The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-18
He Says Reign of Terror Existed
Between Greek Factions at
Bingham Canyon.
BOUGHT PISTOL, HE SAYS,
TO PROTECT HIS LIFE
Testimony Is All in and Argu-
ments to Jury Begin This
Morning.

Steve Maerovich, on trial before Judge
George G, Armstrong, in the Third dis
trict court. for the murder of Mike
Popich at Bingham July II last, pic.
tured reign of terror among the Greek
Catholic faction Of Austrians at Bing-
ham, to which he belongs, in his testi-
mony Tuesday. The state was unable
to shake Maerovich S testimony on
cross-examination and the accused man
made a good witness for himself.
Fearing that Popich would carry out
his threats to kill him, the witness said
that, following Popich's assault upon
him with brass knucks June IA, almost
a month before the shooting, he bought
revolver from the Highland Boy
store to protect himself, but he carried
it only when he went by Popich
boarding place, Mike Bogdan's cabin, to
the company store. He only went to
the store three times after he bought
the gun for fear Of meeting Poplch, he
said
Although be was in mortal fear of
the gun 20 work with him, but left 1t
in his bedroom. Then fearing Popich
or some cf his friends and co-religion-
lists would kill him, he always crept IN
among the Irish and Fins for protec-
ton from an assassin's hand. This
dread was not relieved any by word
carried to him that Popich and two OF
his friends, Pete Belich and John Iaro-
ran. had vowed to end his life, Every
time he went after candles at the store
house some Of Popich's faction were
there and always said, "Thcre is the
ghost. He can always get work but
we can w., The term ghost it was
explained, meant in English that Maero-
vich was marked man, Just as good as
dead. They also cursed him, his God
and everything he believed in, he said.
The reason he had included his board
crs with himself and wife when he
warned Popich away from the house the
day Of the shooting was that PopIch,
sometime before, had got on rampage
and caused every one Of his dodgers to
leave him, Maerovich said.
Forbes Passed 1t Up.
The last time he saw Popich between
the assault with brass knucks and the
shooting was June 10, Maerovich said,
Prior to that date. June II, after his APP
pcaIs to Deputy Sheriff Forbes for pro
lection had been allowed to go nnheed-
ed, following the entrcaties of his wife
to move away from Bingham, he
planned to send Mrs, Maeroyich TO salt
Lake City TO see If he could get pro-
lection from officers here.
Maerovich denied at the morning Ses
sion that either of the revo]vers intro
duced in evidence rs the ones with
which he had killed Popich, belong to
| him He never saw either weapon be-
h.. EAl
which he shot Popich he bought from
| the Highland Boy store he said, and it
was larger than either of the exhibits.
| His weapon was hammerless, 3S cali
bcr. black gun, he said, of what make
ho did not know.
Coming down to the shooting again,
Maerovjch said that he and Popich fred
simultaneously; He docs not know
whether Popich fred more than once.
| When Popich fred the first shot he
ducked his head and heard tho bullet
90 whiazing past over him. After he
| had cmptied his revolver he went into
| the house and reloaded it.
AT the time of the shooting he was
smoking q cigar that Joe Melch,
| Forbes partner in tho saloon business,
| had given him, when he paid the beer
after the shooting and then gave him
self up to Mike kapey, the mine super
| intendcnt.
Dramatic Scene.
On tho way to the Jail, after Forbes
| had arrested him and four others, a
! man named Stetich struck him over tho
| head with q dinner pail, Maeroricb tes-
| titled Stetich was brought in on cross
examination and identified by Macro-
| vich. When Maerovicb assumed the
pnrt of the dead man and showed by
| lying down upon the court room floor
bow he fell there was small sensation.
| Maerovich lay on his left side with bis
| head TO the north, his lott hand,
crunpled underneath him. grasping q
dinner pail and his right hand extend
ing high into the air with revolver in
it,, rs Popich fell, according to Micro
vich IS story,
|. il WAS at this stage that the state
| tried TO impeach Maerovlch s testimony
! by endcavoring TO show that when he
was presented at the Bingham Jail, after
| being arrested, he told Policeman a. Il.
| Heaston that Popich had pulled his gun
when he came up, and that he had run
back into tho house, got his revolver
and come out and shot Popich, and that
he had afterwards contradlcted this by
telling lcaston, when Informed that
Popich IS gun was empty, that Popirh
didn L shoot at him, but that he shot
Popich when Popich reached to his
pocket to draw his revolver.
Macrovicb dcufed that he had said
anything at The jail except that he had
asked the bookkcep"r and tho engineer
10 sec that his house WAS not burned
| down, and Heaston, put on the stand bY
the state, admitted on cross -eXamina-
ton, that he had placed his own iutcr-