Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-07-18
THE POLICEMEN JUSTIFIED
The officers Who Fired al Gillespie
20 Free.

The examination Of police,sen :
z. Riley aud wr,. Il. Pool, wh'
sres - Thomas GILLESPIE on thu
might Of June -, was held befor'
Justice Laney this forenoon. Mr.
Eastman prosecuted and MI
o,Riley,an attorney, represents" tbs
defense.
Thomas GiIiispie, Charles Parker
a--i VIM. Latham were sworn FOL
the prosecution. The first named
was the first witness who testified,
! His evidence was substantially as
follows:
At about half-past eleven O'Clock
on the night Of June - I was walk.
ing northward on Fourth We;
Sueet; when nesr Tifh South
Street / herr 4 shot, apparently
sbost .--o blocks ahead Of ne, and
Hsw moments later saw three boys
running southwark, who passed me;
| asked them what was the matter;
they answered they were bein.r shot
at. I walked cr Art IN a few
moments 49, snead OF me three
race, cne or more Of whom fired a
shot towards me. l started 70 run
from them, when two more shots
were fired at me; ! ran into the
house Of Mr.. Parker, w''er t;ge de-
PENDANTS csme"r =. fSont thehouse
and cs'sci Tor me to come out; l
came out, when one Of them
searched me. The told me that the
man who was with them had Just
been held up and robbed, and they
were after the hUld-ups. ifif,S laid
ne had fred into ire afr. sd Pool
said he had fired n 49,. he told me |
might have te.c then lying dead
in the street, ami might consider
nsrzeii lucky that was nOt. The
-ian who had been robbed said |
was not one Of the men who did il.
l was about IS yards from the police
men when they shot at me,
Ca crOss-ex3mi naii"'' Gillespie
testified:
After tho sh5oting a friend OF
mine ~ med Alex. BOuck came up
ard walked home with me. The
man who came up with the police
man said he had been held up. /
know the policemen shot at me, sor
they We're running after me and
fired towards me as I ran across the
street, End when | came out Of
P8gkcr's house Pool admitted hav-
ing snOtat me. The policemen said
they were looking for three met
who had held up the man whC Wa
with them. The man sTl'd J was
not one OF the n'e,. who had held
him az. Pool spoke of n
shot U&t had been fired, be-
fore he shot at me. told the
Of the three boys l had seen
/ had not been drinking
that day; did not have any talk
that afternoon with Policeman
Parker about having been drinking.
To Judge I-aney-When | was
near tie y-,-ner OF Fifth South and
EoUrtn West streets | heard a shot
which / thought was on Third West
Street. about two blocks away. The
shots were fired II me three or four
minutes later.
To Mr. O'Riley-T never recoy-
lizei the officers as such tili after I
,ame out Of ParkeT's house they
nd not call 20 nv TO 10y,
Wm. Latham, an intelligent I.
yUung mar. ucSt testified Of hear
ing Trst evidently was the first
,hct That Gillespie had heard. 4 .
Jw minutes later witness saw
he defendants rush past his .
house. near the corner Of .
Fourth West ami Fourth South
treets, going southwark. and in
mother moment heard three shots,
which. lac learned later, were fired
Il Gillespie, Witness was present
with the officers and Gillespie when
he latter came out OF Tarker's
house; heard Riley say he firri into
he sir, but heard Pool say he shot
o kill.
Charles Parker testified 10 having
zen awakened by Gillespie coming
o his house. but he knew nothing
( any other Of the material facts OF
he case. With his testimony the
rested.
Policeman Barker testified in he
lalr Of the defense. At about I
j. m. on the date OF tire shooting,
witness met Gillespie, who gave him
cigar. Witness rather thought
iiiiespie had been TiukiDg a little, :
nj admitted being unable "a cite
ny particular reason for thinking (
Policeman Pool testified: Shortly .
efDre midnight, June -, officers .
Riley and l heard a shot, and =
yell: ran in the III
ection Of the sounds: met a
IAN who said he had been
cid up and rohbed by three men;
an on in the direction he said the
olduIs had taken; caught sight Of .
iillespie about half 4 block ahead
Us, and called TO him to stop; a
hot was fired from near where he
TODD. AMI passed between officer
Iiley and myself; Riley fired his
istol in the air, and | fired two
bots towards Gillespie.
The witness cOrrObOrated GILES
les account Of what occurred n
'arker'S house.
To Mr.. Eastman Il did not
ay ! shot TO kill; / said I shot
o stop Gillespie. did say 10 I
iiliespie that ne might have been
wing dead in the street, and might
Onsijer himself lucky that he was
lot. Witness added: We carry a
geapon and are supposed 10 Use it
0 stop men We want
To Mr.. O'Riley:-I dill not see
ny emergency calling for a shot.
Policeman Riiey's testimony was
Substantially the same as that Of
'OOl. The only important difference
.etweeh the witnesses on the respec-
i've sides was this: The officers said
hat Just before they fired at GILES
lie 4 shot came from him, or near
where he stood, and passed between
hem. Gillespie positively swore
hat no such a shot was fired. and
.atham corrOborated him.
At the conclusion OF the hearing
he court discharged the defendant
Returned Elders.
Today We were called upon 10y
.lders Abraham Nav and VIM. l..