The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-08
Jury Secured to Try John A..
Jones Without Usual
Difficulties.
OF FOURTEEN EXAMINED
TWELVE MEN ACCEPTED
Defendant Killed Arthur F
Sheppard in This City July
10 Last.

All Utah records in first degree muir
of jury, in District Judge Lewis's
court Monday, In the John A. Jones
murder case With the examination of
but fourteen talesmen. twelve men were
accepted therefrom as jurors within
less than three hours, The two tales
men rejected were excused for cause.
Neither side used peremptory chal-
lenge. The speed with this Jury was
obtained brought to mind the record in
the Crippen wife murder case,
The fourteen talesmen examined were
all called from the regular panel The
two excused were Harry G. Lawrence
and Frank b. Allen. Lawrence was eS
cused because he had formed fixed
opinion as to the merits of the case and
Allen because he is opposed to capital
punishment.
Three of the Jones jurors sat in the
Thomas Vance wife murder case, which
ended Sunday night These are II. b.
Elder, Alfred S. Derrick and William
are Will Rees. Philip Finegan. William
M Egan, Lewis T. Cannon, James g.
Adams, james H Armstrong. Orson
Brown. Tony jacobson and William AL
len.
Killed Scenic Artist
Jones, railway mail clerk, is charged
with shooting and killing Arthur r.
Sheppard, scenic artist, at the Wei,
lington hotel in the early morning of
July 10, this year The shooting was
over Jones' S wife, Nelmay Goodwin
Jones. The woman in the case and
Sheppard had Just returned from spend
ing day together in Ogden canyon
and had Just registered at the yelling
ton hotel under fictitious names as man
and wife. As Jones, coming in from his
midnight run on the Oregon Short Line.
left the depot he. saw Sheppard and
Mrs. Jones enter the hotel.
Following the couple Jones was Just
in time to see Sheppard and his wife
turn away after registering and, draw
ing revolver. ho began to fire at Sher-
pard. With Jones III pursuit, and still
firing, Sheppard ran into the street and
fell fatally wounded.
coroner's jury eXouerated Jones,
but the county attorney, bowling that
there had been premiditatioD, issued a
complaint charging Jones with first de-
gree murder and in the police court
July 81 Jones pleaded not guilty and
was Dounn over 10 the district court, AL
though charged with an offense punish
able by death. Jones was admitted to
bail in the sum of $4,000 in District
Judge Armstrong; s court. August l5,
and has been at liberty from that date.
Pleads Unwritten Law.
Jones's main defense, it is under.
stood. will be what is known as the un-
written law in other states but which
in this state really is the written law.
Jones will try TO show that the killing
was justifable on the ground that Shep-
pard not only alienated Mrs. Jones IS
affections and induced the woman to
| leave her husband. but that he after
wards mistreated her. The state will
seek to show that the murder was not
iustifable for the reason that Jones
had brooded over it for weeks and that
the act was premeditated
If the taking of testimony progresses
with the same speed by which the jury
was selected the case will be finished
before the end of the week On ac.
count of the election the trial proper
will not start until Wednesday. Among
Jones's witnesses will be w. r, Ban.
gasser, Daniel Morrison, Orange Lemon
John Roest Leland Graham, Jacob
Heisse. w. o. Christensen and W. O.