The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-29
THE LESSON OF LOPEZ.

For ten days Lopez, the murderer, has
been battling with fate. In a moment
of passion he killed his closest comrade
and fled into the mountains armed to
the teeth The next day he ambushed
four deputy sheriffs and killed three
Of them. Penetrating into the noun
tains west of Utah lake, he succeeded
in foilipg the various posses sent out
10 capture him.
The first few days of his flight found
him confident and even boastful. On
last Saturday afternoon he concealed
himself behind rocky barricade which
he had constructed, and joked with the
/, deputy sheriffs while he tried to kill
them. Perhaps he was not as cheerful
then as he led his pursuers to believe;
perhaps even in his brutal mind
thoughts of remorse were stirring, and
perhaps icy fears were laying their
freezing hands upon his heart, but that
was only the beginning of the manhunt,
aud he did not know that Fate was at
his heels and would not miss the trail.
For a few days he disappeared ut
terly, but because he WAS an outlaw
he dared not return TO civilization. He
wes compelled to remain in the noun
tains where the temperature was far
below freezing point. He seldom could
find a place TO keep warm, and at
length his feet froze. We can imagine
with what horror he felt his confidence
slipping away from him as he began
20 realize that he was engaged in
losing battle, and yet he was compelled
TO remain in tho deadly mountain cold.
His feet grew constantly worse and be-
came swollen 10 twice their natural
size, and still he went gamely on until
pain and hunger drove him to the cot
tage Of a miner not far from the scene
Of mis- first murder Knocking at the
window he summoned the Italian occu
pant 10 come out, and by means of
threats secured food and ammunition.
The shoes which the Italian miner Of
fercd him would not 20 on his frozen
feet, and he was compelled to use over
shoes. When his own shoes were cut
from him they were stained with blood
Turning in agony 20 the Italian miner.
he told him that if his feet did not get
better be would kill himself
Such is the fate which Lopez brought
upon himself bv his murdcrous brain
storm. We may be sure. it is true. that
tho murder did not result merely from
moment of passion, but that it was
preceded by causes that reached back
20 the very bovhood of Lopez. Per
hars he bad been going wrong for
Years-tben ono day the brainstorm
came Hc killed his man, and TO save
his own life he went ont into the noun
;ains determined to kill and keep on
killing until he had cut his wav 10 free
dom and safety. IL was a mad re.
solve, but TO him it seemed at least az
desirable as surrender, trial. convic-
tiou and execution.
As We look back over this horrfving
mauhunt and get feeble understand.
ing of the mental and physical tortures
which Lopez endured, we wonder that
ne was not driven TO insanity and sui
eide days ago. In his primitive way
OF thinking, Lopez argued that il he
could but escape the posses life would
still be bright and eonsolng. Endowed
with great powers of physical endur.
ance, be probably did not expect to
, succumb to anything but bullets. and
II he could only avoid the bullets aud
make his way out of Utah. the world
and all its good cheer would be before
him, he argued. The fight he made
for life shows that life was dear IA
him, and yet ne had ruined his pros
K poets Of enjoying life by that brief and
savaee attack upon his friend
) For such man there is no escape
He may avoid tho posses and the po
lice, he may win liberty in the physica
sense, and he may pass among his fel
low men as normal and even happy
i'u- ALWAYS rcmorse is clawing az hi.