The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-28
MORRIS TE[[2
HIS OWN Si|
Slayer of Axtell Says Did
of Gun Was Acei.
dental. u
CASE WILL PROBABLY d
TO JURY THIS lFTER|
Both Sides Complete 81
and Arguments Will R.
This Morning.

. Ni'hl Uer0Te \ [
Juose +. [. Loofbourow's dlyId..
Third district court for n.
Joseph WALLACE AxteiI. vho,, h
down and killed near the eon,.
ond South and Main streets an =,
noon OF May Q In his mad aim
cape after holding Up and r,s.
Uncle Sam loan office with ~
John Murray. testified In hin -
Tuesday afternoon. He dcchr.s !,
discharge Of the gun was aecId.,,,
that 1t occurred In the scufos +
himself and Axtell when the ~
deavored 10 apprehend him. !"
Botn the state and the dsfsz..
Tuesday and the case will h. 7,
9 o'clock this morning, after -
judge will Instruct the jury sa h
Will be submitted 10 tho ,u,v 4.
whether or not Morris mis nav h.
penalty for the terrible traTsSs
resulted In Axtelrs dcsih.
rested Tuesday noon. after Dis,d,7
ney u. q. Leatherwood eSplalnss I
had a number OF other wiine,s,.
he had decided II WAS unuecessar>
as Their testimony would sImDly (.
etition of other evidence. +
Morris on Stand.
Morris was the only witnes.
the defense. On direct exsmfr,'
declared that the sun was disci1r
cidentslly and that he had M d,
whatever OF taking the he @of 4
anyone else. On cross ss-cxanIr,-
prisoner became angry and po57,|
fused 10 answer numerous ousui.-
pounded hy Attorney LeatileSu
ris was Informed by the court n.
need not answer questions yhn
doing his answers might tend Ia F
nate himself. and when a ausrj<
asked which ne did not care % /
he would say that his ansve, u
crim!nate himself.
For the purpose OF shovlnz b
probability OF the accidental dlpc}I
the revolver, as claimed by Mor1
Irict Attorney LeztherTood sske1
TO demonstrate 10 MIN how II =
Morris spranS from the witntn
took the revolver in his right q
went through the movements g
claimed resulted IN The distnars
weapon. Mr.. Leatherwood,
called attention 10 the mechmlr
construction Of The gun, 5E1tjI/
such a discharge would be przcil3
impossiblllty under the ciruu1z
Morris, however. stuck 10 the q
Morris often arose from the
stand TO Illustrate TO the Jury, q
ing these actions deputies Of ihs G
Office closed and locked the va
the courtroom so that he wouN L
possible chance OF escape. u
Story of Morria
Morris testified that he su T
Pittsburs, Pa. January 2, lsIk (
that his father and mother y
living and that he also has bfc11
sisters. He testified that b I
worked in the iron fcundries q
and that he came 10 salt Laze
April. He declared that vhsc
across Second South street on q
noon of the tragedy somecse
over the head with some Kind q
on. which caused him TO stme
ne got 10 the sidewalk ne osct|
someone caught him BY me
and ierked him around an
about, he testified. the haEd
he held the revolver caught la
the other man and the gun
The prisoner testified tn2t
knowledge he had never seen q
that he never knew hat tnee
man of such name. He declare
lad no intention whatever oi
Ing the gun.
"Why were you running y
street?' was the first question
Mr.. Leatherwood on cross-eI
whereupon the response u
fash:
Judge I.oofbouroT ruled lns.
not answer any question
tend 10 incr,mlnate him In GU
than the one for which ne WV
and he answered that an 49,
one asked by the prosecallns
would do that BE: liseN'ss ,ss
tell the district attorney ;,t m
address OF his parents 1ee 1ss
did no, want 10 bring d,sgIs
parents by telling anything ~ ~
be used 20 let them Know v
predicament.
Declines to Answer,
Morris refused TO tell for va "a
he had bought the gun. oul es
ne had purchased the wesgoSS S.T
of the shooting at a secoua,",Jss a.
TIE onening statement 70 ~
the defense was mace " V{.xsndsr
Attorney ssnilf
hat Morris came OF COCO ,;sine II
always earned an honest s,assr
Ernest z. Wcllman. VINO ..ioS sE
catch Morris after the snoSH S;.rsrii
and in So doing vas snot alu Ms,sr
@ was the fitst N,.sd
morning. WellmaH vi sat
!, l uesuas q man Shoot Axtsll; -
ne saw re /" thai Morris vas tns
sos su,1 SUI ir hnweyer. that the
Shot Axten was ths sam SAM in
him. inflicsins a "o.3f,od "o9Med thst
breast. Wellman tesu,ied ;os1S
;aw Axte'l fall he rusheu ,sis 4
md caught him by the sr6
Morris turneu
SHOT at at f!@; fs!@ao;neaecher testified
.ean .he shooting from tns ~
eei. 80 @ jr The Continental ~
as OH How y Morris Was c'pa
A graphic story of tn: Ed fi1n =
If the desperate was sno subdn!
Sheriff A. a. Butler, M %n struek
,nly after he had tWiso eun.
he head with his c"n CIVIL psrhy}
being shot aW aa,WWsd tbst
w Morris. Butler tes.n,ner d
iIred Morris at the Re
south and Main streeUt tv tM
hat he gra bbed Morris ~ 'iurpS
,Is E coat Thereupon MoIrls, .If snIsf
ne nd shot shot al him the bullet 50
lis coat 1.atherso
,nd Dlstr'G, ,.s Gun Gun in evidenee, N,
lsed BY Morris aiio ,ss ~ weapos
Deputy Butler a. nn ;nc he al
way from him whe,af ,he gIr
i'm. The admission % ,he deiens
ence was opposed .! J In the
rounds that II was no, :, was d
ition as IL was when J.. Iaier
iorrIs but the oDjection, ted
iepnty Buffers testi'n0'
ested. n.,,r begin a
The arguments VIZ asa Loofs '
his morning; ;;oas and ihni da'fhS they 1l's nls's
lnded Sd' so that l!,, the S2 case 80
lifted TO the jury :"
ffernoon.