The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-29
TRIES TO MURDER.
STAYS HIMSELF
Park City Saloon Rounder Attempts
Life Of Owner.
LON PERRYS DEADLY PERIL
SHOT AT BY GEMMIL AT CLOSE
RANGE.
Especial to The Herald)

Especial to The Herald)
Park City. Utah Oct. 2S.--Jim Gem
mil attempted TO kin Lon Perry, one
OF the proprietors of the Center sa-
loon, this morning; made his escape.
AMI later killed himself in a cellar
In which he had taken refuge.
Gemmil is a very poor shot with
pistol at short range and 10 that fact
alone Lon Perry owes his life. This
morning Gemmil was in the saloon and
after going TO the toilet room and
washing his face and hands he returned
10 the bar and asked that he might
be allowed 70 so behind the bar and
comb his hair. To this Perry assented
and told Gemmil that he would ind
good comb in one of the small draw
lers under the back bar Gemmil opened
the drawer ana. instead of taking the
comb which was there, picked up a
-44-calibre pistol.
He asked Perry in a casual way if
there were any cartridges which would
nj that gun. Perry said.
Yes; there are one or two in the
drawer there somewhere"
Gemmil proceeded to find the cart
ridges and put them i'm the gun. In
the meantime Perry had gone over to
the end of the bar and was opening
"A safe.
The first mtimation Perry had of
anything other than the hair-combing
going on was when Gemmil asked him
10 throw up his hands Perry thought
mat the fellow was joking made re-
mark Of some kind and started to walk
over to the man. Gemmil then threat
ened
If YOU come a step farther. I'll blow
your head ofr.''
All right said Perry. go ahead"
still thinking the fellow was joking.
Without further talk. Gemmn point
ed the gun at Perry and fired. the
bullet passing through the right shout
der of NPerry's coat, grazing The flesh
and burning it, So close was the pistol
10 Perry that the powder burned his
face. After firing the shot Gemmil
ran from the saloon with the smoking
pistol in his hand.
eemmil Disappears.
minute later he had disappeared.
The mystery of his seemingly in
applicable disappearance was not solved
until about o'clock. when his dead
body was found in a cellar belonging
TO Charles b. Shields. After making
HE assault. Gemmil, with the gun i'm
his hand. left the saloon where the
deed was committed ana ran up Main
street q short distance. He changed
mis- course and made for Marsac ave-
nue.. The officers were in close pur-
suit and when il seemed as if within
a few moments the fugitive must be
caught, he disappeared. a careful
search OF the neighbOThoOd failed TO
reveal his whereabouts. Sheriff MAR
paid but little attention to the nu-
merOus reports which came i'm all day
from those who claimed 10 have seen
peI sons answering Gemmels dtscrip
JIon and with Marshal McDonough,
clung TO the idea that he was in hid
ing in town, and near where last seen.
Accordingly they searched the locality
closely with no result
The cellar in which tEe body was
found is a tunnel cur iu a steep bank
behind the residence, and is about three
fet distant from the Kitchen doc" OF
The house where, owing to the high
bank. it was an easy matter for the fell
low to slip in without being seen. The
shooting i'm town had caused some eE-
element, and, coupled with the fact
that the man came in their direction
made the people on MerSac avenue more
than curious as to the result of the man
hunt. Mrs. Shields, like the other resi-
dents, left her home. going TO a neigh
b0r's house about fifty feet away. IL
was during her absence that Gemmtl
hid himself in her cellar.
Dies in Cellar.
Gemmil rushed into the cover and.
closing the door placed the muZZie OF
a 44-calibre revolver in his mouth. and
fred. killing himself instantly. Owing
10 the fact that the cellar was under
.ra 4
Mrs. Shields went about her household
duties and, having no occasion 20 go
30 the cellar. knew nothing of the trag-
edy which had beep enacted so near 10
her Not until this evening. when
she began To get dinner. did she know.
UpoR attempting 10 enter the cellar
she found the door blocked from the
inside She al once Informed her hus-
band who went i'm ana. thinking the
man asleep, sent for the officers.
From all appearances Gemml had
killed himself this morning. The body
was rigid and showed signs of having
been dead for several hours, From
paperS found upon him il was learned
that he had relations IN Chicago, and
a divorced wife I'm Salida, Col. All
these persons have been notified by
wire.
Gemmi has been an Park City for
some time. spending most of his time
around saloons, the Center especially, /
boosting around the games. He WAS
held here some weeks ago charged with
forgery IN salt Lake. This crime was,
however. not proved against him, or
an alibi was established and he was let
20.
For some to- ne has been drinking
heavily. and n is thought that too I
much drink was responsible for his act 4
This morning. Men wfO knew him /
before he came TO Park City state that /
Gemmn came here from Colorado, that /
he was in business in Saiida and up TO {
n wear ago was doing we'll hut owing .
10 a reverse or two I'm fortune he has I
been going a rapid pace Tor some ]
months. and his decline mas been cor |
respondingly fast
DIES FROM INJURIES. |