The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-03
Two Victims of Sunday Shooting at
DucheSne.
is A HOT-BED OF CRIME
WICKEDNESS RIFE IN LITTLE
TRACT OF GROUND.
Coroner's Jury Still Hearing Evil
dence In the Case-Thomas Was
Jealous Because of Attentions
Paid By Soldiers to Disreputable
Woman-Other Crimes Committed
(speclal to The Herald.l

Price. Utah. May when the govern
ment telegraph office at Fort Duchesne
closed at a late hour tonight, the
coroners jury was still hearing the evil
dence in the shooting ARRAY on the Strip
in which Jack Thomas was on Sunday
night killed. Private Carter, colored
trooper, mortally wounded. and Sergeant
Henderson shot in the shoulder.
The fight occurred in a saloon owned by
Ike Chaser of Helper. and was over a
woman by the name of Sarah Alfred OIL
whom Thomas was jealous Inc negro
women, of whom there were two besides
the Alfred woman. one known as Red
Mary, and the other Jessie Robinson.
The women live in a house near the
saloon Thomas owned ranch near
Nernal, but was known on the Strip as
tinhorn gambler. who gained livell-
hood by gambling with negro soldiers. He
is said to have been enamored of the ALI
red woman. and became extremely
jealous when other men showed her any
attention. The wounds of Private Carter
will result in his death, though he rested
some easier today.
Women Under Arrest.
Captain Gilfoyle, in charge OF the post
at Fort Duchesne. had the. three women
put in the guard house this morning, also
Alfred Baxter. an ex-brakeman on the
and roadhouse for Chaser. Sergeant
Henderson has been reduced to the ranks
for the trouble that took place Sunday
night. The body of Thomas will be taken
to Nernal for burial.
The scene of the tragedy of Sunday
night is a piece of ground in triangular
shape lying between the Uintah and I'm
compahgre reservations and about mile
and half from Fort Duchesne- There
are about twenty-five acres of the ground.
Upon this there has always been a saloon
and houses. and il is claimed that when
the surveys of the reservation were made
it was purposely left for a consideration.
The main road to Vernal runs along the
south side of the strip. and on each side
are the places referred to. There have in
the past been five men killed there. and
Thomas makes the sixth. besides a half
dozen or more Indians. Every officer and
Indian agent that has ever been in that
country has urged the Washington
authorities to discontinue the sale of
liquors there, but has never been success
full.
A Bad Place.
Colonel ]. f. Randlett. when in charge
of the post in 1895. reported to the war
department that in his thirty years on the
frontier. he had never seen place 10
equal this. AS a result of selling liquor
to the Indians here, many thousands of
dollars have been paid out by the gov
eminent. 1t was here that three negro
soldiers last summer stopped the stage
carrying the mail to take the woman
Sarah Alfred out of the vehicle. and are
still serving a term in the guard house
For years il has been unsafe for man or
woman to ride past houses on the strip
without gross insult or threatened per-
sonal violence.
Not long ago Tom Taylor. prominent
citizen Of Uintah county. had his horse
shot from under him while going along
the highway. Indian Agent Myton. long
ago took the matter of liquor selling up
with the interior department. and hopes
to be able in time to drive these undesir-
able occupants off the land. During the
time saloons have been allowed to run.
no less than Il dozen men. directly and
indirectly interested. have been sent to
the penitentiary for selling liquor to the
Indians.