The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-24
JAMES SHARP CREATES A
SCENE ON WITNESS STAND
Declares God Revealed to Him That MortenSen
Was the Murderer of Hay.
Fathsaw Of the Slain Man Tells How He Accused Prisoner Of
the Crime.

unimportant testimony the court ad-
jOUrned until afternoon.
When court reopened Mr.. Sharp testi-
fed that on Tuesday evening after the
disappearance of Hay. Mortensen an
peared at his house and asked for the
receipt and note given him by Mrs.
MOrtensen. The receipt though. had
been turned over to the police officers.
Mr. Sharp said. and Mortensen, after
proffering assistance in looking for
Hay, went away.
At this point the receipt and note
were offered in evidence. The defense
objected upon the grounds that it had
no connection with the case Attorney
Christensen then arose and said that
The receipt was offered in evidence as
the motive for the crime. and after con-
siderab BILE objection on the part of the
defense the court ordered it accepted.
The witness then described what took
place when he. in the presence of Nor
Jensen. first saw the body of his muir
dered son-in-law.
Said Boy Was Murdered.
II declared to the murdered boy"
said Mr.. Sharp. He said you ran
away with $500, but you didn't. He
murdered YOU for a piece Of paper rep
away
The witness then described the APP
pearance of the grave as he saw il the
morning the body was found. He stated
that he noticed two sets of tracks lead
/ ing from the fence to the grave. the two
sets being about six feet apart at the
/ fence and converging toward the grave
| The set of tracks leading to the grave,
/ the witness said. looked as if the per-
{ son who made them had been dragging
! something between his feet, while the
! wagon tracks leading away from the
! grave had the ordinary appearance
! The tracks in his judgment had been
made for some time. as the impressions
/ in the snow had frozen hard.
Mr. Sharp then described his meeting
/ with Mortensen at the city jail the
sunday morning of Mr. Hays funeral
and the conversation which took place
there.
Meeting With Mortensen.
y .When 1 walked into the room.
\ said the witness, "Mortensen was
& sitting On the other side OF a gas
= stove, and he arose and EXTENDED
\ his right hand and spoke to me.
\ raised my left hand and said, l =
\ don't design hurt yoa unneces-
+ sarily. Peter, but I can't touch ?
= your hand He asked why. ! re-
4 piled. Because I believe 1t is COW
cred with the blood of my son. ?
\ He said. I cant blame you. If l =
b were on Your side of the stove and =
y YOU on mine under the shadow OF =
: J. this crime I would not shake =
, \ hands with you until the matter =
y was cleared up
'I then told him that had been =
l. h. lrr1ax =
\ for whom. He said it was for my =
= daughter and her children. told =
4 him there were others I had been :
i CRYING for. 1 told him that 1 had :
y seen a heart-broken mother ana
4 some children, and 1 was crying :
= for them too He asked who they :
\ were and when I told him they :
i were his wife and children he 4
4 dropped his head on his breast and
= cried with me.
Prisoner Is Affected.
. The crowd was breathless as Mr.
Sharp stood almost in front of Nor
; tenson. and, keeping his eyes Fastened
. upon him. repeated this story Nor
; Jensen bent his head forward and sa
, without moving until the witness mn
) isbed and resumed his seat, which n
; had arisen from during his recital
; The discrimination of Mr.. SHARP
? which developed the most stirring testl
? mony on his part, was then taken VI
; The attorneys for the defense spen
, some time attempting to pin MI
, Sharp upon the first part OF his tesu
; rnonv. but he could not be shaker
, MIR Stewart then asked him;
; when did you first think that Nj
) Hav had met with foul play?'
= when first heard the story Oh nj
; disannearance. was the reply
' who did you think committed tn
, crime 49,.
: when did you come TO the conclu
: sion that Mortensen did it?'
> 4 knew it VIII 'harged MIN VII
; You mean that you thought he oil
e it." 80,
e mo. I knew he did it.
How did you know?
Had a Revelation From God.
c = u knew because God revealed
a ! it to me-" replied the witness
t = with a fervor that sent a wave OF
,y---ts,,,,od IN, PAGE .