The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-08
FATAL ARRAY
AT HUNTSVILLE
John Coffin Wounded Unto Death
by Chris Peterson.
STORIES ARE CONFLICTlNG
TROUBLE GREW OUT OF AN OLD
LAWSUIT.

0GDEN, Nov. During a quarrel
y early this morning IN Huntsville.
Chris Peterson. also known as
Chris Utah" and Danish Chris.
stabbed John Coffin. inficting a wound
that is likely 10 prove fatal
In return. Coffin turned on his assail-
ant and beat him numerically. break
ing his nose and making two lors. deep
gashes in his face. All this. according
to the best news obtainable was afte-
the knife of Peterson had pierced the
brain of Coffin behind the right ear to
such a depth that it IS surprising death
did not result in the instant. The sto-
ries of the two men are conflicting, but
neither is In condition to talk much.
The majority Of the Huntsville people
corrob0rate Coffin, and say Peterson's
record is that Of a QuarrelsOme man.
who has made several gun plays. More
3 over. it is said. he was intoxicated.
+ having come to ogden and loaded UP
with liquor during the day
Started in Coffee House.
The trouble started in the coffee house
Of Mrs. Maria Olsen. Peterson was
eating his supper when Coffin walked
In They had some words and. accord
ing 10 some witnesses, Peterson
opened his knife and slipped ii irto his
hip pocket. He then invited Coffin out
doors. The quarrel was resumed out
side and, according to the general YER
sion Of the affair. Peterson stuck the
knife into Cohin's head. indicting the
serious if not fatal wound. Peterson
struck again at CofiE, and the latter
grasped his assailants arm. Clarence
Farrell, a boy of IL. who was present,
then got the knife away from Peterson
and Coffin, I'm a perfect frenzy. fought
his adversary. knocking him down.
pummeling his face and beating his
head against the ground. Peterson had
some bottles of liquor ir. his pocket and
they broke. so that the ground where
the sCufiie took place was stTewn with
broken glass. At the end Of the melee
Peterson was supposed TO be the most
seriously injured. Coffin walked home.
distance of three blocks, before he
collapsed. AS he could not be revived
by ordinary restoratives Investigation
was made and the wound i'm the head
discovered. DR. Forbes was sent for
and arrived at Huntsville about day
light He found that Cofin had re-
Ceived a stab behind the ear. and that
the blade had penetrated the brain
more than an inch. The wound was
dressed with the patient under the in
huence of chloroform. He did not re-
gain consciousness until late in the
afternoon.
Peterson's Story.
Dr. Forbes saw Peterson. but his
wounds were rot given attention tin
about o'clock, when Marshal Albert
Engstrom reached the county Jail with
him as a prisoner. Peterson's face was
bruised to a jelly. There was a cut un-
der the left eye and another over the
right eye, and each wound had to be
sewed up with several stitches. The
mans nose is also broken. While the
doctor was working over him Peterson
stated, in reply to a question from a
Herald reporter. that Coffin had
Knocked him down before ne had used
his knife He later added that he was
drunk and hardly knew what did occur.
The whole affair grew out of bad feel
ing existing by reason Of a quarrel be-
tween Sylvester Grow, father-in-law Of
Peterson, and Coffin. Coffin sued Grow
for some disputed wages and Grow had
him arrested on one charge Of embeZ-
element and on another of grand lar
Iceny. Coffin easily cleared himself.
showing that the embezzlement con-
sisted only in the giving Of some coffee
furnished by Grow to the sheep camp
To Mrs. Peterson. Crows daughter.
Coffin, so Peterson says, claimed that
Mrs. Peterson did not tell the truth on
the witness stands and this led to the
first quarrel
Word received from Huntsville late
tonight was that Coffin had regained
consciousness several times during the
afternoon and evening, but had lapsed
into insensibility each time 1t is be-
heved that he can survive but a short
time after the Inflammation natural to
such a wound in the brain shall de-
velop. for the reason that the infam-
nation Will bring on meningitis