The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-20

portion of it's population was in high
state of excitement yesterday when the
bold attempt of five masked robbers
: who entered the Union Pacific saloon
and shot down the proprietor, James
jacobson, in an effort TO obtain plumber,
was announced in the morning papers.
The work was so desperate in its ma
I ture and the attempt so bold that had
any suspicious characters been caught
and a reasonable amount of evidence
connecting them with the affair secured
there would undoubtedly have been a
lynching bee right then and there. But
while Sheriff Hardy and his force were
very active and arrested a great many
suspects, the evidence against cry of
them is meagre. The officials are
working under great difficulties, the
wounded man and the onl,- one who
saw the robbers being unable to
identify any of his assailants even if
they should be brought before him.
jacobson was in critical condition
all yesterday and the attending
physicians say the chances for his re-
covery are about even. DR.. Ferebee,
who was first summoned to attend him.
made several calls yesterday and at
o'clock last night found the ratient's
condition no worse. DR.. King Of this
city visited Jacobson during the after
noon but found him in such a critical
condition that he considered it danger
Gus to probe for the bullets. A few
hours later he seemed to rally and DR..
Ferrebee made an examination with
the result that one of the bullets was
located in the neck. This was the one
which entered the left arm and glanced
along the bone. The second bullet en-
tering the breast could not be found.
To DR.. King the wounded man first
told the story Of the assault. He was
sitting alone at table in the centre
of the saloon writing. About II o'clock
four masked men rushed in with guns
in their hands and commanded him to
throw up his hands. His first impulse
was that they were friends perpetrating
a joke and he arose from the table and
advanced a few steps toward them. AS
he got up he shot his hands up as if
ready to obey the command but lowered
them as the men came nearer. With
out a further exchange of words three
of the desperadoes opened fire. When
struck by the second bullet he fell to
the floor and shouted for Fred Carl
son, who was asleep in an adjoining
room. Without making an effort to
break open the till, which contained
several hundred dollars, the robbers
rushed out. He then got UP and syas
seated on a chair when Carlson entered,
to whom he said: Fred, have been
shot" Jacobson further told DR.. King
that as the last of the four entered
the place he saw still another man
standing outside the door, evidently
keeping watch. The stay of the bandits
was so brief and the fact that their
faces were concealed by cloth masks
would make it impossible for him, he
said, to identify any of them.
AS soon as the news was communi-
Gated to Deputy Sheriff Hadley. re-
siding at Murray, he had his men out
to watch suspicious characters lurking
about. Sheriff Hardy was notified and
in few moments his deputies were
watching every avenue by which they
might attempt to make their way into
this city. Deputy Sheriff Gibbs went
out on the State road while Steele and
Thomas watched the railroad tracks,
and stationed along the southern limits
of the city were the other members of
the sheriff's force, as we'll as Mr. Har-
dy himself.
While walking along the Union Pa
cifc track Deputy Sheriff Thomas,
shotgun in hand, came upon a man
apparently in the act of burying
something under the end of a tie. The
deputy sheriff asked him what he was
doing, whereupon the man started off
at a lively pace. Thomas gave chase,
but the man was good sprinter and
left the officer far in the rear. The
direction taken was toward the Cannon
farm. AS the officer reached the out
skirts of the city he found a man in
the backyard of a house chopping
wood. The officer asked him if it was
not an early hour for such work. The
stranger responded that as the place
was his own, it was nobody's business.
MOI SATISFIED Will InlS reIOTI, the OF
ficer started toward the house as if to
investigate the matter, when the wood
chopper made an attempt as if to
get away, but Thomas caught
him and brought him up to the county
Jail. The man was plainly dressed and
gave his name as w. R. Dowler, ard
is apparently about 80 years of age
A short time afterward Sheriff Hardy
and Deputies Steele, Thcrne and Thorn
as arrested three suspicious individuals
out in the church farm. All were fair
ly well dressed and were evidently not
ordinary vags. each having from SIS
to $40 in their pockets. When apprised
of the affair for which they. were
wanted. they denied having been in
Murray, but later developments dis
proved this statement. At the lookup
they gave their names as Albert Hop
kins. John Gilbert and A. S. Hendrix.
Two other suspicious characters were
subsequently arrested on the Denver
& Rio Grande tracks and locked up.
They said their names were Alfred
Finlay and Fred Ross.
Late in the afternoon Deputy Sheriff
Hadley brought in three men from
Murray, who had in their possession