The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-06
NEIL WR|GHT'S BODY found
WAS IMMERSED IN MIDDLE
FORK CREEK, WEBER COUNTY.
Coroner's Jury Decides After Investi-
cation He Was Accidentally
Observation-Disclosures of Family.
lSnecial to The Herald.l

Ogden, July 5.-The body of Neil
Wright was found yesterday morning
in Middle Fork creek by two of his
brothers and number of other search
ers, who have been looking for the
missing man for several days. There is
considerable mystery over his death.
Wright has been missing since a week
ago last Monday. He had a number OF
sheep up in that neighborhood, and on
that day started out to head some Of
the animals back across the river. He
did not return to camp, and in day or
two word was sent to his people at
Brigham City of his disappearance, and
his brothers went up to look for him.
About four days after his disappear
ance his horse was found, the saddle
still on, and the reins over the horn.
Searching parties were organized and
the body finally found within very
short distance of the place where he
had last been seen When he started TO
cross the river.
The body was almost entirely i'm
mersed in water, only one foot sticking
out The dead mans vest was found
considerably farther down the stream.
The body itself had been flung by the
current around a rock which projected
up above the surface of the water, and
must have been in that position several
days.
Justice Geertson of Huntsville viewed
the body, but it was not removed at
that time, as the suspicious Circum-
stances surrounding the case made 1t
advisable to have the officers inspect
tbs body. Lee Wright from Marsh val
ley and Brig Wright from Brigham
City, together with Justice Geertson,
came down to Ogden and reported the
affair to the county attorney, VINO i'm
n;ediately communicated win the sher-
ift and with the officers Of brigham
City. Z. II. Wright, mother brother of
the deceased, accompanied the party
back to Middle Fork. Sheriff I.ayne
also went up to examine the body and
the surroundings.
Wright is known to have had trouble
about two weeks ago with another
sheepman, who had threatened to kill
him. This man was known to nave
been in the neighborhood of Middle
Fork about the time of the dead mans
diSapre arance.
The Brigham City officers suspected
a party of some connection with the
death, and telephoned a description to
the officers at Ogden.
Nell " right, the dead mar. was aboat
go years Of age, had a wife AMI four
children living in Brigham. He was a
son of the late Judge Jonathan Wright
of Brigham, and has number of broth
ers and half-brOthers well known in
ogden and Salt Lake. Among them are
ex-Sheriff Heber Wright and E. II.
Wright of this city, and DR.. Elias
Wright of Salt Lake.
Death Was By Accident.
A closer inspection of the body
seemed to do away with the theory of
foul play and to supersede it with one
of accident. On the return of the party
from Ogden the body was removed
from the water and an inquest held by
jury composed of John w. Grow, Hy-
rum Felt and Thomas i. Mckay. They
brought in a verdict to the effect:
THAT Cornelius Wright, while trying
to cross the middle fork of Ogden river,
got his foot wedged between two rocks,
thereby throwing him backwards into
the water. Not being able to get his
foot loose death by drowning was the
result. The body was sound with the
exception of a bruise on the forehead,
believed to have been caused by bruis-
ing his head against a rock when fall
ing" The jury was impaneled by JUS
tice 2. c. Geertson of Huntsville. 1t
appeared that the foot had become
wedged very firmly between the two
rocks, and the water being considerably
higher then than now had concealed
the corpse all this while. On the
Fourth. Sheriff Carbon and a brother
of the dead man stood on the bank and
looked down over this very spot, bur
could not see anything of the body The
foot of the dead man was brought into
sight by means of a pole with a hook
on the end. Mr.. Wright had evidently
got off his horse and started to go
across the stream on foot. when the
accident occurred. His horse went first
to the ranch of Mr.. Shupe, but passed
on and went clear home to Brigham
City, arriving there about four days af-
ter the accident. still saddled and
bridled. The dead mans dog remained
in the vicinity of the accident and was
found there by the searching parties.
The body was prepared for burial by
the dead mans brothers and enclosed
in a coffin and taken up from Ogden.
1t was brought down to Ogden tonight
in a wagon, and will probably be bur-
led in Brigham City today. A strange
fatality seems to have followed this
family. Three brothers were killed
some years ago by Indians in Arizona.
and in all at least six have met death
in an unusual manner.