The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-16
A YEAR OF VERY WILD WEST.
R1f H.iRD PHELAN GETS EXCITE
WENT Nv TABLOID FORM.
Killed Two Men and wounded One 60
ami Then sent 20 Prison for Twenty
i've Years Finally Pardoned--Sow
Owns q Mine That Cost Fifteen Lives.


ami Then sent 20 Prison for Twenty
| i've Years Finally Pardoned-
Owns a Mine That Cost Fifteen Lives.
SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. Is Richard
! Phelan, who has Just gone TO New York
| on business trip, has had the following
experiences Of life in the Wild West in tho
past year. He killed two men and badly
wounded a third: he was discharged at a
! preliminary hearing on n charge OF murder.
! and later convicted and sentenced to serve
twenty-five years al hard labor; he fSlCd
| TO get new trial, and finally, last vcek.
| he received an unconditional pardon from
; the Governor.
Mr. Phelan is the owner OF several mines
in the Sierra Nevada in California He
would never Impress one as being the typical
bad man. His nationality il indicated nv
his name. and he retains much Of the r ich
/ brogue which he brought over from Ireland.
| He is about 40, q little above medium height,
| OF rather slender build and straight as an
| arrow.
1T was on Dec. 81, 1902" said Mr. Phelan.
| that l became engaged In the fight which
, brought me great deal Of unwelcome
notoIiety. had for some time been en-
ployed as superintendent of the Gold Ridge
mine, on the Middle Yuba River. in which
l held an interest when ! became aware
of the fact that some Of my partners were
smaller stockholders.
II was invited to enter with them into
the conspiracy, and upon refusing to do
80 was included among those against
whom their scheme was directed. The
plan upon which they worked was to fail
hold the various claims, then at the begun
ming of the new year to jump the clailns
in the names of themselves and some Of
their trusted friends.
"On the night of Dec. 81. went TO the
Gold Ridge mine to levy on the tools and
supplies there for the purpose of recover
ing about $500 back salary due me- On
entering the log cabin which was used az
mine headquarters | was met by three
armed men, who laughed at me when I
engaged me in a dispute for the evident
purpose of giving them an opportunity
to put me out OF the way.
AS the dispute bee anne more bitter, I
backed into corner, so that the three men
were facing me- and when the lie was passed
| struck the one who was making the talk
and then grappled with him, keeping him
all the time between me and his two COM
panions, one of whom had a Winchester
rifle, the other shotgun with buckshot.
The man with the Winchester fired several
shots at me, but was afraid of hitting the
man in my grasp and the shots went wild.
"ln the meantime ] managed to get in
position to use my gun and succeeded in
disabling the man with the shotgun. Then
the man with the rifle became desperate
and tried to shoot me through the body
of his partner. whom was using as a shield,
but the bullet struck the mans revolver,
which he carried in his hip pocket, shatter-
ing the handle.
N don't know just how ii happened, but
when the fight was over the man with the
rifle and the one with whom | had the
wrestling match were dead, and the third
man was not in condition to do me any
harm. ! found out afterward that a sec
ond gang Of the enemy had approached the
cabin while the shooting was going on, and,
thinking from the fusillade going on that
had secured help, went away againwithout
attempting to render assistance to their
friends.
"On the bodies Of the men slain and
wounded in the cabin l found the papers
already made out for posting on the claims
at midnight for the purpose of jumping
them in the interest Of the conspirators, as
well as the letters charging the men to see
to it that was either dead or in jail before
the hour for filing came
II went before the proper authorities as
soon as possible and gave myself up and on
preliminary trial was discharged, but later
found myself against a conspiracy even
more serious If possible than the first one
a conspiracy Of lawyers. After my dis
charge they succeeded in having the case
reopened and railroaded me TO State Prison
for a ty-fve-year term.
The manner in which it was done is a
long story, but it was done. Even tho
letters and papers ! found on the dead
men. which would have cleared me in any
court, were not presented in court. In
fact had no defence whatever.
THE case went through all the courts,
and even the Supreme Court refused on
the record, of course, to grant me new
trial Then had all OF my evidence pre-
scented to the Governor. who very promptly
paroled me and has just granted an uncon-
ditional pardon.
The disputed mining claims?" said Mr..
Phelan, in reply TO q question. oh,
filed OH them myself and own them to-day,
but changed the name. They are now
the Middle Yuba group
There had been fifteen fatalities in
connection with those claims and | thought
il was time to make some sort of change.
The last man to give up his life in con-
meet ion with the case was one of the jurors
at my trial
He repented of having been induced
to join in the verdict of guilty, and at the
moment I las led in TO receive sentence
he threw himself from the gallery in tho
court room, striking squarelv on his head
and was licked up dead. There has been
no trouble ABOUT the claims since that
dramatic occurrence and | believe the
hoodoo is effectually broken"