OCR Text |
Show HELD FOR MURDER. ; A Tale That Reas Almost 1 ; Like a Romance. ir : I I Tho Case Now Being Heard J Before Judge Zane In I ' Salt Lake City. i I Supposed by Some to be Spite I Work on the Part of the I Union Pacific R. R. I Jolin White, a brick mason who lias ! been employed in Salt Lake city since last August, was arrested Wednesday evening by Deputy Marshal Bowman : ; Cannon on a requisition from the I Governor of Wyoming, charging him v ith the crime of murder. i Sheriff Whitmore of Sweetwater 1 , county, Wyoming, arrived Wednesday iwith the papers, but owing to certain peculiar circumstances connected with the case, Governor Thomas has instructed in-structed Marshal Young, in whose j .- custody White was placed, to hold the I ' . prisoner until further orders. I White is charged with having, on I . . J uly G, 1S')0, pushed a brakeman in the , employ of the Union Pacific, named I Pat Taggart, from a freight train on J - which he was beating his way. The I , affair occured between Uawlings and I , Green River, and when the brakeman j was missed by the train hands, White was seized, beaten over the head witli , . a revolver, kicke 1 an 1 clubbed untl lie I . was tmconseious.and then thrown into J "... the caboose. "When be came to his I senses be was again maltreated by the I train hands. ho were under the in- I " - iluence of liquor. A rope was placed I around his neck, th e other end attach- ed to the rear platform of the caboose, I and while the train was moving at fas1 I -rate of speed White wan pushed off th I platform and left to slowly strangle to j . death. Py an almost superhuman ex- , T ' .' ertion White grasped the platform with his right hand and with his left suc- 'ceeded in extricating his bead from I 'the noose. lie then started for the ! mountains, was pursued by the train .'hands, who fired five shts from re-. re-. -volvers at him. Two of the shots -passed through his clothing and one I through his right leg. Almost uncon- l r-- iffcious Jand blteding from a . d -zen I wounds, the unfortunate man suc- reeded in eluding bis pursuers and I found refuge in a coal camp, where he was kept until he Lad recovered from I i injmies. r ' On the 13th of July he was arrested I ly Sheriff Whitmore of Sweetwater .janly and taken to Rawlio!. -On the V" itn he had a preliminary examination V before a justice of tbe peace and was -tV -discharged. Ue then came here, re-4-' plated his tale of suffering to IT. II, " '.Lewis Jaiid Judge Powers, and some - :inonths ago they filed a suit in the j District Court against the Union Paci- 1 iiie Railway, praying for damaces in Ithe sum of $J0,Ot)0 for the injuries and treatment their client. White, had received at the bands of the employes of the company. The second arrest was a surprise to White, who protests his innocence and says Taggart accidentally acci-dentally fell between the cars while passing over the train. , Knowing one states that the arrest ! - -was caused by the railway for the ipurpose of defeating the efforts of I While to obtain damages. The facts above related were ob- tained from the prisoner by a Tnhunt reporter who interviewed him in the I city jail. He vas confident that he ivdll triumph in the end, and spoke liopefoji? of the future. . On Thursday the case came up in the Third District Court before Judge I Zane, Judge Powers appearing jis attorney for the defendant, -while the Union Pacific Railroad Co. is represented by Messrs. Williams and iVan Cott. The defendant alleges that he is un- lawfully and illegally restrained and- 1 imprisoned in contravention of the I constitution and laws of the United I " States and Territories, and that he was arrested on March 11, in Salt Lake city, by United Slates Marshal Parsons rpoii a warrant issued by Governor Thomas, upon demand of the actii'g governor of Wyoming. The defendant further alleges that such demand for arrest was made upon an affidavit sworn to by a Union Pacific ' conductor, charging him with murder, and that said aSdavit is not authentic authen-tic and that said purported warrant was not issued by a justice of the J)e:ce. He also alleges that he was arrested - - .at Rock Springs, Wyoming, on or .about the 12th day of July, 1S!)0, upon a warrant issued by a justice of the peace for said supposed murder. That upon a preliminary trial he was released re-leased and immediately come to this city, where lie has since resided. That be was charged with aid purported murder becnuse he was riding upon a freight train of the Union Pacific ' ' Railroad upon which such purported 1 murdered man was a biakeman, and that during the night time he was informed in-formed and believes that said brake-man brake-man fell off said train and was killed or was knocked off y some perstn I other than himself. I " J ! The defendant claims also that he was entitled to ride upon said train inasmuch as he had paid for the same, lie also alleges that the train hands beat him on the head with a revolver, and that several pistol shots were fired at him, his coat being perforated by leaden balls in three places, and that one of the bullets took effect in his leg. lie states further that a rope was put around his neck and that he was tied to the. rear car and dragged and beaten into insensibility. ' For such alleged maltreatment the defendant seeks damages in the sum of $10,000. lie also attributes his re-arrest to I maliciousness on the part of the Union Pacific Railway company in order or-der to prejudice the minds of the jury and to prevent a verdict of damages as prayed for. The defendant testified in his own behalf. He said: I am the plaitiff in this case; am in charge of an officer; have lived in this city since August last; have been employed on the Knutsford Hotel; am a builder aud contractor by occupation; my home is in Weld county, Colorado. On July 4 I boarded a Union Pacific freight train at Cheyenne and rode to Laramie; paid the conductor a half dollar therefore; several tramps were put off the train at the last named place; on July 5th I boarded another train at Laramie with the intention of going to Ogden. When I was discovered by the conductor con-ductor he asked me if I had any "dough," I answered only a little, and offered him fifty cents; he replied that this was not sufficient; in addition to the money, I offered him two silk handkerchiefs;-he then told me that I could continue my journey unmolested; unmo-lested; the train had proceeded but a short distance when I was accosted by a brakeman.whotooka flask of whisky from his pocket and asked me to djink wilh ii.im; I rei!.;e 1 that I had not tasted intoxicants for four months and had eaten nothing for three days and that under such circumstances I dard not drink. The brakeman then lei t me, saying that he would soon return with something for me to eat; I never saw him again. In a few minutis the train hands came to t!.e car on which I was riding and beat, shot and otherwise other-wise maltreated me. A rope was also put around my neck and I was draggf d behind the rear car until my body was covered with blesding wounds, "l finally fin-ally succeeded in withdrawing my head' from the rope and escaped from my murderous pursuers. For three days I wandered id the mountains without food, or water, after which I was ar-rested ar-rested and taken to Rawlins, Wyom-'"; " ' On-f lie 19th oi the same ruVtrra a preiiai'mary examination was held before be-fore a justice of the peace and White was discharged. |