Show MURDER IN SALT LAKE BAILIFF KILLS STOKES not a shadow of justification to the Ivi illi between 9 and 10 last night says sundays herald some men were quarreling in tho hallway of the wasatch building and finally two of them came to blows deputy marsh al bench who was standing near by interfered and was parting the combatants ba tants when a young man named charles stokes came up behind him and taking the officer by the throat began choking him bench called upon the bystanders for assistance and bailiff came to his the two officers then took stokes out of the hallway and started up main street upon reaching smiths drug store bench walked in with his prisoner followed closely be hind upon entering the store bench asked mr smith tho proprietor to telephone for the police to come and arrest a man and the latter had just turned towards the instrument when the report of a pistol started everyone in the store bench who was holding stokes by the lapell of the coat turned around and saw standing within a few feet with a pistol in his hand but before he could make a move the bailiff fired a shot at stokes and then advancing until the weapon was against the mattefs breast fired again stokes staggered back and was about to fall when bench caught him at this instant officer malin who was standing on the corner entered the store and taking hold of commenced to search him deputies franks and sprague both of whom were nearby and heard the shots then entered and the former stated that they would take charge of the bailiff officer malin turned his prisoner over to them and they took him to the marshals office and a few minutes later he was conveyed to the penitentiary in the meantime stokes had fallen to the floor and a glance was sufficient to show that he was dying brom the tu he shots were fired he nver uttered a word ana in i low minutes was dead A number of policemen were soon on the scene and the startling news that a man had been shot and killed spread like wildfire and a crowd numbering several hundred men immediately gathered the street and sidewalk were blocked with an excited throng all anxious to learn some particulars oi the tragedy they surged up to the windows madly jostling and pushing each other in their efforts to get a look at the body which was lying on the floor in full view weltering in a pool of blood A herald reporter was soon on the spot and after a hard struggle succeeded in forcing his way through the excited crowd to the door and gained admission stokes was lying within a few feet of the front door with his head to the south with arms outstretched and his limbs crossed in an easy manner the front of his shirt was literally soaked with blood deputy marshal bench was seated on a stool talking to the police officers he was asked by the reporter to tell just how the affair occurred and made the following statement 1 I was standing near the entrance to the wasatch building when a fight occurred in the hall way I 1 went in to part the combatants when stokes came up behind me and catching me by the throat began to choke me I 1 went down on my knees and called for help bailiff came to my assistance T then took stokes outside and started up the street following us upon reaching the drug store I 1 walked in with stokes and stopping near the door called to mr smith to telephone an come down and arrest the man just then the first shot was fired and as I 1 turned I 1 saw on the other side of us he fired before 1 could turn and then putting his gun right against stokes fired again There were three shots and I 1 mamanas fire two of them but dont know who fired the first one stokes was falling when I 1 caught him officer mahn then came in and searched me stokes died without saying a word I 1 did not have a weapon of any kind upon me officer salmon and seddon who arrived soon after officer malin searched stokes but found no weapon vard was sent to the sextons sex tons office to send a wagon down but it was fully an hour before it arrived and the body taken away quite a crowd assembled at the sextons sex tons office to which ahe body was taken coroner taylor was on hand and upon examination it was seen that there were two bullet holes in the breast one of which was in the region of the heart there was another near the nose it is supposed that after the first shot was fired stokes must have placed his hand upon his breast as it was pierced near the wrist by a bullet the coroner ordered the body to be placed in a refrigerator friger ator and the inquest was set for monday at 9 a m after leaving the drug store the scribe started out in search of deputy franks and found him on main St reetHe was asked it had made any explanation of the affair and replied that he did not know whether would be just to him to repeat what he had haicl yin ally the deputy said that McM amans statement was nothing more than that he biad a difficulty with a who has been acting as bailiff in the third district court for about two months past is an irishman and is about 45 years of age he is of medium height and of rather heavy build his appearance is quite prepossessing and he is evidently a man of education charles stokes tho victim of last nights tragedy was about 25 years old and had the reputation among those intimately acquainted with him of being of a quiet and peaceable disposition ho was not what could bo called a drinking man although ho occasionally took a glass of beer he had been drinking somewhat last night but was not drunk with his widowed mother he resided at west seventh south street in the fifth ward this summer he has been engaged in making and was at one time in the employ of the D R Q for some years past he has been the sole support of his er who is nearly 70 years of age and it is upon her that the blow will fall most heavily after the shooting last night some friends of the family took a carriage and went down to mrs stokes residence for the purpose of informing her of the sad fate of her son upon arriving at the house however it was found that the old lady had retired for the night and there was not a man in the party who had the courage to break the sad news to her in all probability she will not be informed of the affair until this morning some friends of bailiff started the rumor last night that the first of the three shots was fired by someone outside of the drug store and that in his excite ment thought stokes had shot at him and killed him in self defense the three bullet holes in the tatters body however completely disprove this theory the shooting was the absorbing topic of conversation on the streets last night and knots of men were heard discussing the affair as late as 2 this morning tho general opinion is that was either carried away by excitement or passion and did the shooting without a shadow of justification officer malin came in for no little censure for allowing the deputy marshals to take his prisoner away from him taken altogether the affair is one of the saddest that has occurred in this city for a long time and the expressions pres of sympathy for the mother of the young man were heard on every hand among those who ran to smiths drug store at the time of the shooting was W H sells who was struck by some stranger in the chest and felled he was carried over to the elks club Tp omand dance part or ode side was paralyzed and mr sells had to be earned home his wound being so painful that ho could hardly breathe it has been a night of startling occurrences |