The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-21
UPROAR CAUSED
BY The ACCIDENT
Witness Before Springfield
Grand Jury Fatally Wound
ed by His Companions.
FALSE STORY FIRST TOLD
EXTRA PRECAUTIONS ON AC-
COUNT OF EXCITEMENT.

was infiamed tonight by report that
Rolla Keyes, a 17-year-old boy, who
testified before the special jury when
that body indicted George Richardson
for an alleged assault upon Mrs. Mabel
Hallam. had been shot by friends of the
accused negro. Before the rumor had
spread far. however. it was learned that
the shooting was accidental. the wound
having been inflicted by a bullet from a
revolver belonging to a companion of
Reyes. The boy is so seriously injured
that he may not recover.
Boys Were Afraid.
According TO the story first told by
Reyes companions. Harold McLaugh-
lin. IA years old. and Chester Brown. 16
years old. the bullet struck Reyes while
he was fishing i'm the Sangamon river
near the city waterworks, three miles
northeast of here. They asserted that
they had left him for a few moments,
and that when they returned they
found him wounded.
This was the version which was
posted on the newspaper bulletin boards
about the city. Instantly crowds began
NO collect, and the excitement was in
Screased when the police ordered the re
moval of the notices. The act was in
terpreted as an attempt on the part of
the authorities to conceal the true facts
so as to minimize the possibility of a
renewal of the local race war.
When the fresh bulletins appeared,
however. and the true story of the af-
fair became known the excitement
gradually subsidized.
Confessed the Truth.
Parental influence caused McLaugh-
lin and Brown to confess the facts. The
formers father found the pistol. with
the only loaded chamber discharged, in
the buggy i'm which the boys had driven
TO the waterworks. When confronted
with this evidence. the son admitted
that he was holding the revolver when
II was discharged. He repeated this to
an Associated Press correspondent to-
night. He could not explain how the
revolver was discharged, and said that
the boys concocted the first story be-
cause they were frightened by the ac-
cident.
Reyes stood by his companions after
they had brought him To the hospital
here. and told DIR. s. f. Munson, who
attended him. the version agreed upon
during the drive back to town. The
physician found that the bullet had
pierced Keyes' breast and ranged up
Nard into the upper lung.
Extra Precautions.
Because of the excitement caused by
the first reports of the accident, extra
precautions We're taken by Colonel Mo-
rarity and Colonel Forman. in COM
mand of the two military sections of
the city. to prevent the gathering of
crowds. The members of the patrols
were also instructed to spread the true
version OF the accident and to arrest
any persons discovered counseling vio-
lence TO negroes.
The occurrence caused fresh fears in
the BLACK belt" despite the attempts
OF the officials to quiet the town.
The arsenal was crowded with refu-
gees again and there was also large
pumber of negroes who slept under the
sfrotection of a guard from the Seventh
regiment at Camp Lincoln.
Military Control Ended.
Final REIMBURSEMENT of the military
control of this city will take place to-
morrow as the result Of a conference
between Governor Deneen and General
Young today. The First regiment will
be sent TO Chicago. and the remaining
regiment, The Seventh infantry, will be
held here in reserve I'm case the sher-
IFS force and police are unable to pre-
serve the peace which the troops have
established.
General Young issued n statement
praising the troops for their conduct and
bearing. called attention to the fact that
for three days and nights no serious dis
orders have occurred, and placing the re-
sponsibility OF maintaining this condition
upon the civil authorities
Recognized the Leaders.
II. L. Lopez. whose restaurant was
wrecked last Friday night. returned to
the city last night prepared to testify
before the grand jury. He stated his tes-
timony to the grand jury VIII require the
indictments of several persons whom he
recognized as leaders of the mob which
destroyed his restaurant.
Get INTO the Swi-n ~ S7ltair