The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-17
MURRAY Scene
OF DESPERATE
PISTOL BATTLE
Twenty Shots Exchanged Be-
tween Daring CraCkSmen
and Merry Officers.
THREE CROOKS ATTEMPT
TO ROB POSTOFFICE SAFE
ONE is CAPTURED AFTER EMP
TYING HIS REVOLVER AT MAR
SHALS-oTHERS AT LARGE.

After a pitched battle between post
Office safe-crackers and deputy mar
shaIs in State street, Murray. at 1890
o'clock this morning, one of the rob-
bers was captured and locked in the
Murray Jail. The mans two compan-
ions escaped. The safe-cracker. when
seized by Deputy Marshals Sam Whit
tie and William Caldwell, held in his
hand a .3S-calibre Colts revolver He
had emptied the weapon in the run
ming fight with his pursuers. He re-
fused to give his name, but was recog
nized by Mike Gallagher as Frank
Ferry, a man who formerly lived at
Butte, Mont. and at Bingham juno
ton.
1t is believed that Ferry and his
companions were the men who broke
open the safes at the Rowe & Kelly
clothing store and at the j. NJ. Marriott
market here. Their method of working
was similar to that of the Salt Lake
cTacksmeT1
Attempt to Force Safe.
The robbers had attempted 20 force
open the safe in the Murray postoffice
| Deputy Marshals Whittle and Caldwell
were passing the postoffice and saw a
man run to the rear of the building.
in6N lOllOWeu, DOl the man QlSdp-
peared among the numerous outbuild-
! ings. While Caldwell remained back of
the postoffice, Whittle went to the
/ front. Just as he reached State street
! he saw two men run from the front
door of the pOstOffice. When they saw
the deputy marshal both opened fire
upon him. He returned the fire. He
was quickly joined by Caldwell.
James Cahoon, brother of Postmaster
D. F. CahoOn, and proprietor of the
Murray Exchange saloon, heard the
uprOar in the street and ran from his
place, but as he did not have revolv-
chase of the robbers.
Shoot on the Run.
Shooting as they ran, the men
crossed Safe street and fled westward,
parting a little way past the street.
/ Seeing that one of the fugitiVes was
running toward the Murray school
/ house, Whittle and Caldwell separated.
going to different sides of the school
building In that way they cornered
one of the robbers. As his revolver
! forced to surrender. The other man,
/ like the one who ran westward, es-
capped.
! In the chase, Deputy Marshal Whit
/ tie emptied his revolver. and Caldwell
/ fired two shots. About twenty shots
were fired in the battle
Break Off Combination.
The robbers apparently climbed
through a window on the south side of
/ the pOstoffice. They then opened door
on that side of the building and the
| front door. They used a hammer,
weighing about sixteen pounds, in
| breaking off the knob of the combina-
/ ton. Then they were interrupted in
! their work
In the pockets of the captured robber
were six pieces of fuse, each about a
/ foot long, and each with a cap at
! tached. They were wrapped in cotton.
No nitro-glycerin was found in the
mans possession, and no empty bottles
were found upon the floor of the post
office. AS the deputy marshals were
uncertain whether the safe-crackers
who escaped had carried off the explo-
sive or had poured il into the opening
made by breaking off the knob Of the
combination, it was decided not to
touch the safe until experts from Salt
Lake made an examination.
Again Leave Hammer.
When the robbers fed, they left the
| hammer they used upon the floor of
the postOffice. They must have stolen
the hammer somewhere and. On reach
ing the Murray postofice, found that
its handle was too long for them &c
use it conveniently in their work They
therefore cut off part of the handle be-
fore attacking the safe.
| Hammers were found at the Rowe x
Kelly clothing store and at the Mar
riott meat market after the Salt Lake
safe-crackings.
| lnEall NRTtInt nlIllnoII