The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-24
jim Cross the Perpetrator of a
Double Murder.
IT OCCURRED AT BLISS.
MEssRs. WILSON AND BLISS WERE
THE VICTIMS.
The Murderer Is Now Behind the
Bars ut OaI1Iey-The Awful Affair
Has Created Intense Excitement
in Idaho-An Interesting story.

Oakley, Idaho, Feb. 2S.-Jim Cross
I the perpetrator of double murder at
Bliss is languishing behind prison bars
land all Oakley and surrounding
country is rejoicing.
Particulars of the tragedy were not
known until Sunday when two parties
came in from the scene about one hum
dred miles distant on the line of the
Oregon Short Line railway and an
nounced the killing in cold blood of two
men named respectively Wilson and
Bliss. No sooner had the atrocity been
committed than the assassin took to
the rocks with the avengers hot on
his trail. They traced him to Work
mans ranch about twenty miles west
of this point and there ascertained that
he had procured lodgings there the
night before and exchanging shoes
with the ranchman'S son renewed his
flight.
Workman was armed to the teeth.
Over his shoulder was swung a Win
chester rifle, three foPty-fives fierce and
formidable hung from his waist while
the handle of a bowie knife protruded
from a scabbard at his side. The
fugitive was armed for desperate resis-
lance. His arsenal had become I'M
wildly and tiresome at this point, how
ever, and the rifle was left with the
ranchman. From this point Cross was
! trailed to a secluded spot known as
Mountain Meadow where his tracks
were obliterated by a herd of sheep.
The pursuing party then came on to
Oakley and the services Of Constable
John Adams and Deputy w. r. Lee
were enlisted. Around this fearless
four was soon gathered a posse of citi-
xubn had q hU fha
story of the deed and on Monday, in
the face Of beating, drifting storm
! they started forth to take the murderer
dead or alive. At o'clock that evening
the posse reached the ranch of John
1verson, on the banks of Big Cotton
wood. and some six miles from this
place. AT this it was aScertained that
the fugitive had put up most of the
day at Chris Nelson's and on toward
his ranch the posse pressed its way
Nelson himself was absent and about
Is o'clock, an hour in adj
vance of the pursuing forces,
Cross moved on. The pursuers
went into camp at Iverson's and early
the following morning took up the trail
again. 1t led them along the foothills
west of Oakley in SoutheaSterly course
until r. H. Hunters ranch was reach
! ed. At this place the fugitive had tar
ried long enough to supply his larder
with three chickens and then pushed
on. Here the trail become very indiS-
tinct and disappeared entirely until
futile & Heights grist mill, at the
mouth of Goose Creek canyon, was
reached. The posse wound its way UP
the canyon for three miles, reaching
the junction Of Trapper and Goose
Creek, where David Walker has made
his home. Here the trail led up
rugged avenue with Amos ToIman head
ing the posse. 1t was at this place,
that is covered with a dense growth
of brush that Tolman, who had been
walking, concluded to mount, and as
he settled into the saddle saw, a few
yards distant, riband of white smoke
winding its lazy way up above the
| bushy head of the cedar. a little
closer scrutiny revealed the outlines of
a man stretched beside a camp fire.
apparently lost in heavy slumber. Toll
man at once communicated the news
to the posse and dismounting sought
a higher point upon the hill where the
sleeper, a hundred yards distant, was
in plain view.
'I'll draw bead on him., said Toll
man to one of the posse, land you hail
him."
The shout echoed from hill and the
fugitive, springing into the air like
wild beast, dashed through the brush
while six shots wet Whirring over his
head. These the fugitive succeeded in
eludlng, however, and appearing on a
ledge Of rock for an instant, gave one
wild leap and was out of sight
4 Effort to escape was as vain as re-
sistance would have been folly, how
ever, and moment later the murderer
come forth from his hiding place and
with both hands mid air surrendered.
With Cross in hand the posse made its
way back to Oakley and the captive
was taken before a justice of the peace
who ordered that he be committed to
Jail at Shoshone to await the pleasure
of Logan county officials, the crime
having been committed within that jur-
isdiction, while the two parties from
Bliss had warned the court that if the
prisoner was allowed to return to that
place his dead body would be dangling
from the limb of pine the next morn
ing.
Meanwhile the prisoner had kept up
ian incessant flow of hippancy, affecting
as well as he could that he was an in
inocent man. In the throng that sur
grounded him were many with whom
The was well acquainted. Finally Joe
lMcMurray, one Of the prisoners old
lchums advanced, and shaking his
hand asked how he had permitted him
Iseif to be drawn into such horror.
This was the first time that Cross be-
ltrayed any sign of faltering Big tears
Icoursed down his weather-beaten
Icheeks as he sobbed:
''All my life have l had my toes
Itramped on. I was arrested on a charge
of petit larceny upon false information.
Wilson swore to a lie to get me arrest
4 ed. The men who arrested me gave me
six drinks of whisky before I got to
Wilson'S place. Here they took me out
and gave me three drinks more. l had
had nothing to eat for long time, and
the whisky went straight to my brain.
I did not kill Wilson to get away for
was loose all the time and could have
lgone when pleased Wilson, though,
was making faces at me and swore to
la lie-thats what / shot him for ] did
not want to kill the big fellow, but he
got hold Of me and wouldn't let go, and
i had to shoot him to get away"
Turning to the crowd that surrounded
him, Cross then cautioned the boys to
take lesson form the awful predicament
Into which his temper, inf1amed by Ii
lQuor, had dragged him. and having re-
cited his side of the case subsidized into
lsullen and ugly reflection. Cross APP
pears to be an untutored wretch, and
when asked by your correspondent con-
corning his life, stated that he had
been reared near Stockton and had a
sister yet residing in that locality The
tragedy has created intense excitement
wherever it become known, and that
tits perpetrator is now in the hands of
the law is an achievement that should
learn fol. the officers and posse unstint-
led praise. G. II. K.
The Results Of Low Wheat Prices.
When wheat gets down to so or 60
cents bushel. gets down to stay down,
there will be a totally different set Of
growers. Those who are the producers
e