The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-26
GUARD JAIL To
SAVE PRISONER
FROM sLAYERs
Deputy Sheriff of Millard
County Fears Attempt
on Man Held as
Blackmailer.
OFFICIALS ACCUSED
OF MURDER PLOT
In Confession Prisoner Tells
an Amazing Story of Be-
ing Hired to
Kill.

u T1LLMORB, Utah, April 25-l
II Deputy Sheriff Paine is keep
ing the county Jail here guarded
night and day to prevent an
attempt on the life of ". P.
Veastal, prisoner who is await :
ing trial on the charge Of send
ing blackmailing letter to N. A. |
Anderson, the county clerk. The
deputy sheriff fears that the Jail may
be burned or that some attack on it
may be made.
Back of this plain statement lies an
alleged conspiracy. which is said to in
volve a plot by several officials and
other prominent citizens of Millard
county to take the life of Frank Han
son, former postmaster of Mllard
county, and still resident of Fillmore.
Hanson, it will be recalled. has faced
three trials for arson. and has also
been accused of robbing the postofflce
of which he was in charge He was
tried once in the district court at
Beaver, once at Nephi. and once in the
federal court at Salt Lake City.
Shot From Ambush.
While not convicted, sentiment
among the citizens of Nephi leaned al
most entirely to the belief that Hanson
should have been found guilty. Iusur
ance companies refused to issue policies
for householders in Fillmore because
of the alleged. presence of a " hrebug-
Late In November OF last year Hanson
was shot and seriously wounded while
he was leaving the door of his home In
Fillmore. He mas since recovered from
his injuries. Veastal was arrested on this
charge of having done the shooting and
was acquitted on his preliminary hear
Ing.
On April 4. veastal sent the following
letter 10 y. A. Anderson. county clerk OF
Millard county:
BLACK Rock. Utah, April 4. 1911.
Mr. ~ A Anderson, Fillmore, Utah:
Dear Sir-I am at Black Rock and
not alone as there is fellow from
Salt Lake with me. and they are
after me 10 tell the whole story.
which you know we'll ! know. Now.
they have given me Il good offer and
know l am safe. but II | have to
talk there Is about a dozen into trou-
leave lea; lie let i me know at once, but il I
eaXe II dno Wl take tax ~, Just one Ln0usana es% In
Now It is up to -- what I
do Let me hear from you at once,
looking forward TO an answer by Fri
day II not Thursday. l remain Re-
''W. P. vEAsTAL.''
In the Justices court, before Justice OF
the Peace H. G. Hanson OF Millard . coun,
10 by n. A. Anderson charging Veastal
with sending to him n threatening letter,
and In the complaint the letter quoted
was set out as evidence TO support the
allega tionS.
Signs a Confession.
veasta was arrested on April IS and
1t was while he was confined in the
county Jail at Fillmore that he, wrote
and signed the confession which. In sub
stance, is appended below.
tensen OF Salt Lake, veastal admitted.
in addition TO the written confession. that
he shot Frank Hanson and his written
confession sets out in detail his reasons
for doing so.
The men accused in the confession and
other prominent citizens OF the county
say that Veastals tale merely represents
an attempt at blackinaii.
Che signs his name "vestal' in the con-
with the names of the accused
officials and other citizens omitted:
Fillmore. Utah, April 10, 1911
Der. 1910, which was on, Sunday.
! was realeased from the county
jail about 80 o'clock. On being re,
me TO come to his hotel i'm
mediately after being released, which
l did.
me If had heard Frank Hanson say
anything against him or make any
threats against any OF his property,
I told him no. which he was pleased
TO hear,
/ then and there ask for board, and
room there. He said he should be
glad TO have me stop with him IL
would sleep In the same hall for the
purpose OF guarding and protecting 1t
from fire.
That I agreed to do, So when |
went To bed that night he informed
me that there would be man there
by the name of who
would stay there with me He said
that had been sleeping
there for some time. The next day
I spent roaming around town with
the said During the
which he Immediately got
We spent the rest of the day drink
ing,
About dark, as we'll ms l remem.
bor Mr. came and told
me that supper was ready:
On our way home he said to me:
Now there is n chance for you TO
make a piece of money here in this
town. So | inquired how.
And ne said that there was no
doubt but. what Frank Hanson and
7 were good friends | said that we
were. Then he said: Well. there Is
two hundred and fifty dollars S25o)
reward offered for the man who was
setting these fires around here and
that he would assure me that /
would get five hundred dollars
(sj00) In addition to that il l caught
him.
So / said; We'll. I'll keep my eyes
open and see what | can do The