Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-03-22
THE JONES KILLING.
Mr.. Hancock Denies Firing the
Fatal Shot.

+AeSas was NSA1iuNcI ltHleIudY
4 After hearing considerable evi
, dence as to the Defendants gooC
I character, Mr.. Hancock was calles
4 to the witness stand and testified
, | am the defendant in this case:
5 have heard the testimony in thil
> case; l remember the night Of tn,
killing OF Henry Jones; remember
being out on guard with Thoma,
Wilson that night; we were on the
: lookout for horse thieves; | remem
Der some one coming up while on
guard; | hailed him; l cried, "whc
comes theree Halt!'' When I cried
''halt'' he fired; ! had my hand on
my pistol and returned the fire; the
two shots were like spat, .pat; the
man turned and ran; ] started after
him saw two men jump from the
sage brush and run after him; they
were between US; i did not come
up TO them Till they reached Pond
town; when i came up / recOg-
nized the men as George Patten and
Price Nelson; George Patten, Lycur-
gus Wilson, Samuel Keel and Price
Nelson had arrested the Joneses (;
there might have been other parties
around but none others Connected
with the arrest: Jones did not want
to 20 back; Samuel Keel and Ly-
curgus Wilson were leading him
that is they were side by side; ~
we were going back the question
was again asked what he was ar
rested for; was telling that he was
the leader Of q gang Of horse thieves;
we had got on about One-hundreu
and fifty or two-hundred yards; !
was ut the left OF Mr.. Wilson: sud
denly there was a commotiOn and
two shots were fired; did not fire
either of those shots; did not say
"Slip It TO him boys" or give any
other word of command; there were
only two shots fired; did not fire n
shot when he was on the ground;
we were met by two men coming
from Payson; Thomas Wilson might
have been one Ofthem;l should judge
there were about fifteen or twenty
men in the crowd; don'trememt er
seeing Frank Wilson there; this
shooting occurred before . O'Clock;
the finst shot was fired about y
O'Clock; some one spoke up and said
il won't do TO leave him here; there
was a man living near by named
Tom Keel; spoke up ard said, awe
will watch the bOdy::'' his wife
spoke up and said, ayes, We will
watch MIN; | wouldn't go to bee
after such n racket as this, anyhow"
| had not chased this man Jones
around town before he was halted
by me while on guard; 1 know
Daniel ROsson; never told him
that had killed Mrs. Jones; never
was inside Of the dugout; saw this
John Jones arrested the next morn
ing at about 8 O'Clock; l moved 20
PaysOn on the 27th DAY Of March,
1856; 1 was born in Columbia, Ohio,
on the ! 9Th OF March. 1895; | came
to Utah in 1879; / lived at Woods
Gross, north OF Salt Lake; l have
lived in Payson since ISIS.
To Mr.. Evans-I never knew
Henry Jones until he was identified
after his death; l had heard Of
family 10y the name Of Jones living
there; there were about three hun
dred people in PaysOn, but they
were constantly moving; my broth
er was Bishop nj that time; the com
manding officer Of the guard gave
me orders not TO let any one pass in
or out; / don't remember who wa
officer Of the guard that night; they
were being constantly changed; j
think William Best was command
ing that night; | received no order
I'm relation TO the guard from my
brother; l held the rank of captain
in the militia: this militia wa,
known rs the NauvOO Legion:
Dan ROsson and Price Nelson weT,
on guard Mt the corral that night; ]
was guarding east and north OF the
dugout; had never seen this dug
out; in the night l saw fash Of
light in the direction / SUPPOSED
the dug1ut was. and / hearC
some shots fred; l believe | hear
rs many Us four shots in shori
space Of time. The old pistol was
produced and Mr.. Hancock iilustrat-
cd how 1t had been held and how
the challenge had been given. The
shot gun with which Jones fired at
me was picked up 10y some herL
boys the next morning; | went aitei
that man TO bring him back Il
Payson; he had crossed by guar
and | considered it my duty to bring
him hack; the four men whom !
spoke Of had arrested him when ]
came up; said, "Boys, We must
take him back;' believe these men
aid they wanted TO take him back:
Jones did not want to go back; ht
did not explain why he did not
want 10 20 back; | did not hear
him say he did not want 20 go bach
because we were going to murder
him; ] don't know whether he was
wounded; sup osed when l shot
that | had hit him in the right
arm.
Mr.. Evans-Did you try to kill
him?
Objected to by Mr.. Brown; objec-
ton overruled.
Ans.-I can't say that | did try
to kill him; he fired at me and
shot at him; / could use pistol
pretty tOlerably quick in those days;
| was smarter than am now; when
Jones saw the other men coming he
said: "rhere come some more OF
them after me-" he kind of made
little jerk as though to get away;
TIVE shots were fired; Jones fell;
don't know anything about the bull
lets going into him; l never exam
ined him; | believe he died there;
he did not die very easy.
Alr. Evans-HOw long does il take
man 10 die who has been heated
uP7
Ans.-I don't know; never tried
it; never died. We never left I'M
I'll somebody said they would watch
the body. was in PaysOn during
the years IS5S-o9-60, and / have
been away one winter since; went
to Michigan and Missouri to visit
my friends. / don't recollect
being away hut this time | have
mentioned; when the Joneses were
killed; think Byron Pace was
SHERIFF. Of this county; l didn't know
n warrant was out for me; A few
DAYS ago heard there had been
warrant out for me; l aidn't 60
away in 1853 or 1850 to evade arrest;
| haven't been in California since
1855; | didn't keep out Of the way
since that killing.
To Mr.. BrOwn-I had nothing &c
do with the manning Of Jones.
was captain Of a company in Pay
son. / think 1t was after that. The
city marshal attended to the detail
ing OF the guards. / was eleetea
constable in August, lS5s. 1 think
I was acting or deputy constable at
that time. No; l was not acting
constable the night Of the killing. l
was acting as military and not as
civil officer that night.