Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-08
Tried 10 Take Revolver from Bar
tender i'll Playful Manner When
Weapon Is Discharged.

Playfuiiy grabbing a IS caliber re-
.volver which was held in the hands of
Jim Riley, a bartender at the Eagle
Gate saloon, 23 Commercial street at
$3.50 this morning, j. S. N. Hempel,
better known as Jake" was shot
through the left breast He is now at
st. Marks hospital in a precarious con-
4dition, and in all probability, will not
survive. The wound is believed by Dr..
Samuel G. Paul to be fatal. The man
who held the gun, James Riley, a man
named Miller and f. J. Phelps, an
alleged bad man are being held by
the police pending a thorough inves-
LEGATION into the affair.
The wounded man, the bartender,
Phelps, Miller and other eye witnesses
to the affair declare the shooting was
accidental. Immediately after the
shooting Hempel was taken to The
emergency hospital and DR.. Paul sum
moned. The latter found that the bull
let had struck Hempel in the right
breast and Went through the body,
penetrating the lung, liver and going
through one of the large intestines. The
latter wound is regarded as a fatal
one.
The victim of the accident is a broth
er of Lieut. of Police, John Hempel.
nightwatchnan on east South Temple
street. This morning he went to the
Eagle Gate saloon and was drinking
moderately with some friends. He was
standing at the bar when Phelps, the
alleged bad man, walked up, leaned
over the bar and jokingly seized Riley
the bartender and tried to take n
plug of tobacco from him.
RILEY LEVELS REVOLVER.
Riley, according to the story OF eye
witnesses, picked UP a revolver lying
on the mixing board and lereled it at
Phelps.
Hempel then laughingly leaned over
the bar and seized the revolver. He
gave it a jerk and pulled the weapon
toward him. The bartender had his
finger en- the trigger and he next in
slant there was a loud report and
Hempei reeied backwards, staggered
down the room for distance of about
20 feet and fell mortally wounded.
He was quickly picked up and the
police department notified. The man
was hurried TO the emergency hospital
where he received every attention pos
sibie under the circumstances.
AT first he was reluctant to speak a
word about the affair, Lieut. Hempel
begged his brother to give him an ac-
county of the affair and the wounded
man asked that the room be cleared.
He then stated simply to the lieutenant
that the shooting was entirely acct
dental, and would say no more An
ambulance was called and Hempel MAS
taken to st. Marks hospital At last
reports his condition was most serious.
r. G. Wigert, barber who has u
shop in front of the saloon where the
shooting occurred. said:
II was standing at the bar with Jake
when Phelps walked MP and we all be-
gan joking with each other and the
bartender, Riley. Phelps leaned over
the bar and grabbed hold of Riley and
the latter drew the gun In q Joking
way. Then Henpel seized the gun
and / stepped aside Just as the shot
was fired. II was purely an accident
and we all felt terribly over the affair."
The same story was told by other
eye witnesses and their statements are
corroborated by the wounded man.
Hempcl has heen in Salt Lake City
for number of wears. He is married,
but his wife and three children are re-
siding at Alma, Wyoming. He married