The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-07-01
DRUNKEN BOYS
SHOOT A WOMAN
Holiday HOOdlums Seriously
Wound Mrs. Wilson.
CHANCES FOR LIFE
ARE AGAINST HER
Bullet Enters Her Neck and
Cuts Veins.

A rife bullet fired into the residence
Of James Wilson at Holiday, Big Cot
tonwood canyon, yesterday about noon,
by Frank Shurtliff, the 16-year-old son
of V A. Shurtlif of Holiday. struck,
and 1t is believed fatally wounded, Mrs.
Jane Wilson, the aged wife of Dir. VIII
son The shooting marked the wind-up
Of a carOusal in which Shurtliff and
seven young companions had been in
dulg1ng, and, according to the state
ment of one of the boys. ShurIiin ad-
mitted that he fired deliberately and
Intentionally AZ the house.
The bullet. which is a Twenty-Five
caliDTe, crashed through q window and
imbedded itself in Mrs. Wilson's neck,
as a result Of which she is now lying
at her home in a very critical condi-
tiOns and with but slight chances for
her recovery. Nothing was known of
the shooting until Mrs Wilson was
found lying unconscious in her front
yard, three-quarterS Of an hour after
The occurrence. Sheriff Naylor was
Immediately notified, and he and his
deputies located and placed under ar
rest Shurtlif and his companions dur
ing the afternoon, bringing them to the
county jail.
At that time evidences seemed to
point to George Nielsen, the 1S-year-
old son Of Gus Nielsen, as the boy who
Ildu IIeQ the &0OL- ana IL was not until
late last night after d severe question
ing by the officers. that Ham Ferguson
told who had done the shooting and
ShuFtllH is said to have admitted that
ne fired the two shots which struck the
house. Five shots were flred in all but
the other three were fired by others Of
the boys, and not in the direction Of
the house.
The names of the boys who we're
present at The time Of the shooting. and
who were placed under arrest, are.
Frank ShurtIiff. Is; Ham Ferguson. IS:
Frank Lzrk Is; Mark Bean. 13; John
Cooper, Is, George Nielsen. IS: Ben
Shurtliff, u; and VIII FowIts, Is. All
of them live in Holiday
Story Of the Shooting.
On Saturday night the boys took up a
collection. and. going to Murray, pUr-
chased an eight-gallOn key of beer.
which they brought back 10 Holiday
and cached. Yesterday morning, about
10 clock, they repaired 20 the cache
I and CONSUME f7e contents ae the Ieg
and al of them. 1T is said. were consid-
erably under the influence Of the LIQUOR
About noon the boys, according TO their
statement, sauntered down the road
I and stopped about 100 Yards from the
Wilson house, and three Of the boys
/ nred the gun at marks in the road.
ShurtliH then took the gun, and, ac-
cOrding to his admission, fired the two
shOt5 mat struck the house The boys
deny thar they knew the house had
been struck at the time. but the gun
was mysteriOusly disposed Of and the
boys dispersed over the country.
One Of the bullets fred at the house
tore through a screen and into a room
where Mrs. Wilson. who was alone in
the house. was making up a bed. The
missile entered the wOman's neck and
lodged there, tearing several veins in
its passage. Mrs. Wilson said after
ward that her first thought wcs To call
for help. With this in her mind she
ran out of the house, but the blood had
Welled into her throat, so that all ut
terance was choked. The effort to
scream exhausted her. and she fell to
the ground with blood pouring from
her wound.
There she was found half an hour
later in a CHASTITY pool by some chill
dren on their way home from Sunday
school. They gave the alarm, and DR..
KOscher Of Murray was sent for. The
physician attempted by probing to To-
cate the ball, but was unable to do so.
Then. seeing the serious nature of the
wound. he called Dr.. A. g. Behle Of
Salt Lake INTO cOnsultat ton. Dr. Belle
last night performed the operation Of