The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-02
LATER GLIMPSE
OF N. NJ. SHEETS
Seen in Saloon at 7:45, Less Than
an Hour Before His
Murder.
HOW MURDERER ESCAPED
POLICE CERTAIN HE RAN BACK
OF McALLISTER'S HOUSE.

Another glimpse into the moven sIts Of
Nephi M. Sheets on the night of the
murder was caught yesterday by the po-
lice authorities but it faded away with
out throwing any light on the mysterious
case.
D. E. Ferguson. an inspector in the
board of health office, reported to the
loon at Fourth South and State streets
at 7:45 p. m. Thursday night Sheets stood
at the cigar stand in the entrance. At
what time he went there or when he
left nobody knows J. w. Robson. the
bartender, did not notice him. and is
positive that Sheets did not drink there.
When I went into. the saloon" Mr..
Ferguson said, Mr.. Sheets stood at the
end of the cigar case looking out on the
street I did not know the man per-
sonally: but knew who he was. i had
Just left the joint building at 7:40 D. m
and started down town. I went into the
saloon and had drink. came out to
the entrance again and lighted my pipe
Sheets was still standing at the cigar
case. He had his elbow on the case and
the other hand was resting on his hip.
He did. not notice me and was appar-
emily waiting for somebody. I was not
in the saloon over five minutes and paid
no particular attention to him or the
other customers"
Mystery to the Police.
The police made attempts to corrobor-
T..
guson but none of the other customers
or Robson. the bartender, saw him. Mr..
Sheets was not drinking man and sell
dom frequented saloons What he was
doing there is more than can be an
swereo. So far as can be learned he had
no conversation with any person in the
saloon and at what time he left there
nobody knows
Thirty-five minutes before this Sheets
was seen on First South and Main
streets by William GALLAGHER, cook at
the Saddle Rock restaurant. He had
plenty of time to walk from First South
and Main streets to the Court saloon in
that period. but his movements from one
place to the other cannot be connected
Vain efforts were made to trace him
from the saloon to the scene of the muir
der but he dropped from sight and the
missing links in his movements cannot
be picked up.
Rumors Of all descriptions fIoated into
the police. station yesterday but upon in
vestigation it was found that they were
1t was reported that Lester
J. Haslem. who had spent the evening
within half block of where the tragedy
had seen the scuffle between
two men on the sidewalk and heard the
shot which ended Sheets life. This was
he source of numerous other rumors.
but none of them materialized.
How the Murderer Escaped.
Iohn Foote, Mrs. Mary Goodspeed and
D. II. Decker. who were within two
blocks of where the murder took place.
prove that the murderer must have es-
.aped through J. d. H McAfIfster's yard
These persons were in the Immediate
dcinity and heard the shot fired. but
Jaw nobody run away. From their re-
;pective positions 1t would have been al
most impossible for man to escape by
soing east on Fifth South. West on Fifth
south or to cross to the opposite side
# the street without being seen This
caves but one retreat for the murderer
nd that would be through the block
ust east of McAllister's house. An al