The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-03-12
BURNS AN ALL
ROUND BAD
MAN
KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN IMPLl
GATED IN VARIOUS GRIMES.
Complaint Filed Against James Pres
ton In Ogden Municipal Court
Yesterday Afternoon.


Immediately after IL o'clock. Deputy
Sheriff Seymour L. Clark. OF Weber
county. was shot down in cold blood.
by an unknown hand at Uintah. In
Weber canyon, Because OF the foul
crime. the people OF Ogden CITY, Web
er county, and the entire state were
thrown into deep grief and conSterna-
tlon. Tho man who did the killing was
Enthusiastically a man OF desperate
character who had that night
burglarized a box car OF the Union Pa
ciflc railroad and stolen therefrom six
boxes OF shoes. which he had piled
alongside the roadway, preparatory to
hauling them away to point of safety
at which point they might be disposed
of for pecuniary advantage.
For a number OF months the officers
of the law have been searching dill
gently for the man who Is supposed
to have committed the crime. but up
to the present time that man has not
been apprehended. For a number OF
weeks IL seemed almost impossible TO
gain any clue whatever as to the iden-
tity of the guilty party; but, one step
after another was taken in the search.
until 1t finally developed that one
James Preston was implicated In the
burglary of the car Of shoes. This In
formation was disclosed through a
statement alleged TO have been made
by Preston's wife, that her husband
had confessed to her that he was
party to the burglary. but that be had
nothing TO do with the killing OF the
officer. Preston stating that a man
giving the name OF Burns was the one
who shot Deputy Sheriff Clark. Pres
ton was placed under arrest and has
been held by the officers since that
time, first being confined In the Jail
at Salt Lake. but now in the Weber
county jail.
Burns, who is an eX-oonvict from
the state of California, and whose
photograph was published in this pa
per short time ago. at the same time
giving a detailed account of PrcSton's
confession and the escape from the
scene of the murder to Reno, New,
is the man wanted for the awful crime
and there is little question but that
he will ultimately be apprehended
and brought to Ogden for trial HIS
record Is a bad one. He served a
term in the California penitentlary at
San Quentin for burglary. and since
that time he has been known to have
been concerned in criminal opera
tions other than the burglary referred
to at Uintah and the killing OF Officer
Clark.
Shortly after his release from the
penitentiary in California. he was run
out of Shafter, Nevada. as an all
round bad man and between that time
and the killing of Clark. he has been
known to have been connected with
burglaries and hold-ups OF various
kinds. There is but little question
that Burns is under shelter at some
point west of ogden. Immediately al
ter the murder OF Clark, he made his
way along the railroad track for a
considerable distance to his team,
which he had tied TO bush and with
the team made his escape into Davis
county, and from there to Salt Lake
City, where he met his confederate,
Preston, whom he told OF the muir
der. 1t Is now known that there was
a third party implicated in the burg
| larry and murder, a mulatto, whose
name Is not known
James Preston was transferred from
| the Salt Lake to the Ogden jail Tues
| day afternoon, TO face the charge or
| burglary The complaint was filed in
| the Ogden municipal court yesterday
| afternoon by County Attorney David
| Jensen, it being sworn to by Special
| officer T. B Hart, OF the Union Pacific
Railroad company. The time for the
| preliminary hearing has not been set.
| but Attorney Jensen stated last even
| ing that the matter would be taken
up at the earliest possible moment.
The county attorney is of the opin-
| ion that the evidence at hand is quite
! sufficient to warrant the conviction OF
Preston of burglary, which was com
mitted at Uintah on the night or
Clark's murder, and it Is very likely
that the defendant will experience
some difficulty In disentangling him
| self from the incidents connected with
the murder OF Ofbcer Clark 1t is
thought by the officers that the cor.
! roboratiye testimony TO be offered In
support of Preston's alleged confes-
sion will be sufficient to convict him
of the crime With which he has been
charged
Preston has nothing to say regard
ing the matter, and 1t is thought that
he will make no further statements
regarding the horrible affair until the
time of his hearing before the magis-
trate and possibly not then 1t may
! be that he viii not be called upon TO
! make detailed statement of the
| transactions that fateful night until
Burns is captured and Preston is
! placed in the witness chair to testify
In the case. The circumstances of the
tragedy have been given by this paper
In as accurate detail as 1t is possible
TO detail occurrences not verified by