The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-08
PELICAN POINT MURDERS.
CONTINUED From Page L,

aroused against Hayes was deepened by
AIS singular conduct there. Two days
later the bodies Of the other two boys
were found under the same conditions,
eli having been shot.to death.
Hayes was extremely INDIFFERENT from
he first and did nothing whatever TO
aid the officers. He had i'll will towards
The boys and had threatened them
with violence. His only theory regard
ng the disappearance of the young
fellows before the bodies were found.
was that they had gone to Arizona.
HAYES INDICTED.
The circumstances against him were
so strong that he was indicted for 1nur-
der on Dec 4, 1895, and the triad was
begun in The latter part of March, 1896.
Thurman & Wedgewood ard County
attorney A. .. Cash prosecuted, while
S. n King, j. VI. II. Whitecotton and
defendant, the trial taking place be-
fore Judge McCarty and the following
Jurors at Provo:
E. r. Woodward of Spanish Fork.
Joseph e. Wilkins of Spanish Fork, J.
s. Park of Provo Bench, A G. Johnson
OF Provo Bench, Hensen Walker, Jr., of
Pleasant Grove. George FYnlaySon of
George Montague of Payso1l, J. D. Hal
Aday of Santaquin, S. B. Cushing of
Santaquin. Joseph Wild OF American
Fork, L. S. Robinson of Pleasant
Grove.
THE TRIAL.
On the trial it was shown, as stated,
that Hayes had Ill will toward the boys.
and had threatened them, and it was
established by three witnesses that he
was at the ranch on the day before the
victims were last seen alive. Hayes
protested that he was not there but
could not account for his movements
during that time He insisted before,
during and after the trial that If a. man
named Stevens could be found they
would have the real murderer, but still
he manifested no disposition to aid the
officers in any way. The jury returned
a verdict of guilty. without any rec
concentration for mercy on April /, and
on April % the defendant was sentenced
TO be hanged
Finally. however. the case was
brought before the board Of pardons
and fortunately the sentence was COM
Tnuted to imprisonment for life
Meanwhile Attorney l. A, King and
Sheriff Storrs, who did not believe
Hayes guilty. had been hard at work.
One fact that had stood out promi-
nently through all the proceedings was
the utter inability Of the prosecution to
show what had become of the property
taken from the ranch. consisting of a
wagon, farm implements, etc. 1t was
suggested that all these things had
been loaded into a wagon, the outfit
drawn upon Utah lake. which was fro.
zen, the ice chopped and the whole al
lowed to sink. Following this theory
the officers spent weeks dredging the
lake. but without results.
1t Was the remark of a MaDleton
man. innoeenfly made, regarding the
-o11 nh Of ~ he
Weeks. or Case, that gave Sheriff
Storrs his first clue.
WEEKS CONNECTION WITH TT
This man Weeks first located at Og-
den on coming to Utah, but later with
his wife and their 5-year-old daughter
Ruthie. moved to the mouth of Span
iSh Fork canyon, where they occupied
a dugout. He was a weiI-educateC
fellow and although not especially pre-
possessing In appearance, was afAblt
and the farmers liked him. One day il
February. 1895. about the time of The
murders, he drove to his place in GOV.
cred wagon with farm tools and lead
ing q riding horse These things he
sold 70 the neighbors, saying he ha6
disposed of ranch in another part OF
the country and had brought the ar
ticIeS from there.
ING.
However, in the spring of 1895 he wa.
arrested by Sheriff Brown for stealins
seven head of cattle belonging to Mr.
DUNCAN. He was released on furnish
ing bonds in the sum Of $400 and i'm.
rnediately skipped out.
Now it appears that the wagon ant
horses he had when he drove to hi.
place were taken from the Hayes ranct
the night Of the killing, and that every
article in the wagon was also taker
from the place. Further, it appear
that nnder the name of Stevens tn,
man Weeks, or Case, had visited tn,
ranch and talked with the boys. H
showed photograph of his little CIR
and that photograph has since beer
Identified in the album of a lady a
Mapleton, 70 whom Weeks gave it.
WAS A DESPERATE MAN.
That Weeks was q desperate man, al
who came in contact with him ar
ready TO testify. He was a naarvelou
shot with either a rife or pistol. an,
his actions were q practical admissio,
that he was a cattle thief
AS soon as Sheriff Storrs and MY
King discovered that Weeks had soil
the property stolen from the Have
ranch at the time Of the murder. the
became more firmly convinced tina,
ever that an innocent man had bee1
convicted, and the sheriff presented tn
case to the governor some three week
ago. Governor Wells was deeply i'm
pressed with this new evidence. an,
granted requisition papers for Week
on the cattle stealing charge in orde
TO divert suspicion Then the sheriff
took the trail and has never left /
since He followed Weeks to Raneley
Colo. and from there TO Freshwate,
where he went under the name of c
L. Chase. The conduct Of the fugitiY
in Colorado was such as TO arouse tn
grayest suspicion, and when the sher
if S version of the fellows Utah caree
were given his arrest quickly follow ed
Attorney King yesterday received
telegram from Storrs, notifying him o
the arrest.
WEEKS WIFE.
Weeks wife went from Utah to he
former home in Fowler, st. Lawrenc
county, New York She was frequentf
Il Eureka, and went under the name y
Jennie Wright While there she be
same acquainted with n Mrs Smith
Writing TO her in July last year sh
said:
IF George is in Colorado. he is .
fool, but may be it is only q bluff
Anyway. / don't think hey would Civ
up 50 easy if tl5ey went that far 1
sounds about like that gang Of his pay
ing up zdleir bondsmen.
81 viii send sou fgle relinouishfn en-
you want If the man now on it jumpeS
it before the six months is UP, he ma!
no right TO it, or If ne or his wife ma
any property thst they own, they can
hold the claim under the new laW. Yol
ere welcome TO all / can do for you,
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