The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-11-18
MURDER MYSTERY
Is CLEARED UP
Slayer OF the Man Found in Box
Car at Ogden Located.
HIS HOME At PRESTON. IDA.
FULL CONFESSION AFTER BEING
ARRESTED.
Especial to The Heraid.)

n -
Ii tending the death Of the unknown
man found, Nov. .. in. a stock
car loaded with lumber was cleared up
today by a confession made 10 the
sherif~s officers by William G.. Hob
son, who was arrested at his home
in Preston. Ida. by Marshal Clint
Meachin on information furnished by
Sheriff Bailey OF Weber county. and
his deputies, Belnap and Sebring. Act
ing on information that man had
been seen I'm the car with Lynch
this being the name of the dead man
as nearly as can be ascertamed-Sher-
if Bailey detailed Deputy Belnap 20
look up the case He went up 90 Cache
Junction and worked along the fine,
getting information that convinced him
that the men HObsou and Lynch had
/ left Cache Junction in the car where.
twenty hours later. the dead body az
one man was found.
Left the Car at Brigham.
Hobson had left nome intending 10
go 10 Nevada. and che officers sup
posed he was in that state. They We're
searching for him in ihat direction.
but as a matter OF Tact. after killing
his fellow passenger ne left the train
at Brigham and made his way TO Pc
catello
On request Of Joseph Belnap. deputy
sheriff Marshal Mechin went 90 Hob
sons house i'm Preston TO borrow the
suspects gun from his wife. This was
Sunday evening, and HObsOu bad just
returned He himself LENT the gun 70
the officer, and IL was .45-caliDre
COlt's-the same as would require the
bullet taken from the dead Body This
D 4 ~
fcers. and they asked 1lechin 90 place
Hobson under arrest. This was done,
and Belnap with Deputy q. A. Sc
bring went up 10 Preston last night
10 get the prisoner
Warrant Read to Him.
/ Hobson listened TO the reading or
I the warrant and asked TO have IL read
7 a second time. Then ne asked whore
[ il was issued The two officers kept
/ him at the hotel IN Preston last night.
! Hobson being handcuffed Co Sebring-
! In the morning Immediately after wax
[ ing up the prisoner grew quite talka-
/ tive. and was finally drawn out by
I Belnap TO tell the whole story. Later.
/ after reaching Ogden. he made a state
ment in detail TO newspaper men. and
! his account was taken down I'm short
4 hand as follows:
The Confession.
4 "On the evening Of the LIST Of Novem-
! Der we were at Cache Function, and
we got a freight train about 10 O clock
/ I walked down the train looking for
an empty car. and this man Lynch
+ came behind ME and asked If i had
+ found an empty car. and J said. '\o-
I He followed me back. and l says.
I Here's lumber car: I guess we can
( get in at the end of the car We did
.N
/ things. He asked me if L had time
/ piece. and I said. Yes Then he asked
me what the time was, and I took out
! my watch and lighted match and q
/ was fifteen minutes after 10 He
! climbed up ON a pile of lumber and
/ asked me 10 set up there with him. I
got on a lower pile on the left hand
side. We sat and talked and he asked
me how much money I had and what
my business was. and I told him 1 was
: q bartender.
Claims Self Defense.
After the train pulled out ne slip
ped down on the lower pile OF wood
on which I was sitting and sat beside
me 1 asked him 10 move away. and
( the first thing I knew ne was going
/ through me- 1 got away from him.
I and one word led 10 another and ne
abused me and he jumped down and
said: III cut your ID throat. Then
he showed his hand i'm his pocket and
l drew my gun and fired at him
Shot Proved Fatal.
lie was standing leaning against
the little pile of lumber. He fell over
on the pile and wallowed around for
a while. 7 Still stood I'm the corner
He finally fell off the pile on the floor
with his head toward the door He lay
Z rrrr
never bothered him until we got ~
Dewey, and then I took and laid him
back against the lumber He had
worked out of his coat in some way.
and I put his coat over him. When /
moved him I COulG hear ne Talue m
his throat and I was satisfied he was
dying. The only words ne spoke were.
I am shot I rode 70 Brigham city
and then went back TO POcatello-
In answer TO Sheriff Bailey, ne said,
''The gun ] killed him with was my
own. but ] left it a POcatello. Com
ing home I got hold of my brother
gun instead of my own
Cool and Unconcerned.
Hobson was as cool and apparently
/ umconcerned in telling his story as ne
might have been in relating am al
venture with q dos. DE bears a Talh-
er hard reputation i'm some quarters
. and has had trouble with the oHicets
before. The deputies say there are sew
eraI conflicting statements i'm the man
observation-disclosures that do not nc
/, all fit other statements and olner
facts.
The prisoner has wife and six
children i'm Preston.
{ It will be necessary to turn the man
! over to the officers of Box Elder coun-
I ty, as the crime was committed there
pnIIcEMEN HELPLESS