The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-09-19

70 The joint building. MacDuff drew q
long Al eafiber revolver from his peck
et eui. lxneeling on the broad stone
steps, took deliberate aim and fred.
First Shot Fired.
The bullet kicked up a puff Of dust
fifty feet behind the desperate quarry
and served to make him increase his
speed. Meanwhile Young had reached
The ground. He is a large man and a
heavy one. but he started after Gray at
racing gait. Three times he paused and
raised his big rs revolver Twice he
fred The first bullet struck in the dust
few feet behind the convict. The
other went no one knows where. The
trird time Young raised his weapon
he slackened his speed long enough to
take deliberate aim.
Then occurred one of those queer CO.
medicines that sometimes save mems
lives Before Young could press the
trigger two little girls driving an old
roam horse passed into the direct range
the bullet must necessarily take. With
an exclamation of disgust the guard
lFgered his weapon and redoubled his
pace.
Capture of Fugitive.
BY this time Gray had crossed State
behind a little stable. AS he cleared
the sidewalk his foot turned and he
seemed TO stagger slightly, giving the
impression that he had been wounded.
1t was exhaustion that made him
swerve. however, for his race was run
and lost.
Younc's eyes were on him as he
turned into the corn. He was only
twenty feet behind Gray now, and
again he raised his revolver.
Stop. Gray" he cried, stop, or I'll
surely kill you"
Gray stopped. He was smiling when
Young, all out Of breath, walked up to
him and put his hand on his shoulder.
Then MacDum came up, and with an
officer on either side, Gray was march
ed back to the joint building and taken
in the elevator back to the court room
from which he had so lately and so
desperately fed.
Excitement Among Spectators.
The entire episode occupied probably
not more than four minutes OF time,
but ii seemed much longer to the ex-
cited throng that witnessed. the dash,
the pursuit and the capture. Every
window on the west side of the Joint
building was thronged with spectators.
Young women stenographers, clerks in
the various offices, state, county ana
city officials watched with nerves
wrought to the highest possible ten
sion.
AS each shot was fred people shud-
dere6 and grew faint, for it seemed
that the convict must surely be killed.
There were signs of relief rs the bullets
were seen to strike in the dust at a
safe distance from him. Somehow the
crowd. strangely enough, was appar-
emily on the side of the criminal. More
than one unthinking man or woman
exclaimed: "Oh, hope he'll get away.
He deserves to get away after all that
Guard Young Talks.
Guard Young was glad Gray didn't
make good his play. He said: The
fellow took a desperate and nervy
chance, but / just had to land him. I
think would have killed him if those
girls hadn't come by in that buggy. 1
would rather have let forty criminals
those children"
Gray absolutely refused to have any
thing TO say about his break for free
dom. His smiles had vanished by the
time he was placed once more upon
the little bench near the door. To ques-
tions asked him he made no response,
and when a Herald artist tried to
sketch him he turned his face to the
wall and kept it there.
Is a desperate MAN.
The convict looks the desperate man
in every line of his countenance. Years
IN the penitentiary and among criminal
associates have hardened his face I'M
til it's most prominent, in fact its only
characteristic, is criminality His nerve
is all right, though, as evidenced by
his effort to get free. 1t was one
chance in a thousand, and he took it.
Probably ten seconds more would
have won out for him, but he didn't
have the ten, and that is the reason he
is in the penitentiary today, instead of
leading the miserable life of a hard
hunted fugitive from justice.
Deputy County Attorney Van Colt
viii probably add the crime of escap-
ing from prison to the other offense
with which Gray is charged. For this
he can be sent up for three years. but
IL is said that such action is unneces-
sary. as Gray is practically certain to
be given fifteen years under the habit
nal criminal act
When arraigned yesterday on the 4
charge of assisting Golden Brown to
escape from the penitentiary, Gray an
nounced that he was not ready to |
plead. He was, therefore, given until |
tomorrow to say whether or not he is |
guilty of the offense.