The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-28
TRIAL OF Common.
Interesting Testimony Adduced at
I the Provo Murder Hearing.
(special. correspondence.)


Provo, Sept. 27.-Courte opened at 10
o'clock. The deposition of John Book, a
witness for the prosecution, was read. It
stated that Book came into Provo on a
freight train about 70 O'Clock on the night
of June "a; that he saw Connors. the de-
PENDANT, at Clear Creek at the time of
departure of the train from that place,
and thought defendant boarded. the same
train He saw Connors at Thistle stand
ing by the train, and said he carried in
his hand something resembling a grip.
Witness rode into Provo on a iat-car
loaded with rock and just after getting
off saw Connors. Book thinks Connors
rode on the rock-carS just ahead of him.
AT the Provo station he spoke to defend-
ant and asked him If he intended stop
ping at Provo. AConnors replied: II am
going through to- the Lake Witness
noticed that he carried a grip OF bundle.
the dimensions of which were about 14x12
ir.ches.Sss zg&
After going east along the track in
company with Blockyou and Suddocks
Book returned on the north side Of the
track. passed the station. crossed over
to- the old street cars; where he put up
for the night. He saw an engine standing
on a Rio Grande Western sidetrack about
100 feet distant. Il was beating my way,
the deposition reads. and have served.
my time in the county jail for 1t. Saw.
Morris at Springville and $50 at Clear
s ensskiE but didn' T. ses Officer strong az
some time was taken up III arguing dS
to the competency of the testimony of
James Cannon, which was introduced by
the prosecution in the form of an affi-t
davit.t The court ruled that the testi--
that if James Common were present he.
would testify that he was at the Rio
Grande Western depot about u O'Clock.
on the night Of June. n; that he saw a
man with a red beard come between the
two sections of a freight train. standing
on the track. from the south side and go
west to the point at which defendant
was put off the train. and start with de-
PENDANT I'm westerly direction, on the
north side of the depot. in the direction
of the water tank. Three minutes after
they had passed the tank he heard a shot
fired from that direction. The. witness
was in charge of an engine near.the place
where defendant. was put off the train,
and 1T being a clear, moonlight night,
The deposition Of J. T.. Williams. dep
uty sheriff of Utah county, stated that
he, had heard James Cannon say sub
stantially what IS given above.
stopping at the johnson House. just
across the street from DIR. Pixies on June
81. She occupied the northeast room
The windows were open. About fifteen
minutes after u on that, night she heard
several groans Immediately followed by
a pistol shot, and then another groan.
These sounds came from the east. A.
noise as of footsteps going rapidly along
'
went to tho window at once and saw
people across the street standing over q
body The person running pr9 s:g
cross the Street to where the body was.
q Mr.. Hilton of Salt Lake, a brakeman on.
the freight train which came into Provo
about y o'clock on the night Of June ne. 2.
the train arrived at the station. He dis
mounted on the south side. of the train,
which. he said, consisted of sixteen cars.
r. IL . lrrl ffEa
train IN an easterly direction. He saw a
person sitting between two rocks on the
first rock car from the engine; this per-
son held a grip about 16xl2x4 inches in
size and wore SLOUGH hat Hilton adj
dressed him and told him to get off the
car which he did,, on the north side. Hill
ton was shown SLOUGH hat and said II
was like the one worn by this man.
+ Not long after he saw a man running
east on the south side of the train and
another man following him, both walk
ing fast, rather close together. The man
who was following came to Hilton He
was about so years old, weight $50 pounds
and wore a full beard. A star was in his
coat The other man in the meantime
ran east to the end of the train. The of
ficer went few steps east from Hilton.
and passing through the train to the
north side, went to the north side OF the
train. Hilton saw him again and spoke
to him Witness then went back to the
south side Of the train, and at point
about five car lengths from the place
where he had just told the man to get off
he saw two other men going east. On his
way back to the engine he again saw the
officer On the opposite side of the track
in company with a man.
TT was just as the train was pulling
OUT said Hilton. Il boarded the ca
bose near the water tank and about
twenty feet from the officer and this
other man They were little east of
the water tank. Il saw no one come
through the train from the north side. 1t
was a clear, moonlight night and car
.ieif a lantern. Blockyou and Suddock
were the men saw on the south side of
the train. l observed the man who was
with the officer. He wore a black hat
which looked like the hat worn by the
person I put off the rock-car.
On cross-examination Hilton said he
was not sure it was the same man, but
on redirect examination said defendant
was the same person he had put off the
train.
Miss Florence Pike, who lives in Provo
at the residence of DR.. Pike, her father.
occupied a southeast room on the ground
floor on June 81. She was awakened that
night about II o'clock by three or four
groans The groans seemed to come from
over and to the east of the house. After
the shot, said Miss Pike, i saw a man
In the road between our house and John
sons who was going in q STOPPING posi-
ton at a gait faster than a walk, in an
easterly direction. My bedroom windows
were uD.
On cross-examination she said: THE
man I saw running came from the east
and crossed the bridge IN the middle OF
the street He was STOPPING or le1ning
forward all the time | saw him.
Court adjourned till $3.50 today.