The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-03-28
Youth CONFESSES TO BRUTAL
MURDER OF GROCER FASSELL

Jailer. Instead of going to the cell. Gull
bransen went into the office of the desk
sergeant and entered into a brief consul
tatlon with him. Then Duty Sergeant ].
j. Roberts, accompanied by Jailer Gull
Dransen, went into the cellroOm of Thorne
and asked what troubled him. Thorne
seemed to sink into meditation and would
make no reply.
DO you want to make a cOnfesson?"
asked Sergeant Roberts.
ThOrne heSitated for a moment and
then replied: Yes, l want to confess,
but I want to make the confession to the
chief or that big, tall man with the red
mustache" (referring to Sheets.
AT 5:l5 O'Clock, Sergeant Roberts called
up Chief of Police Barlow and informed
him that ThOrne, the younger of the trio
of highwaymen suspected of the murder
of Fassell was anxious to see him. Chief
Barlow dressed and arrived at police
headquarters fifteen minutes later.
Shortly after his arrival Detectives
George Chase II. F. Wilson and r. j.
Golding, who had been summoned. also
appeared at police headquarters.
He Faces Chief Barlow.
Chief of Police Barlow called the young
highwayman into his office and asked
pleasantly If there was anything he could
do for him. The face OF .fhorie. bearing
the marks of a terrible mental and physi-
cal strain. seemed to brighten. He first
looked into the face of Chief Barlow and
studied 1t carefully. Then his eve mar
y
and in turn to Detectives Wilson, Golding
and Chase.
Il am the one who killed the man out
in that grocery store, he said slowly.
He stopped momentarily and started to
say something else when he suddenly
caught himself and again looked at the
chief and the sergeant and detectives. A
possible expression of ast0nishment that
ne had probably expected to lind on their
faces was entirely absent This lent en-
enlargement Then he added that Hayes
hrV frNla
ley whom he did not believe had been
arrested He added cautiously tina, he at
least had not seen 'Curley'' while A. +.
jacobson, the butcher, and others had
looked at him in the office of Chief of
Detectives Sheets Saturday night.
Coached by Chief Barlow the lad con-
tinued. He said that Hayes, "Curley"
and himself had planned the robbery
while in room q of the Angelus rooming
house. about 1880 o'clock Saturday night.
Describing minuteiy how they left the
rOOminC house, he spoke of passing vari-
Gus stores which did not seem favorable
TO their plans. The arrival at Fourth
South street. said the young highway
man, seemed to convince them that they
were in the quiet part of the city, where
il would be easy to make a hOldup and
get away without falling into the wake
of the police
Carefully Examine Scene.
I'VE had looked into the grocery very
carefully he added. and saw only two
men behind the counter. There was no
one else in the store or about the store.
SO we turned from the opposite side of
the street from The store and walked in.
We all had masks and the storekeepers
seemed so frightened that they stood
rigid. ] threw a revolver into the face
of one of them and Hayes into the face
of the other. The man that Hayes stuck
uD seemed to hesitate about holding up
his hands. but mine was only too willing.
and I never saw man stretch his hands
higher.
:" 'Curley' was behind me ans he
walked to the cash register and picked
out some change. With the rattle of
the coin. the man that / killed seemed
TO get nervous. We then made an at
tempt to get my man and Hayes closer
together. As / slightly turned my re-
volver my man made a leap backward
and then stopped. and at the same time
the other man came down the counter
l thrust the revolver against his ribs
and tried to command him with all the