The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31
TESTIMONY AT INQUEST.
Sonnedecker Tells of Watching for
Fuaitive-othsr Witnesses.

The most important testimony
brought out at yesterday afternoons
session of the inquest over Nephi NJ
Sheets, conducted by Justice Dana 7.
Smith, was given by n. w. Sonnedeck-
er, who was within half block of the
scene when the shot was fired, and who
is absolutely certain that no one ran
from the direction of 241 East Fifth
South street, where the body was
found.
II judged from the sound of the re-
port that the ealiber was larger than
% and that the bullet had been fired
directly into something" stated Mr..
Sonnedecker, in the course of his tes-
timony.
Mr.. Sonnedecker had left his home.
S56 East Seventh South street, to come
up town. When three blocks distant
from the City and County building he
heard the half after p. m chimes
ring out. He judged that the walk to
the southeast corner OF the City and
County building grounds had taken
eight minutes. II was at this corner,
at approximately S:3S o. M, that Mr..
SOnnedecker heard the shot.
Having I'm mind the recent hold-ups,
I at once thought that it had been
fired by a highwayman," said Mr..
Sonnedecker.
II had walked 10 the southeast cor
ner of the grounds diagonally from
Second East and Fifth South streets.
turned and stood for a full quarter
Of a minute watching Fifth South
street. No one ran from the direction
of the sound. I am positive of this.
The street was pretty bright and in
any event I should have heard had
anyone been running"
Having seen nothing to cause him
further alarm, Mr.. Sonnedecker con-
tinued up town and knew nothing of
the murder until he read the morning
papers. He then notified Sergeant
Richard L. Eddington OF what he had
heard Sonnedecker's testimony fixes
almost to the minute the exact time
at which the shot which ended Mr..
Sheets life was fired.
Tell of Blood and Gun.
Other important witnesses were De-
tective George Raleigh. who was the
first to give testimony in the afternoon.
and Lamar Nelson, the 12-year-old son
OF State Superintendent of Schools A.
c. Nelson. Mr.. Raleigh told of how
the blood stains had been traced, while
young Nelson told the court and iu-
rors of finding Sheets revolver a short
distance from where the body had
fallen.
Two small bottles containing drops
of blood found in the snow in blocks
adjoining the scene of the murder were
perhaps the most interesting exhibit
offered. County Attorney Farley p.
Christensen at once had the samples
taken TO the Office of City Chemist Her
man Harms, together with a small
piece of bone evidently of an animal
nature, for a superficial examination.
Sergeant John HempeI took the blood
and bone fragment to Mr. Harms, re-
turning in about an hour with the re-
port that nothing definite could be
said OF the piece of bone.' and "the
blood is over twenty-four hours old,
probably forty-eight. and might be
either from man or dog. but not from a
bird"
The latter statement pertaining TO "a
bird" was made because one of the
theories to account for the blood stains
found along the street and leading up
TO the residence of George Powell was
that a dog might have been carrying
the neck of one of the turkeys which
had been killed in the vicinity a few
days before the tragedy.
Blood From Dog.
Mr.. Raleigh said that on Sixth South
street between Sixth and Seventh East
blood traces had been found, which, in
his estimation. came from some wound
on a dogs leg an inch or two above the
foot. This particular trail led east.
1t was noted that the blood followed
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