The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-24

nave resided III tndl SecllOn Oh COuIllIy
have been afraid to speak for fear that
the outlaws would wreak their ven
geance on them; reports of the condi-
ton of affairs have been for years sup
pressed. but at last the truth is being
learned. There has been such a reign
of terror in that country as would have
Redeemed the cheek CT a Jesse James,
and have made a QuantrelI blush. With
the advent cc the opening up of that
country. the citizens are more willing
10 speak. Mr.. James II. Mease, the post
trader at Fort Duchesne, with his fam
lily, is stopping at the Walker House,
together with a party of gentlemen
from the Vernal country. Mr.. Mease
was seen last night by a Herald rep
resentative, and interviewed in regard
to affairs in the Vernal country, and
on the reservation. He was very reti-
cent, saying that his position made it
improper for him to speak of matters
concerning the reservation. When
questioned as to the Mckee brothers.
who are now in Jail at Vernal, charged
with having tied the Erickson boys to
tree and whipping them, and killing
EricksonS, he said:
WILL KEEP THEM SAFELY.
Yes. 1 know the four Mckee broth
ers. Their mother now resides in Salt
Lake City l know nothing of them
having shot the herd of bucks. except
what l have read and heard. l will say
that L place no reliance whatever in the
story told 6y Jeff Wilcox that Butch
Cassidy and his gang of outlaws will
attempt to rescue the Mckee brothers.
Sheriff Preece of Vernal is now in Salt
Lake City, and today he showed me
a TELEGRAM from his chief deputy. stat
ing that the Mckee brothers are all in
jail, and that he will see that no one
takes them out. The sheriff is man
who has dealt with a great many tough
characters. and is not afraid TO do his
duty He assured me that he would
keep the Mckee boys in jail, irrespec-
tive of results. The jail is d strong one,
and is supplied with steel cages, and
am confident that there will be no Jail
delivery in this case. 1t is the custom
of all the Sheepmen TO cut out all OF
the bucks from the herds and put them
all in one herd by themselves. which
was recently done, and the herd was
placed in charge OF the Erickson boys
BY killing all the bucks. the Mckee
boys-if they are the ones who did it
hit a hard lick at all the sheepmen
in that section"
MIXES VERY BAD MEN
From another gentleman in the party
who. for obvious reasons. did not
want his name mentioned-The Herald
got the following state
ment:
THE Mckee boys have been sus-
pected of doing or being connected with
h. +1ox in that section for the
past three or four years. Heretofore
the authorities have been unable to ger
evidence sufficient to convict them, but
now they have positive proof that they
tied the Erickson boys to tree ana
whipped them half to death, and then
shot the whole herd of sheep-conslst-
ng wholly of bucks that belonged 10
Iii sheepmen of the valley-Whlch the
Erickson boys were herding. only
short time ago the camp OF MI. D n;
Benyon was raided at a time when ali
he men. were absent and property de-
;troyed and stolen. Soon afterwards
Mr.. Renyon identified some of his prop
s-ty in the possession of one OF the
NcKees. The father of the Mckee boys
vas an honest, law abiding man, ana
vas in the sheep business in that coun-
nv for years; he died about seven or
eight years ago, and since then the
BOWS have been the terror of the whole
yaIlev. and have been suspected of be-
ng the leaders in all depredatlons that
ave been committed in that part of
he country. They have a small herd
If cattle-not to exceed 125-and they
eem to think that sheepmen have no
light to be in the Vernal valley They
i've at old Ashley, about three miles
rom Vernal. and if my Judgment is
lot at fault. they will live somewhere
Use before many months where they
will not have to pay board Jonn
Reader. who led the posse which cap
I1red the McKees, is a sheepman who
las lived at Vernal for many years,
nd he is an honest and conservative
nan. You can depend upon it that II
10 went with a posse after the Nc
ices he had positive testimony that /
hey were the guilty parties. In fact, F!
ne of the Erickson boys fosltlvely (
Identified the NcKees as the men who !
led and whipped him. The Erickson !
,oys were in no way to blame. and are /
.onest, law abiding men. They were (
aised at Murray, where they now nave /
brother and mother. The nero OF /
ucks which they were herding was
illed on Taylor mountain about % or !
0 miles from Vernal, in what is known !
S McKees draw
A OOO4N l. L.
Another gentleman of the party re
marked: THE tough men of the Yer
al country handle their guns with a
that would astonlsh a
Wild Bill Why, l should no more
hink of riding from Fort Duchesne 10
ither the north part o. the south part
{ the reservation without having
Cider along with me armed with
than l would think of |
1mping into a river. If the Mckees
re convicted-and l have no doubt but !
hat they will be-that country Will be
id of some of its worst men, and
ifferent era will be inaugurated- 1t
; true that there are other outlaws,
ut they will not be so bold then. You
-ould be surprised to see how rapidly
nat country would settle up If the
utlaws were only driven out 1t takes
gritty man to stay there now ten
GU: the sheepmen have been sub
.cted 10 outrages for so long that
ley are themselves getting desperate,
nd I predict that the day is not far
istant when the Vernal country viii
g rid of all its bad characters. BY the
-av I might add that Mr.. E. M. Smith
F tlre Associated Press is doing a good
ork for that section of the country
Y sending out reports as TO the true
)ndition of affairs. Last season there
ere quite a number of sheepmen who
ere notified that if they had any
leep there this season they would be
lied. In most instances the men dis
osed of their sheep. 1t has been just
) unsafe to own cattle over there, for
title stealing has been going on by the
holesale."
Lagoon! Lagoonl Lagoon!
Co where the crowds go.
Philomela Quartette