The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-22
FOUL MURDER Of
SOLDIER VETERAN
eyed Irving Heaslip Brutally
Done to Death by I'm
known Men.
OLD FRIEND IDENTIFIES
REMAINS AT THE M0RGUE
Deceased Was Well Known,
and Served HOnOrably
in Many Wars.

As far as the matter OF identity is
concerned, the mystery OF the city canal
murder has been quickly cleared away.
The dead man was Irving Heaslip. an
old soldier who, for the last eight
months had made his homo with his
friend. l.. J. Vincent. a mininG man, at
$50 East Fourth South street.
Heaslip was last at tho Vincent home
on Monday morning last and the manner
OF his Disappearance Is az ineIplicable
as are all his subsequent movements.
When he arose early in tho morning OF
Monday, tho Vincent family found him
IN excellent spirits, While the head or
the family was engaged In mendlng some
machinery connected with the electric
laundry in tho basement. tho old soldier
busted himself about tho kitchen. laugh
ing and joking with the daughter OF his
friend as he assisted her In cleansing
the breakfast dishes.
Went for Walk.
n little after Z o'clock he informed
Mr.. Vincent that he was going for a
short walk and that no would soon re-
turn to help with some work the two
had cut out for tho day. He left his
purse, watch and other personal belong
ing5 IN the house and strodo cheertly
away, certainly without thought of
impending danger. That Is the last the
Vlncents ever saw Of him alive.
Mr.. Vincent. who is a Shrewd. highly
Intelligent man. is positively without
theory of any kind as TO tho manner OF
his friends undolng. To him 1t Is un-
thinkable that tho old veteran should
plan n trip TO Sandy. or anywhere else.
without telling him oil about 1t. The
only possible surmise. therefore. open TO
him is that Heaslip was either muir
dered in this city. at some point not far
from his home, and carried OF TO the
point where his body was found In the
canal fifteen miles away, or that he was
overpowered and taken by force to the
lonely spot where he was done to death.
The most persistent Investigations fall
to discover any person outside OF the
Vincent family who saw the old soldier
leave his Fourth street homo on Monday
morning. Ho may have been seen, 1t is
true, by many persons, but no ono in the
ne!ghborhood took sufficient notice to re-
call having observed him as he started
on the walk that ended IN his death.
Was Handled Roughly.
Violence. and heavy violence at that.
It is certain, was employed In the enact
ment OF the tragedy. Heaslip, though
over so years OF age, was q powerful
man. one likely TO put up a strong fight
In defense of his life, II attacked. More
over, It Is z certainty that the attack. In
whatever form It came, was from tho
front. for all the wounds borne 'by the
corpse are upon his forehead. This fact
supports the theory. the most plausible
yet advanced. that he was inveigled into
tho country, oyerpowered. bound hand
and foot, thrown upon his back. knocked
on the forehead, weighted with stones
and rolled into the canal.
Though the finding OF tho bound and
bioated body OF the old soldier has been
the chief subject OF comment through
out the city for the past twenty-four
hours, only few persons have been
found bold enough to even mention the
possibility of suicide.
Nothing in Suicide Theory.
By practically everybody this theory
IS at once dismissed as too ridiculous TO
be for a moment entertained. 1t is
pointed out that no man on earth could
have inflicted upon himself the wounds
that Heaslip had and that 1t would have
taken at least two strong men to tie
the straps about his ankles and wrists
Into the hard knots that the recoverers
OF the body were unable to unite.
These knots had to be cut from the
limbs OF the dead man. 1t was to some
extent, unfortunate that the straps had
to be severed for, as The Tribune stated
In it's exclusive presentation Of all the
salient facts In the case Saturday morn
Ing, they, Will furnish q cluo not to be
despised by the officers In their hunt for
the murderer or murderers of tho old
man. These straps, which look very
much Ike the hold-backs of a light
buggy harness, were probably taken from
some place in tho neighborhood Of tho
spot whore tho murder took place It Is
not impossible that the man who took
them may have been seen In the vicin-
ity. Smaller things than q lenther strap
have led to the scaffold.
Had Excellent Record.
Irving Heaslip was a soldier Of no
mean record He served with distinction
II the Indian ware from rs to '7s. He
went through the Cuban and Philippine
campaigns and when the smoke of bat
tie had cleared away he was stationed
with the regular army at Fort Douglas,
this city. He was attached 10 the Adju-
tant's office whom. in February last, the
Twelfth and Twenty second batteries left
on their long march for Fort Russell
Wyo. he accompanied the batteries as
far as Evanston. on the Union Pacific.
acting IN the capacity OF a special as
slstant. Returning To Salt Lake, he lived
quietly with bis friends, the Vincents. on
monthly pension allowance OF s65
Saturday afternoon. under the direc
tSon OF County Physician Whitney. an
autopsy was performed on the remains
by Drs. Calderwood and Camp. The re-
suits Will be made known at the Inquest
which will be held today at 10 a m
Body Laid to Rest.
At o'clock Saturday afternoon the
body, accompanied by a detail Of old SOL
diers who had known tho dead veteran.
was taken to Mount Oliyet cemetery ard
lowered TO It's last resting place. Brief
services were held.
Heasilp leaves two sons his only
known relatives. Both are in California,
one OF them employed as q street car
conductor at Los Angeles.
4 representative Of the County Sher-
IFS Office is gathering such information
as he is able IN the vicinity o. Sandy,
and the local police are actively en-
gagged IN making Investigations at this