The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-19
KING LIBERATED;
LYNCH SENTENCED
Murderer Of Colonel Prowse to
Die jan. 8, 1904.
ITALIAN IS GOING HONE
HIS ONE AMBITION NOW is TO
SEE his MOTHER

/ TOR the third time James Lynch
was yesterday sentenced to be c7-
ecuted for the killing OF Colonel
Godfrey Prowse in a gambling house ON
o Commercial street. Less than an hour
after Lynch entered his cell. his hands
just having been relieved Of pair OF
. steel wrisuets. Robert j.. King. con-
victed of completely with Lynch fin the
murder. walked out Of the Utah penl-
Tertiary a free man.
Judge J. Il. Booth of the Fourth ju-
diCial district court yesterday morn
ing sentenced Lynch to be shot to death
on Friday. Jan. s. 1904 and immediate
ly afteTWard entertained the motion OF
District Attorney Dennis C.. EichnOr
that the case against King be dis
missed on the ground that there Is not
sufficient evidence TO convict The sen
tence Of Lynch and the freedom OF
King are the direct result Of a recent
state supreme court decision confirm
ing the decision Of the lower court i'm
the formers case and granting the Ital-
ian new trial.
Lynch Was Unmoved.
Lynch is apparently the most uncon-
cerned man in the city over the SEN
fence imposed upon him. He SAYS he
has not given up hope, that while there
is life there is hope And when ne ut
tered that well known adage, he smiled
The twinkle fin his eyes was anything
but those Of a man who would weaken
when the time came to meet his Maker.
Lynch was perfectly unmoved when
he returned to the penitentiary, and
was again confined in his cell. Not so
with King. He was visibly affected by
the news that the case against him had
been dismissed and that he would be
a free man just as soon as a copy Of
the order of the court could be sent
out to the penitentiary by the clerk OF
the district court. Tt reached the pen
itentiary about I o'clock yesterday aft
ernOOn. After bidding some of the
prisoners, guards and other attaches
of the prison goodbye, King caught the
first car downtown
When seen at the penitentiary yester-
day noon and asked if he was surprised
at the decision of Judge Booth I'm Civ
ing him his freedom, King said
Declared His Innocence.
mo: have been looking for il daily
for over three years and a half As I
. have always said, / am innocent Of the
! crime of which I was accused knew
r it was only a question of time when i
/ would be released"
/ King was seated I'm Warden Dow's
, private office when he made that dec
laratiOn. he was attired i'm the first
, grade garb of the prison. dark gray
suit King was a little nervous 40
( more so than would be expected on q
man who had spent almost three years
In a condemned mans cell, under sem
D tence Of death, and who had just re-
ceiVed the news Of his freedom. He
Q tried to control his feelings. but could
% not. His nervousness was more espe-
cially manifested by his laugh. When
ID
S King would laugh heartily Some OF
. them were really not worth a laugh.
. but they gave the man an opportunity
3 to relieve his pent-up feelings, and he
took advantage Of the least opportunity.
When asked what he was going to do.
King said:
MY great desire is to return home
and see my mother again."
As he said that his eyes Redeemed a
little. and the muscular movement Of
his face indicated an apparent endeavor
to keep back the tears.
His Mother in Ignorance.
+ "She does not know anything about
;, this" he added. land I do not want
% Fher to. Only one OF MY brothers IS
3 aware OF the fix 1 was in, and I know
O. ne has never told any other member OF
O my family
Haven't you heard from your family
only Indirectly" was the answer. ct
~ took special pains to see that none OF
D them outside of the brother i just men
s, toned knew what had happened to me
r What am ] going to do nOW2 Oh,
~ don't know. 7 have hardly made any
plans except to look forward to going
- back home From here I expect to go
TO san Francisco From there I shall
return to Italy"
When asked concerning his early life
) King had little to say. He refused to
give his real name. He said he came
4, TO this country on Jan. 8, 1852, landing
at New York city with 80 cents in
italian money in his pocket. He was
then but young chap. and earned o.
living by selling papers and DlacklnE
4 boots. Five times ne crossed the ocean
. on hOmeward trips.
Shortly before he came to Salt Lake
, City he was employed as an engraver.
. his profession by the Elgin Watch
. company al Elgin, Ills.
= He Heard the Shooting.
. When asked If ne was in any way
= connected with the killing Of PrOwse,
& King said.
a Il give you my word I knew nothing
a about il until the next morning, W1eii
= 7 read an account of it i'm the papers.
Z. AT the time of the shooting i was with
a . a number of men on Second south
= street. buying some sandwiches.
a heard the shooting. but thought az the
4 time that it was the explosion Of some
4 drecrackers in Plum alley
y When asked how e was that be be-
= came mixed up I'm the affair he said.
= That is something do not care 10
\ discuss. Two men in this city are per-
a sonaIy responsible for my trouble
4 They had an object I'm wanting 90 ge
= me out of the way The story w0ul,
make good one if Z wanted 90 tell 10
but 7 prefer not to-.
From another source it was Learned
that King told the truth when me sal.
there is strong feeling against hiU
by certain parties I'm the city TIC va'
r intimated that King would never re
turn home the inference being tina
the cause of the trouble which induce,
the unknown parties 20 impdcate hin
- i'm the Prowse murder originated b.
y Italy ON one OF Kings trips back Cd
b his native land To- see his family
The only information me would EiV
ne concerning his life i'm Italy was Jha
I'm 1855 he entered the Italian mIitaT
81 school al NOdena. where ne remained
~ for almost two years His brOtbe
r. Peter. the only one who Isl acquainte'
ln with the mans peuitentiary career. d
IL connected with the Royal Italian mu
ID scum at Rome.
Consul Cunio Is Thanked.
At one time Kings case ATTAINED