The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-06
HEATED BAT TIE
FOUGHT IN ROAD
Aged Man and Wife and Two
Women in Free-fOr-All
Fight.
ROCKS THE WEAPONS
USED BY ALL PARTIES
J. F. Wilcox, Aged 81, Veteran
of Civil War, in Serious
Condition.
Special to Tho Tribune

Special to Tho Tribune
FARMINGTON, Juno 5.-J, F. Wilcox,
a man S years OF agc Is lying at his
home near Pennington with q severe
scalp wound and n painful injury to his
left arm. and is in n serious condition.
Mrs Thomas Hughes. n neighbor, has a
bandage on her check and Mrs Wilcox
has a black eye, n scalp wound and sew
eral bruises on her face. This is tho re-
suit OF n fierce battle between Mrs
Hughes and Mrs Rasmus Lund one
side and Mr.. and Mrs. Wilcox on the
other. The fight occurred on Saturday.
but inasmuch as family quarrels are fire.
qucnt among these families. no particular
notice was taken of the afrair. When
Dr. Dixon reported today that j. F.
Wilcox. the veteran Grand Army man.
was suffering from severe wound or the
scalp and various other injuries. the of1l-
cials were aroused and the story became
common talk.
Battle on Highway.
While returning home Saturday after
noon. Mrs. Mary Hughes and J, F.
Wilcox were involved In q dispute as to
the right of the other to traverse the
road running past Mrs. Hughes's home.
Mr.. Wilcox insisted that Mrs. Hughes
had no legal right 90 travel over the
that the road was hers. Soon rocks were
flying In all directions, and when quiet
was restored 1t was found that Mr..
Wilcox had been struck in the head and
was bleeding coplously Mrs Hughes
came out OF the hight with a wound on
the cheek.
The two families have been at war for
the past sixteen years. and during that
time disputes have seldom been settled
by arbitration. A short time ago Mre
Rasmus Lund filed suit against Mi
passing on her ground. The case was
decided against the plaintiff, the court
maintaining that inasmuch as the road
had been used for public purposes, MI
Wilcox had the right to travel over said
road.
War of Words Opens.
AS before stated. Mrs. Hughes and her
daughter Mrs. Lund, were returning
from witnessing the road race and upon
reaching a point near Mrs. Hughes,s
home. they noticed Mr.. Wilcox and his
wife walking home on the same path
and within n few yards from them. Mr..
saying that the court had decreed the
road his. Mrs Hughes vigorously denied
this. and battle OF words ensued.
AS to what followed, no statements
agree. The Hughes family tell one story
and the Wilcox family another. Mrs.
Hughes says Wilcox picked up rock.
and In order to protect herself. she did
the same. On the other hand Wilcox
says Mrs. Hughes was the aggressor.
What Mrs. Hughes Says.
When seen by Tribune representative
today. Mrs Hughes told the story In part
as follows: My daughter and l were
returning from the road race, and upon
looking around we saw Mr.. and Mrs.
Wilcox following closely behind US. Mr.
Wilcox ordered us off the road. and. OF
course. we refused TO go. He picked up
u rock. and with curses on his lips said
he would see about that. ] then armed
myself with the same weapon, and told
him that he had better not begin fight.
After we had both dropped the rocks he
had picked up on the road, and my
daughter came TO my aid. Mrs. Wilcox
then came forward to protect her hus-
band
Daughter to Rescue.
Wilcox had me by the hair of the
head, and in order TO make him let go
my daughter hammered him on the wrist
with a rock When he did let go he
poked me In the face with a sharp stick.
Meanwhile Mrs Wilcox nnd armed her
but II struck her husband In the head.
He dropped TO the ground as II he had
been shot.
with a rock and gave her q blow in the
eve with her fist We then went home.
only a distance OF about three rods.
Wilcox, although bleeding copiously. fol-
lowed us to the door. still threaten
ing US with a rock he had picked up.
His three sons Francis. Glib and Rubc.
had then reached the spot, and ended the
fight by taking their father to the home
OF Charles Rice who lives near the
county road a distance of about four
blocks down the hill.
MI. Wilcox's Version.
Although Mr.. Wilcox had lost a great
deal OF blood. he walked with but little
assistance to Mr.. Riccs home. Being
a man of mature years, II is remarkable
that he could do such n thing, His voice
shaking with emotion. Mr. Wilcox gave
his version Of the affair as follows;
Those people have no right on that
road and / told them when we met
them down there. Mrs. Hughes picked up
a rock and was going TO strike me. and
| also got rock She threw a rock at
me- and II struck me on the side of my
head. That family has been a trouble
TO me ever since Thomas Hughes and I
bought this ground around here.
Farm In Two Names.
six years ago he and 1 bought $40
| stood that | owned half Two years later
| Hughes had a paralytic stroke, render
| ing him incompetent. He gave his
ground to Jonathan Hughes, a son of
| his Ever since then We have had a great
deal of trouble both with Mrs. Lund,
| who lives just below US. and with Mrs.
! Hughes The former is continually fight
! ing with us over something, sometimes
about the road and sometimes about the
Mrs Hughes lives farther away. OF no
| doubt We should have more trouble than
| ever OF course she sympathlzes with
Il n 49,