The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-15
NUMEROUS HIGHWAYMAN
ATTEMPTS TOHOLD UP SALOON
Deputy Sheriff Lewis Has Desperate Struggle
For Life With the Bandit.
Daring Raid by Masked Man Who Succeeds in Escaping After
His Vicious Attack

steaming from the wound in his head.
she chung frantically to him.
Get me a gun. and get it quick"
yelled Conahan, there is crazy man
down there"
Fearing that her husband had been
wounded by the shots she had heard,
and no longer able to sustain the ten
sion under which she had been since
the first shot was fired, the woman
sank in heap on the floor. She had
tainted, and with the aid of a physician
was partly restored last night.
Conahan ran to the nearest telephone
and a physician was summoned who
dressed the wound in his head.
Meanwhile blue coated officers and
men who had been attracted by the
shots We're pushing into the room.
Lewis, bleeding profusely from the
deep wound in his head, was almost eX-
hausted from the desperate encounter.
In the scuflie the highwayman's mask
remained firmly tied round his face.
His hat, however, was lost and re-
manned in the room. 1t is of Stetson
brand. recently from a shop and is a
soft felt hat. Inside is the trade mark
of Claude D. Ives, Ogden
Deputy Sheriff Lewis went to the
county Jail shortly after the occur
renee and a physician was summoned
to dress the wound. Several stitches
were necessary, but the only evidence
left from the first blow was a huge
lump on his forehead. While waiting
for the physician blood trickled from
the wound and he was evidently suffer-
ing intensely from the wounds.
Thought His Time Had Come.
Il thought it was all up with me"
he said, when he got the gun right
against my breast. 1 couldn't for the
life of me explain how 1 succeeded in
removing the weapon before it eX-
ploded, but it was done and the ball
grazed my coat, and landed in the
counter. That is why I am here now.
The thing happened so suddenly that
l hardly had time to think, but l be-
lieve | would recognize the man if 1
should see him again He came boldly
into the bar, and stood looking around
for a moment before he attacked Coma
han. He had a gun pointed at my son,
but ne moved so quickly that it was
done before 1 could collect myself. He
took one step and struck Con&han on
the head. sending him to the floor.
Then he turned on me and struck me a
heavy blow on the forehead I fell to
my knees and he fired at the boy behind
the bar Then, seeing that he was
firing at the boy 1 forgot 1 was hurt
and sprang at him We clinched and
fell to the floor. The gun was exploded
several times and he fired twice at me.
1t was a narrow escape.
No Weapon in Saloon.
Since the shooting of Harry Strong
in the Oasis saloon. Thomas CrOnin,
proprietor of the saloon, has given
orders that no weapons will be toler-
ated in the place, and consequently no
one had a weapon when the attack
was made last night.
Had we even thought what was go
ing on on the inside, Mr.. Cronin said
last night, I'VE could have caught the
man easily, for there were several of
us, and he had shot ali his bullets
from the gun. But it was over be-
fore any one realized what had hap
pened."
The weapon used by the holdup was
evidently. from the size of the bullets
that have been found imbedded in the
walls, of a Al caliber. He was about
80 years of age, with neither mustache
nor whiskers, and was tall and strong
ly built. Several suspects were ar
rested by the police officers last night
but were released from custody on be-
ing able to account for their where
abOuts at the time of the attempted
robbery Because of the desperate
he was unsuccessful in his efforts to
secure the contents of the cash drawer.
The hat which he left. and the thor
ough description which all the men
secured of his appearance, ought, it is
believed. to result in his capture.
Lawson Has an Experience.
During the excitement just follow
ing the shooting in the saloon, H. H.
Lawson, the we'll known stOckman, ran
on to the lookout" stationed near the
saloon. and it was only by a clever
trick that he escaped being held up.
According to the story of Mr. Law
son, he was walking up from the de-
pot, having just come in from Ogden.
Just after the shooting occurred he
reached Fourth West street. He saw
a big man standing in the shadow of
a pole and suspecting something wrong,
kept his eye on him.
when l got near him." said Mr..
Lawson, "he stepped out and asked
me if I knew anything about the num-
bers of the houses in that vicinity. I
told him no. and moved on
The stranger then yelled to Mr. Law
son 10 stop, saying he wanted a match.
AS the same time the man made a
move toward him. and it looked to Mr..
Lawson as if he had a gun in his hand
Having been in holdups before, Mr.
Lawson, On the spur of the moment,
shouted back:
II haven't time; I want to speak to
It's policeman herei''
At these words the stranger turned
and fed precipitately. Mr. Lawson
hurried on and met two policemen, who
had arrived on the scene, and told
them of the encounter he had had. The
officers gave chase in the direction in
which the man had disappeared, but
were unable TO ind him. He is sup
posed TO have been the lookout" who
watched while his partner went in to
hold up the saloon.