The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-14
LIFE SENTENCE
FOR JOHN DIE 7
Wife and Son Declared Not
Guilty. sOf Murder of
Harp by Jury.
BITTER SPEECH MADE
BY DAM DEFENDER
Declares the Lumber Trust De-
termined to Put Him Out
of the Way.
By Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
HAYWARD, Wis, May 13.-John
T. Dictz will spend the rest of his nat
ural life at hard labor at the state
pcuitcntiary at Waupuu, by the YER
dict of the jury today, for the murder
of Deputy Oscar Harp in the battle
of Cameron Dam on October s last.
The jury brought in the following
verdict:
John F. Dietz, guilty of murder in
the first degree.
"Hattie f. Dietz, his wife. not
guilty of murder in the first degree.
"Lesic Dietz his son. not guilty Of
murder in the first degree,
Tho smile with w,iicl; :he 'fold man -
has always faced conditions did not
desert him as the iudge read the yer
dict. lie made no demonstration.
a frown came over the face Of
Mrs. Dietz. however. and she glared At
the color came and went from his
face
The announcement that the Jury
had arrivcs at verdict was made III
s;45 CLOCK Judge Reid was immc-
Ciasely notified and Sheriff Fred Clark
received telephone message from the
clerk of the court TO bring John Dietz
into the courtroom,
Scene III Courtroom.
Mrs. Dietz had been with her hus.
band Throughout the night and Leslie
had called this morning. The three
defendants came to the courthouse
walking side bv side accompanied by
three Special deputies On account OF
the unexpectedly early verdict the
rourtro room WIS occupied only by those
who have followed every move in the
;riai from the beginning,
There was Il Gomeat S silence follow
ing the reading of the verdict. The
court then asked John Dietz to stand
up. "Mr. Dietz,' said the. Judge.
"haye YOU ANYTHING TO say before seu-
iercc is passed ~
Dietz calmly Faced the Judge.
IL Do You suppose. he asked. look.
Jag straight at Judge Reid. ~ haven t
nown that sooner or later the lumber
trust because IT is big and | am little.
would Kill me or put me out of the
way? have fought my fight and de-
Tended my home and family. | have
done nothing wrong and this convc-
ton DOES not alter the fact The trust
has one creed, one law. one purpose,
That is 'rule or ruin They could not
rule John Dieiz, so they tried for six
wears to rain him. This morning II
looks as if they got what they were
after
Says State Is to ELAINE.
~ nave done nothing wrong. and
the state has. And yet it is the state
that sends me to Jail. II is the state
that has conc in here. in court OF
law, ard told the jury | was bad
man, when ] was not allowed and have
never been allowed to tell what
started this trouble.
..It is the state that waylaid my
children and took one away to jail and
put a bullet through the other-a young
girl.
81 cannot see. Mr.. Dietz, that has
thing 30 do with the killing of Oscar
Harp" said Judge Reid.
The Judge then sentenced Dietz to
prison for life
John Dictz made The usual motion for
new trial although the motion prob
ably has never been followed by an
argument like, the one heard this morn
ing in the little county courthouse. :
V. w. james of Euclair, special at
torney for the state. suggested TO the
convicted man that he get an attorney,
draw up the motion in proper legal
form and ask the court for ten days
stay in which TO file the exception
Dietz ignored the suggestion and
plunged hcadlong into his .denunciation
of the "Iumber trust The court also
advised DietZ to- get an attorney. Judge
Reid overrpled. the .Wqtiop for new
trial, but gave Dietz ten days Ill which
IN file an GTrppfipu
How Trouble Began.
The trouble between John +. Dietz
and the lumber companies operating In
Sawyer county. Wis. began in Febru-
airy, 1904, through Dietz's refusal TO
allow the company to flow logs over
the Cameron dam. located ,on quarter
section bought by Mrs. Dietz, without
paving him the toll he demanded.
In the ten principal attempts to cap
ture him on various charges and legal
processes. Oscar Harp, a deputy sheriff,
was killed October S, last, several men
through the body. Clarence Dictz was
wounded in the forehead and John Detz
was shot through the band. The shoot
ing of Bert Horel ut Winter. Wis, by
Dietz September 8, last, is more or less
closely traeeable to the original trouble
The tenth armed effort. to take DietZ
was successful and he became prisoner
October s. last He was charged with
various offenses, ranging from destruc-
fion of property and assault and bat
terry TO murder in the first degree,
Mrs. Dietz and Leslie were defen
lants in the murder case. They. Mira
PENDANTS in ether actions pending
auaincf Tho fam,1v