Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-11
A FEARFUL TRAGEDY.
One Man Murdered and Another
Killed Ia Mistake, BY an Officer.

Il
Correspondence OF the DnsERET SEws-l
On Sunday evening, October %,
1890, Joseph Lewis, son of Samuel
and Sarah Jane Lewis, was murd-
cred by James X. p. Pipkin AMI
Joseph w. Hatch, forty miles west
Of here, on the Zuni Reservation,
near The line Of New Mexico and
Arizona. Theparticuiars and sup
posed cause for the comuittal Of the
deed are as follows:
>. X. P. Pipkin, a resident Of this
part, some six years ago, married a
a sister af the above named Joseph
Lewis, hut through him robbing the
Postofiice Departmentof some $1,000
or $500. according to his own ac-
knowledgement threatening her
life and otherwise abusing her, she
had become dissatisfied and written
to her folks, who were living at
Thatcher, Arizona, 10 come after
her, stating she desired to
leave Pipkin. gbis fall her
mother. with her youngest son
Joseph, q years old, came Up to this
place where her oldest son Samuel
Edward lives to see about 1t. She
went to Pipkin's place, seven miles
from Ramah, made arrangements
for her daughter with her two chilu-
rem TO leave and send for her s. n
Joseph to bring the team to convey
them away. Pipkin's wife told him
she was going to. leave, packed up
her things, consisting OF bedstead,
sewing machine, trunk, etc; put
them into the wagon and drove on
70 Ramah TO the residence OF their
Oldest son and brother Samuel L.
Pipkin then had Joseph Lewis
arrested on charge Of grand lar
ceBy aud had him takeh before a
Justice at Gallup, some thirty-five
miles from here, where he was ac-
quilted.
On the evening Of the 25,h Of
October Joseph with his mother,
his sister Vira Pipkin's wifel and
her two children, apd sister Bertha
started for their home at Thatcher.
Ar iona. The following morning
Pipkin aud Joseph w. Hatch hsu
been six miles west, follow
ing up, enquiring s'jout the
whereabouts of the wagon
with the folks. Fearing violence
samuel f. Lewis asked Brothers
Ernst +. Tieuen and w. II. Bond
TO go with him, and they went IL
pursuit of the family and rode con
tinuously for forty miles until about
5 O'Clock p. M, when they suddenly
came upon two saddled horses stand
ing on one side OF the road. Being
under the impression that these
horses belonged to the men who
were in pursuit of the wagon, and
that they were hid in the brush,
they rode on ahead n few rods
and halted, when brother Bond
cried out, "Joe. Joe, Joe
Hatchi" aud Immediately they
heard the report Of n pistol
beyond them about 100 yards, in tie
Juni Wash. Then two shois, fol-
lowed by n scream as though some
one had been seriously hurt. Voices
were then heard profaning and
shouting TO "give up" Then two
men were observed coming toward
the saddle horses, to get at which
they would have 10 pass the three
Brethren, when the latter were
asked by the two approaching men
IL they had come 10 interfere. Un-
ill then the three were not positive
as to who these tSo men were, ami
therefore answered them, they
guessed not When within Is feet
Of Brother Tieijen, the latter recog-
niEed Pipkin by his crippled leg.
Noticing that he had his pistol
drawn, Brother Tieten demanded
his surrender, when J. w. Hatch
presented his pistol drawn upon
Brother Tieijen, only two feet away,
saying, "throw down your pistol, 4"
and Brother TieUen did 50, throw
ing il behind him. Then Pipkin
shot at Brother Lewis, about twenty
feet away; J. w. Hatch sho: in the
same direction. This gave Brother
rieijeu an opportunity to regain
his pistol, when both sides fred
back and forth until they had
emptied their pistols and Pipkin
aud Hatch were seen TO regain their
horses and depart in the darkness
Brother Lewis ran TO where they
bad heard the scream from and
found his brother, Joseph lying
fatally wounded only two rods from
the wagon, camped in the wash, in
which were his mother and sisters.
| Brother Tieijen Immediately fol-
lowed but Brother Bond had not
been seen or heard during the shoot
ing. Brother Lewis horse had
been killed and Brother Tieuen's
slightly wounded.
The two Brethren then gathered
IN the effects aud leftwith the family
and the remains of the young man,
VINO died within half an hour after
being shot. They started 10 return
to Ramah, going rs far as the Zuni
village that night, aud returned to
Ramah the following evening, and
learned that Pipkin and Hatch had
been seen that day in this vicinity.
The following day in the evening,
Brother Bond returned, stating that
failing to be able to make his gun
work, he, after witnessing the shoot
ing. but not knowing the results,
had started for st. Johns, a distance
of 30 miles, aud notified the sheriff,
who had Immediately started in
pursuit.
On Wednesday, October 29tb,
about noon, just as the people were
about TO gather to attend the funeral
of the murdered young man, word
came in that the sheriff had shot
aud killed, through mistake, at the
saw mill creek, IN the Zuni noun
tains, some sixteen miles from here,
IRA Starn Hatch, oldest brother d
Joseph w. Hatch, who had leer
seen there that day, and son of lI'
Hatch, well and favorably known IL
Utah, especially in the southern
part.