The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-02-18
MACS SWORN STATEMENT.
Declares That Strange Confessed
Murder of Prowse.


implication in the crime whatever, but
VIII possibly save Lynch from the
death sentence, though it is hardly
pfoDable that he viii fare better than
getting a life sentence. The document
IN the form df an affidavit was re-
eelNed yesterday morning by Attorney
general Breeder and was Immediately
turned over to Attorney Wanless. who
has represented the condemned men in
then fight for life:
State OF Colorado. County of Fremont. s..
Jonn Macs. being first duly sworn on
oath deposes and says:
My name is John Macs: L am 81 wears
olu- and q labOrer by general occupa-
ton. 1 was in Ogden. Utah on the morn
ing after the attempted hOldup Of the
Sneep Ranch saloon in Salt Lake City,
Ctah. on Sept. II, 1900, in which attempted
holdup the proprietor of said saloon,
colonel Prowse. was killed. / had been
IN ogden about week prior to that time
ana mad then met Ed Davenport who
was later on convicted at Cripple Creek,
Colo. for burglary and sent to the state
refOrmatory al Buena Vista: I believe
ne IS stiH there. When I reached Ogden
on the morning after this hOldup | again
met Davenport on the street near the
Union depot When he met me he
stopped and asked if / knew where a
certain party, whose name he gave, but
l nave forgotten il. was. He. Davenport
said at that time that ne and the party
he had inquired about had got into
trouble at Salt Lake City the night be-
fore and that they were irving TO get
out. and that they were going 10 &C into
a room and stay until night ana then
get out Of town. My partner John
Matthews. was in Ogden with me at that
time and | paid 81 for the purpose of
securing our way on the railroad to a
point east of Rawiins. Wye Matthews
IS now in the refOrmatory at Buena
Vista. The evening after the robbery
again met Davenport on the train, where
found that he and John Strange were
also going east the same way my partner
and / were. Davenport sat down in the
seat BY me while Strange kept in the
other end of the car. Before the train
left Ogden. Davenport, while sitting by
me, pointed out his partner, John
Strange, and said that he would have to
keep shady until the train pulled out.
and that he didn't know but mere might
be some mugs" detectives on the train
With them At this time Davenport told
me that he and John Strange were two
of the parties that held up the Sheep
Ranch saloon. Davenport also said that
il was lucky for Strange that he had
passed by officers on the street in Ogden
while he wore the coat and trousers of
the suit, the vest of which belonged to
Strange and was III the satchel or va
lise on one of the gang il. the Sheep
Ranch saloon When we got TO Rawlins
the next morning Davenport, Strange,
Matthews and /, together with a num-
Der of others, got Oft the train and stayed
there.
About 9 o'clock that morning, after
breakfast. 1 met Davenport on the street
and he asked me to go to his room. l
did so, and there / first met John Strange.
They said they were afraid TO go around
on the streets and asked me If ] had
seen any persons whom l might suspect
of watching. Davenport handed me Salt
Lake paper and pointed TO an account
of the holdup and iilling at the Sheep
hancn saloon and asked me what l
thought of il. / read il hastily and said
themselves or something TO that effect
They talked the holdup over az some
length and were wondering hoW-1auch IN
formation the officers had that might lead
to their arrest. They both seemed greatly
agitated and were anxious TO take every
precautiOn TO keep out of sight and get
away. Soon after this / went away and
knocked around town that day and even
ing. About dark of that day as ! passed
Davenport and Strange's room Davenport
came out and asked me if / had any
money. | said ! had little and he said
he and Strange were going TO leave town
that night and that 1 might take their
room. l paid him four bits and they
went away and ! found that
they afterwards went TO another room
and stayed in town all night, because [
saw them next morning. | saw Daven-
port and Strange a few times within the
next few days. when they left for Lara
mic CITY.
Before going they had shown me sew
eral Salt Lake papers, among which was
an account of the arrest of Robert L.
King and James Lynch, and they We're
asking each other who King was. as
was not in their gang. and that he had
nothing to do with the hOldup or killing
of PrOWse at the Sheep Ranch saloon.
They concluded that he was some Pete
man" (safeblCwer)- Davenport made the
remark that he was probably some fell
low that Detective Sheets of Salt Lake
City was sore against and could not get
evidence in any other way to pinch him.
A few days after leaving RaWlins / met
Davenport and Strange again in Lara
mic City. l stayed there a day or 80
and met both Strange and Davenport
Strange about various things, he told
me that the attempted hOldup of the
Sheep Ranch saloon was put up by him
and his partner, Davenport, while they
were both in the Idaho penitentiary; that
he. Strange. got out three OF four months
before Davenport did, and that he
waited until Davenport was released.
when they went 10 Salt Lake City and
met three other fellows, where they ar
ranged for the five Of them 10 do this
holdUp.
Strange said that he had held up this
same place before. They gave Davenport
S45 TO buy three revOlvers. He went out
to Salt Lake and bought three revolvers.
He came back with three reVolverS. either
"A or As calibre. Strange told me that
at the last minute one of the five backed
out of the JOB and that there were four
of them actually concerned in it. That
they had loaded up with whisky and that
was why the fifth man gave them the
hob leo. told l.
vest was in the grip that was thrown
away. Strange also told me that he was
the man who pumped il into PToWse
when he saw one of the lads on The
floor. Meaning the holdup who was
shot. He told me this several times [
have frequently heard Strange and
Davenport talk the matter over together,
and from their conversation. as well as
from what they told me directly, the
above is d fair statement of what they
had had to say. They talked to me and
in my presence without reserve. and /
heard great many things. many of them
often repeated. all of which was to the
effect that this holdup was a pTemedi-
tated affair in which four of them were
engaged, but that Robert l. King was
not engaged in IL. and was not known To
them. They talked Of getting as much
money as they could TO help the man
who was shot and fell to the floor. but
instead of using the money that way thev
would blow IL in.
] have known Strange ever since tho
time last stated. and ne is now in the
Colorado state penitentiary and his con-
vict number IS 5.076. Some time last stlrn-
mer l had talk with Strange I'm The
penitentiary. when he told me that King
was convicted. This is the first 1 knew
of il. He laughed about il and said
Well. King is innocent. but they can do
nothing with me about it now" Strange
also told me after he had remarked that
King was innocent: II am the man I
bought the vabse. shoes. neckties. hand
kerchiefs and so forth. and / see he
Cheney 1 bought them of testified | tried
to jew him down. but that is a lie. I
didn't"
John Matthews also heard Strange arJ
Davenport talk this matter over and
knows that they said practically what
have stated. Z also wish to saw thar
while 1 cannot put everything in an at
fidavit in the manner | would like thar
my frequent talks with DavenpOrt and