The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-21
HOW M0RTENSEN
KILLED J. R. HAY
Crime Which Demanded Extreme
Penalty of the Law.
MURDERED AND BODY BURIED
DEBT OF $1,000 WAS THE CAUSE
OF THE TRAGEDY.

Peter Mortensen, a native Of Utah,
was a contractor and builder living in
a pretty little home I'm Forest Dale with
his wife and children IN 1901 James r.
Hay, secretary Of the Pacific Lumber
company, and his family. consisting Of
q wife and three children, were neigh
Dors dwelling about 800 feet away.
Mortensen became heavily IN debt to
the Pacific Lumber company. and tbs
manager began to press him for a set
tlement. His home was mortgaged, and
he was i'm danger Of losing it if he did
not pay the money.
At O'Clock on the evening Of Dec.
10, 1901. MOrtensen went to the Office
OF the lumber company and agreed to
pay the entire amount of his indebted
ness 1t was found that he owed IS. 907
Mortensen gave Manager George +.
Romney an order on Mrs. Andrew
Brixen for Sl07. to apply on the ac-
count, and said he mad the balance
$500. i'm cash at his home. He asked
that Hay come TO his home that night
bringing a receipt and he would pay
the entire amount in cash.
Hay prepared the receipt, but was
told by Manager Romney not to call
until the next morning. so as not t.
Keep that amount Of money at his home
over night Nevertheless. after his
evening meal, Hay put on his overcoat
kissed the children and said to his wife:
Disappearance Of Hay.
I'm going over to Peters a few min
utes. 20 collect some money. IN be
back soon"
He went out, taking with him the
signed receipt and a note for $500,
which represented part Of the indebted
ness. His wife and children never
again saw him alive.
Hay went to the Morteuseu home and
ne and MOrtensen went out together
Hay never returned
About 3 O'Clock the next morning Mrs.
Hay. alarmed over the absence of her
husband. threw a shawl over her head,
went across to the MOrtensen home,
and called Peter to the door
Where is James," she asked, in
great anxiety.
Why, isn't he home?" asked Morten-
sen.
NO ne hasn't been home since he
went over to your house"
Well said Mortensen, hes gone up
to Ernest's"
The Ernest referred to Manager
ROmuey of the lumber company.
Has ne the money! inquired AIRS.
Hav
Yes" said Mortensau.
"Oh. I wouldn't worry he added. He
stopped over with Ernest. and I sup
posed the last car home. He is stay
ing with the folks"
Suspicion Thrown on Hay.
The next day Mortensen told a num-
her Of persons that he had paid Hay
the money. He related that they had
sat together on q settee, that ne had
counted out S3,SCO i'm gold, that Hay had
IL L. !. -
put part of the money in a sack and
the rest in his pockets. and then had
left to take the money uptown to
George e Romney.
MortenseG told some persons that he
kept this money in three glass fruit jars
in his cellar To another witness he
said that he had two glass fruit jars
fun of mOrey. and to others he said he
kept 1T partly IN d sack and partly loose
on the east wall of his cellar. Later,
one of the fruit jars was brought into
court and $4,000 in $50 gold pieces put
into it. The jar was filled only within
en- inch and a half from the top.
Hay was accused Of embezzlement by
some OF the newspapers and was ad-
vertised as an abscOnder. The Herald.
however. advanced the facts leading to
the suspicion that murder had been
done.
Hays Body Is Found.
Dec. Is. the second day after Hays
visit to NIortensen' s. home. Frank Tor
gersen, q boy, while chasing horses in
a field near Seventh East street and
the Park City branch Of the Rio Grande
Western. came upon a freshly-made
grave. The boy notified some Of the
people living near, and Peter Mortensen
was one of the men who dug into the
earth and eXhumed the body of Hay.
With hands crossed on the breast, the
body lay there, the face staring up-
ward. NTortenseu looked at it coOlly,
and expressed sorrow
MOrtensen was arrested and his house
searched at the suggestion Of r G..
LOofbourow, assistant county attorney
at that time. who was on the ground.
All efforts to force an admission from
Mortensen failed.
Bit by bit the evidence was worked
up. Dec %. two days before Christmas
Morteusen appeared in court for pre-
liminary hearing. and Jan. % he was
held to the district court May . Of
that year the case was called for trial
before Judge c. W. Morse.
Preparing Tor the Trial
District Attorney Dennis c. Eichnor
prosecuted and Stewart & Stewart con-
Quoted the defense. a jury was not Sc
cured until May Is. During the inter-
vening period 1.105 talesmeu were ex-
amined, nearly all being excused be-
cause OF a fixed opinion as to the guilt
or innocence of the accused.
The state presented witnesses to show
the circumstances under which Hay
visited MOrteusen's house the fatal
evening. Shortly after he was arrested
he made a statement as to where ne
had received the money he was TO pay
over TO Hay. IL was demonstrated that
all this money except SS5S had been paid
out prior 20 Dec. 16.
When the house was searched after
the arrest $50 in gold was found and
S25S in the form Of a check. Charles +.
Watkins. brother in-law Of the accused
man. testified that Mortensen had asked
him TO swear falsely to paying over a
considerable sum Of money to account
Tor Mortensen's having the $780, II
was brought out that the note which
Mortensen exhibited with the receipt
had rot been receipted or cancelled as
customary. Practically all of Morten-
sens explanations were shown to be
false.
John Allen, q mOtOrman, swOre that
he saw Morteuseu shortly after 10
o'clock the night Of the mJrder carry
ing a shovel and leaving the vicinity OF
the grave.
James Sharp's Revelation.
The testimony which attracted mos.
attention was given by James sharp
Mrs. Hays father. He declared he had
had a revelation from God telling OF
MOrtensen's guilt Mr. Sharp relat ii
how ne had been to BIortensen's house
Dec. u. the day before Hays body was