The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-21
AT THE GARDEN CITY.
RICHARD CROwTHER GETS THREE
MONTHS FOR ADULTERY.
The Sensational Case Against Mag
nus Ericsson, the Former Marshal
of Ephraim, Now on Tria1-Heavy
Damage Suit.

Provo, sept. zU-Ine fISI uIStIlC'
court opened this morning with Judge
Smith on the bench.
The first business transacted was the
admitting of eleven men from Eureka
to citizenship, as follows:
William H. Wood, Conrad H. w
Kopman, Jacob F. Christensen, August
Tebreault, John Jewel Pope, John B.
Evans, T. T. Jeffrey, France Moade,
Woolf Marks, Michael Gamesy, Ernest
r. Hendrickson.
Richard Crowther, who entered a
plea of guilty to the charge of adultery
yesterday, but who has, since the COM
mission of the crime, separated from
his first wife and had married the Sec
ond, appeared today for sentence. He
asked for as much leniency as could be
shown. The court sentenced the de-
Ifendant to be confined in the peniten-
ltiary for a period of three months.
! The case of the United States VS..
Magnus Erickson, charged with the
crime of adultery, said to have been
committed at Ephraim, Sanpete coun-
Ity, on April IA, 1894, was then taken up
THE defendant was at the time holding
the office of city marshal of Ephraim.
The correspondent is Mrs. Harriet
Hansen, of the same place. The parties
were arrested at the Ephraim Jail, April
ia, 1894. The affair created quite a stir
at the time, as the parties are we'll
known, and before the arrest were
looked upon as exemplary people. Be
fore going to trial all witnesses were
excluded from the court room.
| ]. p. Hansen, the husband of the CO.
respondent, was the first witness called.
The attorneys for the defense objected
Ito the witness testifying without the
lconsent of his wife, who will be tried
for the same offense. Considerable ar
gument was INDUCED in by the attor-
Ineys as to whether or not the witness
should testify, and the prosecution fin
Tally withdrew the witness for the time,
and called Benny Hansen, who testi-
flied:
II live in Ephraim; am a brother-in-
law of the correspondent, Mrs. Hansen.
On the night in question L came out of
the house and saw the defendant, Err
Iickson, come out of the Jail with a ci-
gar in his mouth, look around, and then
go back. In a few moments Mrs. Han
sen came out of the Jail and passed
Ialong the street. l saw them together
the next day Sunday and on the next
Saturday, which was the 18th of April;
saw Mrs. Hansen go to the city Jail
Mr.. Thompson and myself went to the
Jail and tied the door with a rope. My
brother, j. P. Hansen, was also with
us. After a few moments we heard a
noise inside of the Jail, and some one
tried to open the door. The defendant
then asked to be let out. l responded,
No; we have got you and intend to
keep you till morning The defendant
then kicked panel out of the door and
thrust his hands out. We (my brother
and MYSELF seized his hands He then
begged for mercy; asked us to give him
a pistol so he could kill himself: ac-
knowledged his guilt, and said if let
loose he would leave the country and
never come back. Magnus Erickson
said: God knows we are two guilty
wretches; let us go; no one knows it
but you who are here. 3"
The witness heard the defendant tes-
tify before the commissioner. He then
stated that the woman, Mrs. Hansen.
placed much confidence in him and was
there to the Jail to consult him on mat
tiers of business; but on the night of the
ARREST nothing of this kind was men
toned. The witness said there was a
bed in the Jail
Cross-examined by the defense
witness said the Thompson referred
to, was the mayor of Ephraim city.
Nothing new was developed in the
croSS-eXaminati ton.
Peter Thompson was next called and
he related what he saw and heard. He
told Erickson he never thought that of
him. and said Erickson asked for a
pistol so that he could kill himself.
The witness heard Hansen say he had
suspected them for over year. Erick-
son asked him why he had not given
him a hint so he (Erickson) could have
gotten out of the country. Hansen
said he wanted to get more proof. so
that he could have him arrested. The
defendant asked the witness and an
other party to go and tell his wife and
brother
On court reconvening at D. M. the
prosecution exploded a bomb shell by
moving to dismiss the Indictment
against Harriet Hansen, the core
spondent in the Erickson case, on the
grounds that he wished to use Mr. and
Mrs. Hansen as witnesses in the case.
Her attorneys objected to this being
done upon the grounds named, but if
it was admitted that there was not
evidence enough to convict they would
not object The objection was sustain
ed, and the defense proceeded to cross
examine. AT this juncture Mr.. Burns,
sheriff of Sanpete county, was called
for the defense, the reason be-
ing that he had important business
calling him away and it was necessary
for him to go to Manti today He testi-
fed to the good character of the de-
PENDANT.
MIR Thompson was recalled and
cross-examined. He stated that he was
not interested in this prosecution. Had