The Morning examiner. [volume] (Ogden, Utah) 1904-1910, 1909-01-31
7 Hey TOLD
RANGE
STORY
COUNTY AND CITY OFFICIALS
MAKE INVESTIGATION.
John Gale and Wife Of Uintah Claimed
HartWell to Be Murderer OF
Seymour Clark.


County and city officials arc still on
the alert for tho Identification and cap
true OF the murderer of the late dep
uty sheriff, Seymour l.. Clark, and dur
Ing the past two weeks certain tang
ibe facts, if sufficiently corroborated,
have bcen given out to warrant the
arrest of the guilty party. The fclue'
has been followed with alacrtty by inc
| officials and at times they were much
encouraged In the pursuit. even TO tho
| point Of preferinG charges and making
| arrests, but a careful and thoroughly
| scrutinizing investigation has DIS
| closed the fact that the "clue" was
based upon misleading representations
and the officers are as much in the
| dark today regarding the atrocious
crime as when 1t was committed.
A week ago yesterday, John Gale OF
| Uintah, told q representative of this
paper a story that fully disclosed the
identity Of the murderer OF Deputy
Sheriff Clark, and ut the time. he stat
ed that he had advised the officers OF
the facts, but that they (the olhcers)
| had not credited his statements. The
! story he told branded James Hartwell,
who was found in an unconscious con-
diton near Roy, few days after the
killing of Clark, as the murderer. In
his story he stated that he met Hart
well at his, Gales home, in the month
OF October, 1908, when Hartwell asked
| for something TO eat and offered In
payment therefor, breaStpin; TINS
occurred only few days after burg
! larv on lower Twenty-tlfth street IN
| Ogden, had been reported. Hartwell
gave his full name to Mrs. Gale and at
the time questioned her as to the force
OF officers that were in the little
town. When advised that there were
no officers there except Justice OF
the peace and a constable. he said:
| Il guess a fellow could turn TRICK
here and not be caught"
| Mr.. Gale stated that he afterwards
met Hartwell in disguise near Uintah;
he was wearing a red wig, but removed
IL when he saw that he (Gale) recog-
Dized him, and passed the matter OF
in jocular way. Mr. Gale stated
that the next time he saw Hartwell
was on the night of December 27, the
night of the Clark tragedy. He said
that Hartwell made arrangements
with him TO haul load of shoes from
Ulntah to a point up the canyon and
that 1t was understood that he (Gale)
was to keep mum" AS Gale told the
story. ''Hartwell boarded freight
train that night at about o'clock for
the east" The description he gave. OF
Hartwell was that on that day he wore
| - Iurt nn1a
a can and light colored pair OF pants,
he was about feet 8 inches in height
light complexion, and a Roman nose.
This description quite completely an
swered that given by Deputy Sheriff
Murphy of the man who Killed Clark,
MI Gale stated further that Hartwell
few days before the murder. purchas-
ed a Browning automatic revolver
from a man by the name Of Dye, at
Echo-it is believed that Clark was
shot by a Browning gun of IS caliore,
and that Kendall. who took the night
operator to the Uintah station that
night, gave the same description Of
the man seen standing at the pile OF
shoe boxes near the wagon road.
close to the railroad track. where
Clark was killed The italian and his
wife. who are supposed to have met
the fleeing murderer, gave practically
the same description OF the man. Mr.
Gale further stated that he and his
wife met Hartwell In Ogden the day
after the murder and that he (Hart-
welD recognized them and that few
days after when Hartwcll was lying in
an unconscious condition at the Og.
den hospital he (Gale) and his wife)
visited the place and recognized Hart
well as the man he had previously
met
This story being told 10 the officers
by Gale. and they from the beginning
being inclined 10 discredit it. they
proceeded to make a thorough inyeS
tigation. Mr. Gale and his wife We're
closely questioned regarding the iden-
tity they gave OF Hartwell as the muir
derer a number of times by the Off
GERS, assisted by shrewd detectives.
Mr.. Gale and his wife were given Il
most scathing examination, until they
finally broke down and acknowledge
ed that what they had said regarding
Hartwell was a fabrication. pure and
simple, concocted for the purpose of
getting the reward offered by the gov
ernor Of the state and the railroad
company. The last examination of
Mr.. Gales statements regarding the
affair was concluded yesterday at the
police station by Detective Hart and
Officers Robert Burk and Robert
Chambers.
The officers state that they nre
fully convinced that the story told by
Mr.. Gale and his wife is without found
alton and they further say that the
investigation along the line given by
Gale will not be continued,
1t will be remembered that James
Hartwell was found near Roy a few
days after the murder of Deputy Shcr-
iff Clark in an unconscious condition,
occasioned by injuries received in an
, unaccountable way. His skull was
fractured and it was thought In the
beginning that he could not possibly
survive the injury. He was taken TO
the hospital and under skilled medical
treatment was finally restored TO con.
sciousness and practically cured of his
injuries He. however, showed signs
, of insanity, and was examined before
a medical board and Judge Howell as
10 his mental condition. He was adj
Judged insane and was committed 10
| Al, oil inl -. l..