The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-07-12

the most pronounced type, and when
deprived of the drug would become
very melancholy and Respondent. For
several days he has been mentally I'M
balanced, imagining that someone was
attempting to poison him. He would
rot touch a morsel of food until it had
first been tasted in his presence by
DR.. Young, the prison physician. AM
other thing that is thought to have
preyed upon Hamilton's mind is the
fact that he was to be charged with
attempted murder for his attack upon
William Brown, fellow prisoner, sew
eral weeks ago.
Died of strangulation.
Hamilton was last seen alive about
1:3O O'Clock yesterday morning, when
the night guard made his round of the
cells. At that time Hamilton was ly-
ing down and appeared to be sleeping
At $3.50 o'clock Guard Schettler made
another round and found Hamilton
hanging 20 the door OF. his cell. He
mad taken strap about three feet long
from his bed and. fastening one end
to the bars of the door, placed his neck
in the loop and pulled back until he
was choked into a state Of unconscious
ness. AS the bars were not high
enough to keep his feet from touch
ing the floor Of his cell, he Gied of slow
strangulatiOn.
Guard Schettler quickly notified Act
ing Warden Wright and the body was
removed TO the chapel. Hamilton has
relatives in Sioux City, Ia, and these
were notified yesterday OF the occur
/ renee. Unless his parents desire 20
have the body. it will be buried in the
prison cemetery this afternoon.
The Crime He Committed.
Edward W. Hamilton was committed
&C. the penitentiarY March %, 1901, for
attempting to kill Officers Jim VIII
liams and O. p Pratt of the police de-
partment He attempted to pu;
knockout" drops in cattleman' ;
drink in Ada Wilson's resort on Com
the porter. The interference angered
/ Hamilton and he shot the colored
man, inhicting a flesh wound in his
leg. He then left the house by the rear
door and ran up State street.
As he was crossing First South street
Officers Williams and Pratt met him
and called upon him to halt He re-
fused and was fired upon by Pratt.
Hamilton returned the fire and wound
ed the policeman in the leg. he con-
tInued up State street to the telephone
building. firing at Officer Williams as
he ran. He was overtaken in the alley
back OF the Theatre by Officer VIII
liams. but the latter's weapon failed
| TO work and Hamilton escaped. He
was captured several hours later by a
/ squad OF policemen in a rooming house
| on West Temple.
For this crime Hamilton was given
/ three years. Had he behaved himself
at the prison his sentence would have
| expired June %. As he was a very
unruly prisoner. ne lost his "coppers7
/ on two different occasions.
Assaulted Fellow Prisoner.
About a year after Hamilton's com
/ initial he made an attack upon a fell
! low prisoner with knife, but was
| overpOwered before he did the MAJ
! much injury. For this Offense ne los
I thirty days copper"
! About six weeks ago he made a muir
/ derous. assault upon William Brown
| who was serving a forty years sen
! tence for killing a Chinaman in Ogden
/ AS the prisoners were filing out t
! breakfast Hamilton struck Brown sew
/ eral times over the head with an iron
| bar. Brown ran TO his cell and Sc
/ cured a knife. and as Hamilton cam
| at him. slashed him several times, in
| ficting a dangerous wound i'm his lunS
and almost severing his tongue. Botf
/ men were in the hospital for weeks.
The prison authorities were going Il
! file a complaint against Hamilton fOl
attempting Browns life. This q
| thought to be one of the reasons TO
| him taking his life He has CAUSED
/ the prison officials no end of trouble
/ and was considered a most dangeFoul
| man. Hamilton is reported to hav'
| come from good family and has sew
! eTal brothers now living in Siou'
City, Ia.