The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-11
SH0CkLEY TRIAL
STARTS TODAY
Man Who Killed Two Street Car Men
Gets Another Chance.
WILL BE A HARD FIGHT
CRIME RECALLED BY REoRENiNG
OF THE CASE.

James Mcpherson Shockley, slayer of
Amasa Gleason and Thomas Brighton.
two street car men, on January g. 1904,
will today be placed on trial for his life
| for the second time. The examination
of jurors to try the case will begin at
10 o'clock this morning in Judge
George G. Armstrong; court. Four
hundred jurors have been summoned to
appear during the week and they viii
show up in attachments of 100 per day,
beginning this morning, until a jury
is secured or the venire is exhausted.
Shockley was. tried before Judge c.
W. Morse and jury and was convicted
of murder in the first degree in April
last year He was sentenced to be
executed. The prosecution was con-
Quoted by Benner X. Smith, who was
forced to begin the case with but little
preparation. Dennis Q. Eichnor, dis
trict attorney at the time the trial
began, died just after the jury had been
empaneled. Governor Heber NJ. Wells
appointed Mr.. Smith to succeed Mr.
EichnOr as district attorney and the
case proceeded, resulting in a con-
viction.
Shockley was defended by II. A.
Smith, who carried the case to the
supreme court. In March OF the pres
ent year the supreme court reversed
the case and remanded il for d new
trial The error alleged consisted of
questions put TO ShOckley on cross eX-
animation and bearing on other street
car holdups in which he was said 10
have been implicated.
The crime for which Shockley is
about TO be tried the second time was
one of the most sensational in Salt
Lakes criminal history for many
years. IL took place al the end of the
| First South street car line near the
university about Has o'clock on the
evening of January 6. 1904. The two
car men We're inside their car waiting
for the time to start on the return trip.
when a masked man suddenly entered,
presented a revolver and demanded
! their money. The men resisted. Glea-
son produced a revolver, which it was
subsequently learned, could not be fired
During the struggle inside the car,
ShOckley shot both men. Gleason died
almost Immediately. Brighton was
| taken TO the Holy Cross hospital where
| he died the following evening. Both
men left widows and several children.
Shockley escaped at the time and
might never have been captured but
| for information supplied TO the police
! by his room mate. Percy r. PrOthero.
| Prothero frightened by the deed,
! placed the officers in possession of in
| formation which made il almost certain
! that ShOckley had committed the crime.
| ShOckley and ProtherO both were taken
! into custody and removed TO the police
| station. Alarmed by the gathering OF
| a threatening crowd of street car men
and others, the police removed Shock
| ley to the penitentiary. They got him
/ from the Jail and to a carriage by
| clothing him in a policemans uniform.
| Al the penitentiary a few days later,
1 Shockley made a full confession. The
| case was made more interesting by
! trouble over the rewards. The rewards
| amounted to 81 .000 Police officers and
/ ProtheTo signed an agreement to turn
over to the widows and orphans of the
murdered men the full amount of the
! rewards. Later PrOtherO, who was
/ kept at the penitentiary for some days.
made an effort to claim his share of the
reward, but the public feeling that was
aroused by his action resulted in the
| abandonment of the attempt and the
money went to the women and chill
! dren.
| Prothero will arrive from Twin Falls,
| Ida, today TO testify in the case.