The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-31

rounds the arrest of John and Annie
Mountford, an aged couple living at 40i
West North Temple, would seem to in
dicate a suspicion in the minds of the au-
thorities and those persons interested,
of something far more grave having been
committed than grand larceny, the charge
| booked against them and upon which
they. were held to answer to the district
court
James. Tucker, railroad engineer, well
known in this city, died at the residence
OF the Mountfords on October go, and was
buried the subsequent day by Mystic lodge
no. Y, OF the Odd Fellows. Undertaken
| the last services for the dead, was in
) formed by the Mountfords that the de-
! ceased had died from alcoholism and the
: terrible and indescribable condition of the
room, the bed and the body of the dead
man, convinced Mr.. Taylor such was the
case and that the deceased had been suf-
fering from delerium tremens He ac-
cordingly entered alcoholism in his record.
A day or SO after the funeral the
| Mountfords called upon Mr.. Taylor and
asked who was to pay. them for having
cared for the man during his last days.
ihey We're directed to apply TO the lodge
of Odd Fellows, and called upon Secretary
William Campbell, of Mystic No. %. Had
they not done this they might never have
been apprehended on a criminal charge.
Mr.. Campbell had known the deceased
to have been a man who had drank to
| excess at one time, but believed him TO
have Strengthened up, and likewise had
4 therefore was somewhat skeptical when
the Mountfords came to him with the
story that Tucker had come to their
house some weeks before had been taken
sick, had no funds and that they had
nursed him and had borne the expense
F.! of medicines, ETC.. themselves. until his
death.
Mr.. Campbelrs skepticism led him to
bring the matter to the attention of the
lodge with the result that committee
was! appointed to make an investigation
! its result, thus far. the arrest of the
Mountfords yesterday. This is what was
brought out by the examination County
Attorney Whittemore made into the case
yesterday. He had the Mountfords sum-
moned before him together with Mrs.
Bagley, whom they claimed had nursed
the deceased through his last illness, and
1t was developed that Tucker came back
| to Salt Lake after having been absent al
DeLamar, New, for an extended period.
That upon his return he went at once
| to the home of the Mountfords, who were
| old friends, and with whom he usually
| lived when in the city; that few days
| later he was taken sick and that he never
again got up.
That is as far as the definite facts as
admitted by the defendants goes, because
both of the Mountfords and the Mrs. Bag
! ley tell conflicting stories. They all say
| the man was taken sick but differ as to
the nature of the illness. When Under
taker TAYLOR was called in they. said it
was alcoholism. but now. declare he
has some 45sv kind da of oo 6 6eysF What at
say. They did not call doctor during
all the mans illness, which they admitted
| and when asked why they did not said
| it was because he refused to the last to
permit them to call one. Then, too, their
statements differ as regards the time
| the deceased lay i'll. AT first they said it
| was about four weeks, but now it varies
| hat IN aicht
! the one asked.
| But that is not what did most to arouse
the suspicious that all was not right,
| nor what went farthest toward their be-
| ing held to answer. 1t was the money
matter. They said at first that he had
no money when taken sick. His reDuta-
! ton for always being able to support
himself led to an investigation by the Odd
| Fellows which showed that he came back
| from Nevada with a check for 1888, an
| other for $50 or Whereabouts and that he
| had considerable cash when he went to
| the Mountfords.
| When it came to the examination yes
terday it developed that the smaller check
! had been lost that the one for S1S3 had
| been Endorsed by Tucker and that John
| Mountford has cashed it at McCornick's
! bank. Then the defendants admitted the
! deceaseds having had some $50 fin money
when he came to their house but said
| he spent it for things which they could
not afford to provide for him. Concern
| ing the check, Mountford finally admit
| ted cashing it but said it was spent in
| liquor
| Uuon the showing thus made Secretary
| William Campbell of Mystic lodge, swore
| out complaint charging both the Mount
| fords with grand larceny and they were
| held before Judge Wenger to the district
! court in bonds of $500.
| The authorities and the Odd Fellows
| who have been engaged in the case are
| very reticent about it but there is no dis
! guising the fact that they all believe
| a far more serious crime has been COM
mitted but at so late a day. it would be
! useless to eXhume the body.
The Mountfords are both in the neigh
| borhood of 60 years old. The husband
| is a boiler maker by trade but is too
| feeble to work at his trade and the fam
| lily is supported by taking in washing.
| They came to Utah many years ago from
! England.
| When seen yesterday both husband and
! wife appeared to be feeling very bad
over their arrest. They said it was alb
! surd that they should be suspected of
| such crime and telling their version of
the case said that Tucker had always
! lived with them when a resident in Salt
! DeLamar he as usual took up his abode
shortly after his arrival and that though
| they insisted on sending for a physician,
| he would not hear of it. They said he
| had about $50 when he was taken sick
which he spent for liquor, wine or other
| things they could not afford to provide
They denied ever having seen any of the
| s1S3 which they are alleged to have APP
propriated.