Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-09-28
BRIGHAM.
STORY OF AWFUL DEPRAvITY.
How Young Woodland Plotted TO Have
Father and Step.Mothcr Killed.

Brigham city, B9Kclder Co.,. Sept. &C.
The tIial If the case OF tho State rs Hen.
~ Woodland and Edward Sofcnsen on
the charge u attempted murder is nov
being heard by Judge ". W. Maughau
In the district court sorcnsen today plead
guilty, turned states evidence and told
how be and Woodland plotted number
Of times % Kill both Mr. and Mrs Wood
land. young Woodlands father and step
mother.
The alleged attempt at murder for
which The young men are being Tried. W.
committed June ~ of this year. and oD
sept y SOrcnseu entered plea uf not
guilty To-day however, Do determined o.
turn states evidence and altered hi- mr. I
plea by declaring himself guilty Of tha
crime as charged. ] DTS WAS objected 90 uy
Judge Powers attorney Tor Woodland. bat
vas oveuulrd. Tho court set oct 1 as
the time for hNug sentence
j. -, call Of Brigham Is assisting +.
J. Hohon, district attorney. in prescott
ing the case, and the defendant Is being
represented hy Judge o. ". Powers and
II. H. Jones.
with Sorenscn's case disposed Of. that
against Henry WOodlaud was introduced
Soienscu WAS the first witness called by
the prosecution Both young men ara
about q years old.
Sorensen testified that on June h.
and Henry Woodland entered into plut
On KIN both Mr. and Mrs Woodland S0r-
cnscn was chosen 10 poison the two, ana
ON tho night ~ Sent. h. put a quantity
of poison in the coffee pot In the morn
Ing. however, Mrs Woodland noticed tn
foreign substance In the coffee pot and
threw IL out
Failing IN This instance the two Young
men got together according 10 the wit.
ness. on June ), Woodland told Sorcnsen
10 Kill the old folks with am axe that
nigr---tNhen dusk fen Sorcnscu went I'M
10 the house. he said. bent on killing the
two while asleep The plan was 10 set
the house aiirc after the double murder
thus erasing all marks of the crime But.
according 10 the witness Mr.. Woodland
was sleeplesS, and he was afraid 10 risk
II while the man was awake. And thus
the second plot failed.
The following day the two met and Dor
rowed a revolver from c. {. Clay, intend
ing to shoot the old people sorensen was
again chosen 10 do the work, but was
afraid when he found the two were
awake.
on June ll.they borrowed another gun,
from Ira Pettingill on the night If June
il the two went 10 the Woodland house
and Sorensen fred through the window az
the old man. The load lodged In the left
arm. The arm was later amputated and
Mr.. Woodland recovered.
Judge Powers cross-eNamined Soreusen,
but did not shake the story IN any Of its
material points, and brought out some
new facts which seemed 10 strengthen the
case Of the prosecution.
a miner named Caldwell was called and
testified that be had been working about
the place on the night Of the attempted
poisoning he said be had heard the two
Young men plotting 90 Bll the old people,
bur had not thought much about II
e. &. CLAY and Ira Pettingill were both
called. Each testified that be had loaned
a gun o. The two young men.
The l5-year-old daughter Of Mr. and
Mrs Woodland was called-a half sister
to Henry Woodland-and testified that she
had seen Henry reading novels about III
life OF Tracey and she thought TIE
daredevil escapHdes Of that notorious
outlaw had gotten into his system.
The ease was continued.