomeing Corruption.
INDIAN WRONGS AT DEVILS LAKE.
Nsoms of Them Should be Righted-Part of
the Pension Bureau Scandal-Wrecked
& Sailors sayed-The Cronln Case

DRSEKR, July Gothic brutal and
coWardly assault made on Colonel John
Atkins, manager of the Rocky Mountain
Hc0S, on Monday evening by JEFF, alias
''Soapy" Smith, a notorious confidence
man, had its original cause in the warfare
which the NelUs has for months been making
On the dives and criminal classes, and the
corrupt municipal machine which has SC
long dominated Denver politics.
Early last fall the NeiUS exposed and de
nounced the corruptiOns in the police de
partment, showing that it was in with the
thieves and gamblers and confidence men
and courtesans for the purpose of personal
gain and political power. Last January
the NclrS assumed strong grounds in favor
of the Sunday closing of saloons,
and also announced that henceforth
III all elections it would ignore par
tisan politics. In maintaining these
positions the Ne,rS had succeeded in com
pelling the late legislature to pass a high
license law and to so amend the city char
1ers that the saloons became punishable
under the laws of the state for keeping
open on Sunday. The vigorous and sue
cessful demands for the enforcement of the
law have drawn upon the Neirs and Man
ager Atkins the intense hatred of the city.
-kUloWing up this policy the paper has
been exposing the manner in which the
] confidence men have been allowed to ply
their vocation in and about the city, and on
Monday morning, in a column article, it
showed up "Soapyn Smith in an especially
graphicmanner. This article is the alleged
immediate cause of the assault on the man
ager Of the NelUs, but that it was urged on
and instigated by the saloon and dive ele-
10 70 h,lfa
much evidence on which the assertion can
be made
Last evening about Z o'clock Smith and
one of his friends, known as Banjo"
Parker, went to the Ncrs building and
took up their positions in the shadow near
the main entrance to the elevator In
few minutes Colonel Atkins came down
aud started to step into a carriage in wait
ing, which was the assistant secretary of
states. Just as he stepped out of the
door Smith spoke to him and Atkins
turned TO see who it was Smith struck
him over the left temple with a loaded
cane, knocking him to the pavement sense
less He then belabored him over the
head and kicked him in the side several
times. Parker stood over Smith to protect
him while engaged in his brutal work.
(which occupied but moment or two, when
: both men fed The colonel was carried
INTO a drug store near by and upon eX-
animation by the physician it was found
that his skull was quite badly frac-
tured. The injured mans wounds
were dressed and after regaining
consciousness he was taken to his home,
where he rested easily during the night ana
today.
NoOneis permitted to see him. His ply
sicians tonight report him doing well and
in a fair way TO be out of danger in few
days.
Smith was arrested late last night and
had preliminary trial to day. He waived
examination and was bound over in the
sum of s., 800.