The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-28

Mortensen was confronted by these
statements and told that by cOnfessiLg
and avoiding a long, bitter legal fight
he could save the remnant of his es-
t te for his family. True, he would
be punished. but Mortensen had no
idea Of haEging himself-that is,
knowingly, and had no confession to
make.
According to information in the
Z uds Of the prosecuting officers. Nor
/ tensen took advantage of the informa-
ton by preparing to .disprove the
financial embarrassment that is such an
important factor in the case. 1t is
charged that when a close friend Of
years standing was permitted TO visit
him shortly after, and the guard had
been removed from the room, MOrten-
sen told him his business affairs made
the prospects look dark for him, and
that the visitor could save him by
swearing that he had loaned him
money just before the murder.
How lie Could Save Him.
Make the amount S1,5O0-anything
from $1,000 tC 2.000-whatever your
financial standing would cororborate
as a truthful statement" Mortensen
is alleged TO have urged.
The friend, who had hitherto re-
garded the man as an innocent victim
of circumstances, shrank from him
with horror, convinced in thar mo-
ment Of his guilt.
do this-dO il for me and save my
life" the accused man is said TO have
implored. DO this little thing, and I
viii owe you my life. We have known
each other these many years. and
have been warm friends. l trust you
implicitly, or I would not talk to you
this way. You must do ii. Whether
you do or not. I have placed my life
in your hands. You can save me; you
viii, I know"
The visitor made no reply, but
turned and left the room with shud-
der. When the police entered MOrten-
sen had assumed his customary sang
froid. His demeanOr was as quiet and
UncOncerned as every, and he struggled
with a magazine as though enjoying
its contents.
Going Into His Accounts.
That is the circumstance upon which
! the prosecution depends most to secure
a conviction From the moment the
story was narrated all energy has been
devoted to reviewing Mortensn's &C
counts. The result has been more con-
Vlncing than the curSOry examination.
/ 1t has been demonstrated that where
/ Mortensen collected money with expla-
nations of how it would be applied on
/ his debt to the lumber company, 72 per
/ cent was expended for other purposes
] The investigation is still progressing
/ and may account for a still greater
/ amount.
That is why the big pond to the
north Of the lonely grave where the
| remains of James Hay were hidden
/ from sight is being drained out today
/ at the expense Of digging a deep ditch
a distance of a block. The officers
have passed the point where they only
/ think; in their own minds they fee
/ they know all about Hays murder
/ They know how much of Peter Nor
/ tensen's time was Unaccounted for thai
I fatal night; they know the limitation
/ Of his movements prescribed by that
/ amount Of time and they are confining
| their search for evidence to precisely
! the arc of that limit.
Every secondhand store, pawnshoT
| and gun store in Salt Lake City has
! been visited with a view to learning
whether one of Mortensen's description