Year: 1861




trial is now going on before the U. 3
District Court, in Utah, Hon. John Cradle
baugh Judge, which develops one of the
phases of the life that is led in that land OF
adventure and ever recurring newness OF in
cident. Individual men there take the law
into their own hands. Whether thay are to
continue to do so will be determined by this
trial it being that of man named Watkins,
charged with the murder of man whose
name we have not learned. The man killed
was suspected of stealing horse from Wat
kin's ranch, near Fort Churchhill. The kill
ing is thus described by a witness who. was
with Watkins in pursuit of the suspected
thief:


Sunday morning, | went to Watkins
ranch, one of his men, not German, thlnk
an Irshinan, brought up his horse; took the
saddle OIL my horse and Watkins put his on;
W. then mounted my horse and l mounted
his, and We started for Walkers ravine went
up the river Z of mile, crossed, and then
crossed flat about half II lie wide went up
"a long hill and then down into the canon,
rode up the canon some ways, when wat
kius pointed and said, what Is that moving
in those rocks We rod on until we came
to cabin which W. said was his ranch; saw
a fire near the cabin; rode upon one side,
w. on the other, meeting in front; Watkins
hallOoed and repeated, and then SAID, come
out Billey, or helow Billey, am not certain
which; the fellow came out, and attempted
to dodge back; | said that is the fellow; l
meant the fellow that had followed us up,
and supposed stole the horse; mean the
mare that was killed Watkins drew his re-
volver and told the man to come out or he
would shoot him; the man came out, and
asked to go back and get his pipe, or said he
wanted to get his pipe; Watkins drew from
his pocket piece of rope some or ) feet
long, and told me to tie his hands; asked II
| should tic them before or behind; Watkins
said behind but not so tight as to stop the
circulation, | tied them very loose, but thot
close enough to hold; before this, l said to
him, where is that horse you stole; no answe:
"a second time | asked where is that horse
you stole? before he answered. Watkins
asked the same question; he said down be-
tween the haystacks; we then started down
to them, ahead, Watkins and the diseased
behind; they stopped before arriving at the
stack; we then started on the road TO Fort
Churchill; on arriving in front of the cabin,
the deceased asked which road they wanted
him to go W. said 10 the Fort; after going
few rods, the prisoner started to run; W. or
dered him to stop; think when he stopped,
w. was close to him; and W. were on horse
back; the prisoner on foot we vent on lit
tie further, when the prisoner drew his right
hand out of the rope with which he was tied
and started TO run a second time did run
about two rods; w. stopped him again aud
told him to make his peace with God, and
chat il he attempted TO run again he would
shoot him; after w. told him to make his
peace with God, the man got down on his
knees, and mumbled over some words, | do
not know what; whilst on his knees w. was
on his horse and behind him; when the man
rose from his knees, he started off pretty fast;
the stolen horse was pretty well used up,
and | was little ways behind; after the de-
ceased started to run w shot and the man
fell at the shot; w. pulled his knife out of his
pocket, and told me to cut the rope from his
hands; saw little blood on his hair on the
back of his head; got on to my horse and
Watkins said, we will so down to the Fort
and give ourselves up


"The mare that was killed." as mentioned
in the above testimony, was the stolkn ami
NAL, and she had been shot in the head and
left i'll the woods or brush by the rider but
was not dead, when discovered, though like
ly to die.


1t would seem from the foregoing that the
man killed was merely supposed to be the
thief. and this supposition was based upon
the fact that he had followed in sight of a
party who had horses, and afterwards one of
the animals was missing.


p. S.-Other evidence was adduced but
the Carson city paper does not publish it,
We learn, however, from that paper that a
Watkins. We take it for granted, then, that
every man rights his own wrong on the Eas-
tern slope