The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-30
EAGER FOR DETAILS.
Big Crowd Attends Topham's Pre-
hminarY Hearing.

The crowd that filled the district,
court room yesterday listening with
morbid curiosity for something sensa-
tional to develop in the Wessler m
quest. were disappointed. The EVIL
dence brought out yesterday did not
deal directly with the affair IN the.
saloon, but rather the circumstances
before and after.
A hack driver named Varley teSu-
fed that Neil Osborn had told MN lnal
there had been a hell of fight IN
Topham's place; that Topham had
given someone a .'d-m good licking
Police Captain Brown saw Wessseri
near Munsey's about 2:S0. He SAID
Topham had licked him and wanted the:
house pulled. Went to the station WILD
Brown for the purpose, but changed
his mind Wessler was excited ana
said "Ill show you what they did to
me" and raised hit hat to sinoWst the
bumps they made Witness did not
notice anything on his face further
than that his lip was somewhat swoi-
len. His shirt was torn and his collaI
and tie gone. Witness saw Wessler N
the saloon about 1 o'clock and passed
the place several times after midnight
but heard no disturbance. WessleT
was not drunk enough to stagger.irrIi.die
talked rapidly and said that he wish
ed Browning's store was open-ne
would not ask his wife for a gun" lie
said he had gone to Tophams to coll
lect a bill. Topham paid him 50 ana
Wessler gave him a receipt, sald
something about another 50 which VIE
ness did not understand and sald
Topham then wanted the $40 back but
said ''he didn't get it, Wessler, how
ever pulled S. from his pocket and
said "there it is" When he made up
his mind not. to prosecute he said, the
whole house is against me. The S. OF
BIS could all be bought with barrel
of whisky"
w. Butcher, night bartender at the
Atlas saloon testified that Wessler
came into the Atlas about 2:S0 Sunday
morning and remained about an hour;
Wessler was not drunk; said he had
had trouble with Topham and that
Topham had licked him aud wanted a
gun. His lips were swollen and the
skin was broken over the right eye.
brow: his shirt was torn and his collar
and tie were gone. On cross examina-
ton he stated that Wessler stated that
Topham had kicked him. Wessler com-
planned of his lungs but witness did
not see him splitting blood.
Frank Baird, a hack driver, IN the
employ of j. C. Slade, saw Wessler
near the Mint saloon at about o'clock,
Wessler was crying. @.e5
Police Captain Shaw told of Wes-
sler's appearing at the station with
officer Brown about O'Clock Sunday
morning. Understood that he wanted
to make a complaint; said he had had
a fight with Topham and got licked.
Heard him say he wished Browningss
store was open. Tom Topham would
be asleep; told MIN that if he wanted
an arrest made they would do so but
he said he would call it off; that they
were all against him and that they
could all be bought for a drink Of
whisky; his collar and tie were mis-
sing and his lips appeared swollen; did
not notice the appearance of his eyes.
Thomas Passmore, manager of the
club rooms over the Mint saloon, saw
Wessler come UP from the outside
entrance and go down into the bar
room; came back up shortly afterward
on the run and asked someone Ito go
down and get his collar, hat and tie,
but finally said, ''I'll go get them my
self if l have to kill a half dozen Of
them" Wessler came back and left
the club rooms and witness did not see
him again. Saw Topham after the
saloon closed and he said, well they've
handed it to me, but it's all right, its
all off, $50.