The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-29
PRELIMINARY Of
AUSTRIAN BEGINS
Bullet Extracted From Twelfth
Ncrtebrae Is Placed in
Evidence.
ALLEGED MURDERER'S
WIFE TAKES THE STAND
Breathes Out Story of Faithless-
ness That Figured in
Shooting.

rested IN the preliminary hearing be-
fore Judge Diehl of Stanisa Mesich, the
! Herman Obradovitch, fellow country
man, In this city on the evening Of July
| 10.
Only six witnesses were examined by
the State, as follows; Matt Gobac
| proprietor of the bunk house at which
| the murder occurred; Matt Uurtau,
| Nick Gravac, County Physician William
and George M. Doucbe. map of the
scene of the crime used in the prelim-
mary was drawn By John D. II. Nc
Alllster, County Surveyor.
The testimony introduced by the
State went to show that Obradovitch
followed Mesicb to the bunk house,
where the killing was committed, and
approached the latter while he was in
conversation with Gobas. Mesich, see
ing Obradovitch coming, called to him,
using an Austrian name that, in Eng
lish, has much the same meaning as
burglar or robber. The interpreter said
it was bad name Obredovitch came
up close to Mesich, who drew a gun,
and then started TO run away. In run
ming he struck the corner of the bunk
house with his body and was brought
10 sudden stop. About the time that
happened Mesich fired his first shot,
which took effect in Obradovitch s
shoulder, from the rear, the States
faced towrad Mesich, who fired three
more shots into him. Two bullets bu
ried themselves in the bunk house.
DIR. Calderwood S testimony showed
that there were six wounds on Obrsdo
witch s body. Four of the wounds were
made by two bullets, the leaden mis-
siles each inflicting wound where they
out. One of the bullets entered the
front of the body about the waist line
and buried itself in the twelfth lumbar
vertebrae. The County Physiclan ex-
tracted 1t from the vertebrae at the
post mortem and it was exhibited in
the preliminary. Friday. Anotuer bLl-
let buried itself in the body and was
not found. In all, six shots were fred
at Obradovitch by Mesich.
Mesichs Wife on Stand
The defense placed Mesich S wife on
the stand as its first witness. She is
a sweet-faced woman, with dark i,air |
and eyes Of the same color, and IS de- !
cidedly good looking. She gave ber |
age as % years, but looks TO pc about !
80. After a short examination of her
the defense asked that court adjourn |
until this morning. One of the de- |
accused, was not present Friday after |
noon and the defense said that much |
time can be saved by adjournment an
til this morning, when he will be |
brought in from Garfield to testify.
There was an air of tragedy about |
the courtroom Friday. When the wo
man was brought into the room Fri
day morning, few minutes after Ne
sich had been brought IN, she east |
longing glances at her husband but he |
ignored her then and throughout the |
rest Of the day, not so much as delgn-
ing TO cast look IN her direction,
Frequently throughout the day the wo.
man showed by little things in her ac-
-tIons that she is deslrous of making up |
with her husband, but he appears to |
have steeled himself against her and |
is holding entirely aloof from her ad-
vances. The two sat near each other |
for hours, but there was no sign of /
recognition from the stern Austrian,
Following the shooting, the officers took |
charge of the woman and she has been |
held in the city Jail as witness ever |
since,
On the stand the woman, in a low, |
soft tone of voice, breathed out the |
story of her faithlessness, She told of |
Obradoyitch S visits TO Garfield and of |
their subsequent elopemont to Ely, |
New. together, taking with them some !
thing like $4O0 of Mesich s money. Six |
days after Obradovitch was run out of /
Ely she returned TO this place, She i
said she first met Obradovitch on the |
streets of Salt Lake, She and her hus- |
band were married in the old country !
about four years ago. About two |
years ago they came to this country; !
Before elopiuG TO Ely she snid she and !
Mesich went TO Ogden. She told of !
having 5000, supposedly her husband g, |
that Obradovitch demanded of her. but |
she refused to turn it over to him until |
eight days later, when his demands be.
came so insisteut that she could not |
well refuse them.
Stand OF Defense.
The defense will be that the murder
was 1ustIfiable homicide under the |
statute that justiies n homicide IN the !
heat of passion caused by the attempt /
Of the victim TO de6le the wife or any /
other female relative or dependent of /
the accused, or when the dejement act
uallv has been committed. IL was SAID |
at the time of the shooting that Nc
sich's wife had tired OF Obradovitch |
and was going to rcturn TO Mes,ch.
The County Attorneys office is rep
resented bv Assistant County Attor-
news Job r. Lyon and David NJ. HaiGh.
Soren X Christensen and +. j. DAILY |
arc representing the defense, The de-
fensc has several witnesses subPonaed
and il may be that the preliminary will
not be completed today.
circumstance of the preliminary IS !
in the fact that Matt Rebich. the Aus .
trian interpreter for the State, himself .
is in durancc IN the county lall charged |
with 6rst-dcgree murder, aS is Meslcb.
Rcbich is being held in connection
with the murder from ambush of
Stanislaus KovaIlis. a Greek, III riot
AT the United States smeltcr Mt Blug-
which several Austrians took part, Rc'
,:.L j,ao hecn in this country ever