The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-01-21
THE WARM CREEK TRAGEDY.
Doutre Terrorized the Neighborhood and Has
Now Killed An Objector

Doutre Terrorized the Neighborhood and Has
Now Killed An UhjectOr.
In order to give the readers of THE HER
AID better understanding of the Warm
Creek tragedy, a brief notice of which was
telegraphed to you yesterday, it will be
necessary to go back several years. Warm
Creek is situated in the northwest corner
OF Mlllard county, and furnishes about as
much water as Parley's canon creek, and
presum ably used on half dozen or so
ranches, and as Is the custom in eastern
Nevada and the west of this county, 1t has
been the policy to claim all the water posi-
bic, thus keeping settlers at a distance,
and any one expecting to appropriate any
water must do so under protest, often of
rather forcible nature.
AT the place of which we are writing,
MIR. Rhodes ranch of 160 acres lies high
est up on the >tream. Below and adjacent
is an Indian farm of eighty acres, under
fence, and which has been titled by the
reds Tor many years, and who claim
priority of appropriation of the water which
they take out of the main creek near and
on the lower side or the Rhodes ranch.
About one and one-half miles down the
creek from the Indian farm is located the
ranch of the Doutre Bros, who are repre-
sente6 as being
A TERROR TO THAT REGION.
Three years ago last July dispute over
some land between some of the settlers
and the Doutre Bros. eliminated in the
killing of Tom Noakes. Alex. and Treffle
Doutre and Jerry Patnode were arrested
for the murder. The grand jury ignored
the case against Treff1e and held Alex and
Patnode under the charge of murder. They
were tried at Provo and found guilty of
dow h4 i -
was obtained. The killing was admitted
by Alex. D utre, but the theory of self de-
tense was set up and the prisoners dis
charged.
Several years ago the Doutre Brothers
put dam and head gates in the creek
about half mile above Mr.. Rhodes
place and ran the water around and north
OF the Rhodes farm and emptied the water
into the main channel below the point
farm, and allowing only that
portion claimed by Mr.. Rhodes
to run down the creek from
the Doutre dam. BY system of bull
doing the REDS were terrified into letting
their crops burn up several years in sue
| cesslon. This was a matter which two
years ago Governor A. L. Thomas reported
to the Washington authorities and asked
for remedial measures. During this time
Mr.: Rhodes farm was leased and he was
in Utah county. On his return he col
lected some of the Indians and
TORE OUT THE DoUTRE DAM
Some six weeks ago MIR. Stevens and
family left Spring Valley, White Pine
county, New, and settled at Warm Greek
purchasing half interest in the Rhodes
farm.
Last Saturday at about o. m. Messrs
Rhodes and Stevens noticed a man at the
Doutre dam and went up to see what was
going on. 1t proved to be TREBLE Doutre
who was putting the dam in shape to turr
the water. Mr.. Rhodes is man over sixty
years old, and it was presumed that Mr.
Stevens was the chief objector and forbi(
Doutre from turning the water, but little i:
known of the occurrence more than Doutre
shot Stevens a few inches below the hear,
while standing so near the double-actins
'bull-dog'' as to have his jumper burned
by the powder. After the shooting Doutrt
went home, while Mr.. Stevens walked
back to the Rhodes place, distance of ovel
half mile. He lived until a. m. the mex
morning
Sheriff John T. Ashman, of Fillmore, ha
gone out to Warm creek and if the birC
hasn't flown, will likely bring Doutre il
here for examination. IGNoT.