The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-10-19
L.E. DriskeII, the Highwayman Who Held
Up Young Nebeker, Says He
Fired the Fatal Shot.
SPLENDID DETECTIVE WORK or
TIE LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT
Driskel Takes Entire Blame for the Shooting
Upon Himself; Details of Killing of
Officer Riley.


his grandfather. James Driskell at
/ Newman. Cal. He SAYS he was married
J ~ san Francisco in the fall of 1906
| to y widow named Mrs. Lola Jones, who
| had six ycar-old child, but that no
children were born to him and mis- wife.
! The wife died in Fresno last May and
| since then, DrSkcll SAYS. he has been
roaming about California, partially
working ri his trade rs bushclmln.
Prior so coming TO Salt Lake a few
DAYS before tho killing of Riley nc was
! employed by the Telluride Power com
/ pany at tho foot of Ogden canyon, un-
! der General Foreman Bishop. He says
| the force intended 10 move 10 Logan
or somewhere up that way, and as he
roomlng house, he came down here 10
| get that, and on returning 10 Ogden
he found that the force had gone north.
lie then returned 10 Salt Lake on Sun.
day, October :, staying at the Oaks and
paying his room rent IN advance. His
namc is on the register
Was Out Of Money,
On the evening of the jth instant,
when hc Joined the negro with the pur.
POSE of holding some one up. be said
he was out of funds He doeSn Z cX-
PLAIN what reason Officer Riley gave
Tor striking him IN the mouth when he
says that he carried the Young man 3
oyorcoat which he had stolen on ms left
arm rs he walked north on State street
with Riley holding him by tho right
arm. lie says that in stepping off the
curbing at thc alley in front of the
Orphcum thcatcr. he unintcntiunally
pulled loose from Riley and that Riley
put his hand in his oyercoat pocket
with the remark: 81 III get YOU or
Il II catch you, - or something of that
kind, which DriskcIl saws he inter.
preted TO mean that the officer was go
ing To beat him over the head with
his gun,
Driskcl explains that he reached for
his pistol which was under the waist
band Of his trousers, whipped 1t out
quickly, pressed IL TO the officer s side
aud reached with his left arm at the
officer 5 night Ia prevent him from
drawing, and fired instantly. lie SAYS
that Riley did not fall aud he stepped
back littlc and fired the second shot,
though he does not remember what
part OF the body he aimed at He saws
he dropped the oycrcoat and ran cast
through the alley. losing his hat rs he
climbed the net wire fence.
DrlSkcll tells his story as caudidly rs
II he were not reciting the details of
Il shocking crime. He is an athletic
young man Of about $50 pounds. He
says he has never had any trouble eX-
ccpt that be served ten days in Los
Angeles last year for gambling, aud
thirty days in Fresno for drunkenness.
lie claimS he is not an incorporate man
and has been drunk but two or three
times in his life He shows no evi.
deucc Of dissipation, and saws that he
WAS perfectly sober on the night OF the
tragedy, not having taken a drink.
Was Not Coerccd.
When asked by a representative of
Tho Tribune whether or not no had been
forced into making confession by
thrgats of violence or any manner of
intimidation. he said he certainly had
not, adding that. outside of HAVING been
confined IN the prison. he had been
treated kindly. lie said that had force
been Offered he was the kind of "A per
son who would resist such thing for
the rest of has life. He said he simply
knew he was up against it, and that
the proper thing for him 10 do would be
90 admit his guilt He claims hc had
DO accomplicc. and that not even thc
negro knew ANYTHING about the killing.
Though making no positive statement
ON the subject, DrisEcll intimatcd that
iu making the confession he expected
10 save his life.
Many details of the tragedy were de.
vclopcd in the course of the cxamina-
ton that, the police say, completely
bear out all the known circumstances
of the crime.
The Salt Lake police officials have
.ahorcd under the greatest difficulty in
this casca There WAS most mcarcr
descriptions Of the officers murdcrcr.
although hundreds of persons were on
the street at the timc of the tragedy.
And iu assembling the small facts and
sitting the many rumors. the Officers
rvc been handicapped in so many way.
that unbiased persons will have TO ad
NIT that the clearing up Of this murder
mystery is ~ clever piece Of detective
worl. as has ever been seen In the
criminal annals OF Salt Lake