The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-16
A FAMOUS CASE.

A FAMOUS CASE.
The Pelican Point Mystery" as it
Was called, was one Of the most noted
murder cases Of the latter days of
Utah territory. For months after the
discovery Of the bodies Of the three
murdered boys the whole case remained
shrouded in gloom. The boys had gone
together early in February to a little
cabin at Pelican Point, where Mrs.
Harry Hayes, mother of Albert Eng
strom, owned ranch. They We're seen
there up to the nth of February by
residents at adjoining ranches. Then
they had disappeared, dropped out of
sight entirely without a word to any
one. The cattle on the little snch had
wandered away, the chickens had died
and the sheep had destroyed a straw
stack before anyone noticed their alb
Sence. Neighbors went to the house
kand found it locked and apparently de-
serted. a neighbour wrote to Mrs.
Harry Hayes at Eureka, telling her of
the condition of the place and that the
BOYS were gone. Much against the will
of her husband. who said she was go
ing to toe much trouble for the worth
less place" Mrs. Hayes went with a
companion to Pelican Point. She found
the place deserted and locked. with the
new wagon and team gone and p lot of
household goods missing. The floor was
very dirty and was covered in places
with a black, sticky substance which
her husband, on a visit somewhat later,
assured her was tar. He explained the
absence Of the boys on the ground that
they had probably gone to Arizona,
seeming to worry little over the mat
ter and saying to everyone that the
boys were old enough to take care Of
themselves and would turn up eventu-
ally safe and sound.
HAYES SUSPECTED.
When the bodies of the boys were
discovered in April suspicion became
Immediately directed toward Hayes.
He had been on bad terms with Albert
EngstrOm, who, ne said, wanted to
boss the place too much He acted
strangely at the time of the discovery
of the body of Albert. and particularly
when the search for the other bodies
was going on. He at once tried to
prove an alibi, showing that he was in
Eureka for a week before and after
the day when the murders We're COM
mitted, but persons who knew him
well said that they saw him at the
ranch twice within that week.
The absence of any motive for the
crime was the strongest thing in his
favor To be sure. he was not on good
terms with his stepson, but their quar-
rels had never been at all serious, and
he had no reason for wishing the boy
out of the way. The other lads he
scarcely knew. Then there was the
disappearance Of the new Cooper wa
gon and team and the missing house
hold goods. The lake near the cabin
was dragged for weeks TO find them,
but they were never found, nor could
It be shown that Hayes had ever had
them after the crime was committed
They simply faded out of existence
and no one knew what had become of
them.
Despite these circumstances in his
favor, the evidence was so strong
against Hayes that the grand jury. on
Dec. 1 following, indicted him for the
murder of Engstrom. lie was arrested
at Provo the same day and lodged in
Jail. He took his arrest calmly, saying
that he had expected it, after what
people were saying about him, but he
asserted his innocence positively and
expressed entire confidence that it
would be proven at the trial. His wife,
mother of the murdered boy, was one
of his Staunchest defenders. She stood
by him TO the last. and insisted always
on his innocence.
SENTENCED TO DEATH.
The trial in March, before Judge Nc
Carly, at Provo, attracted widespread
attention. From the beginning it went
against Hayes, and, after being drawn
out for over a week, Harry Hayes was
convicted. He was sentenced the same
month TO be hanged, but his attorney,
J. w. n. Whitecotton, succeeded in
having the case taken to the supreme
court. There it was affirmed, and it