Show IN SELFDEFENSE j The Inquest on the Echo Canyon Killing VINCENT WAS JUSTIFIED o The Slayer of Klrkland Goes Before the Grand Jury in His Own Defense It looks as if Vincent the man who killed Kirkland in Echo Canyon would not ba put to the trouble of a trial Vincent made a request yesterday that he be allowed to go before the Grand Jury and make a statement and he was brought down from the Penitentiary Peniten-tiary for that purpose What transpired tran-spired is of course unknown But from the coroners inquest the report of which has just reached us it is probable prob-able that the case will be ignored Ad inquest held at Castle Hock Utah April 14th 1887 by Thomas Ball Justice Jus-tice of the Peace andActing Coroner on the body of Thomas J Kirkland now lying dead before him The jury consisting of Thomas Stags Leonard Phillips and David Reese being impaneled and sworn in due form Witness MIs T A Stags being sworn testified Qid you see the shooting AYes QWbo drew revolver first AThomas J Kirkland QAbout what time ABetween 4 and 5 p m QAbout how far were you away AAbout 200 yards QAbout where in Echo Canyon vas that AOpposite my house QHow far were these two parties apart 43About twenty paces QDid you hear any conversation Between them ANo QDid you see the deceased lay the gun and blankets down AYes Q After he laid them down did you see defendant pick them up AI did not see him pick up the laukets but saw defendant picK up the run runQ Did you see Kirkland then walk down the track AYes QTheu what did Kirkland doA do-A Alter walking a few paces he wheeled and aimed a pistol at the defendant de-fendant v QWhat did you see t Al saw Mr Vincent aim a gun and fire at the deceased QDid you hear the report of the t gunAYes QWhat did you see next AI saw the deceased fall QFroDl whatyou saw of the deceased de-ceased drawing his pistol had thepis tol not missed fire would jie h ave been likely to kill defendant f A Lthink Ke would QFropl what you saw do you think defendants life was in danger AYes QWhen did you next see defendant defend-ant after the shooting Defendant came to my door QPlease state what conversation you and defendant had after his coming com-ing to your door AHe stated that he had done a bad job but the man was not dead yet I asked defendant to come in and have something to eat He said no give mea me-a drink of water and I will get help to attepd the deceased Q by Vincent When I c Ime to the house did I not deliver up the gun to you AYes QDU I not ask you how far it was to the next house AYes I said it was a mile and a half QWhat description can you give of the gun AOne was a Winchester and one a shotgun QWould you know the guns if you saw them AYes Witness then identitied the shotgun QDid defendant bring a revolver at the same time he delivered ou the guns ANo He went back to the deceased I de-ceased then came back and delivered i the revolver There was no shot fired after delivering the gun Witness then identified the revolver the defendant gave her but could not say if it was the same one deceased bad BY JUSTICEDid you recognize the revolver as the same one as defendant had in his hand when he delivered you the guns AYes if Jesse Cragg being then sworn QWhere were you yesterday and about what time did you see deceased AAbout a mile and a half west of Castle Rock Station YWhat did deceased have when you saw him AA good sized packat his back QWhat was the pack AI could not say I only saw a sack QCould you describe his sack ASo QCoud you describe the deceased I ANo William Cragg witness was then sworn i QState where you were yesterday at between 3 and 4 oclock pm AAt home QDid you see defendant yesterday yester-day AYes QWhere was he then ALt my house QDid you have any conversation with defendant AYes QWhat was it AHe asked me if I had a rifle and I said yes QWhat else AHe asked me to loan him the rifle QDid you loan it to him l esQ es-Q Did von see the deceased 1 AYs opposite the house Q Wuaielse A I saw deceased whirl and draw u p stol on defendant Qrhen what AI saw defendant draw his gun Q What next AI saw the flash of defendants gun ani the deceased fall Q What else Al saw nothing else after that as I went into the house QWhen defendant asked you for I the gun whit did he say he wanted it I for AI do not remember what he said he wanted it for but my impression is i that he only aked for the gun QWhen next did you seethe defendant de-fendant AOn the railroad track QWhere next AHe came to the house after shooting shoot-ing the man QDid defendant have any firearms with him after the shooting AYes QWere you close enough to hear any talk between the two men ANo QDid defendant bring the guns to the house when he came AYes QDo you know what the gunswere AOne was a Winchester one a snot gun and one a pistol I Witness then identified the guns and pistol QDid defendant deliver them all at the same time ANo ilfe delivered the guns first then wenfcback to deceased came back and delivered the pistol QDid you see defendant attempt to use the pistol again after delivering up the guns ANo QWhea deceased turned around and drew what was it he drew AA revolver QWhen the deceased drew the revolver re-volver on defendant had the revolver not missed fire would you consider the defendants life danger A Yes QAbout what distance was defendant defend-ant from deceased AAbout fortyfive feet QWhere you in the house or outside out-side when you saw this AI was standing in the open door QWhat did defendant say after the shooting AHe said he had done a bad job Did he say anything about getting helpAYes AYes Q Did you tell him where he could get help AYes I told him he could get help about a mile and a half away at Emery Q What did the defendant than doA He went after help Q Where did he go for help Ao Emery Station QDld he come back with help AI was not there when he came back I took mymother to a neighbor Mr Michaelthen I went to Echo Q Did the defendant appear excited when he borrowed the gun ANo QDid the deceased run or walk away from the defendant AHe walked QHad the deceased not turned and drawn his revolver do you think the defendant would have shot him ANo Q Did you see defendant come to your house AYes ft QWhere was the deceased then did you see him at the same time ANo QHow long was it after defendent came and asked for the gun was it before be-fore yon saw the deceased AAboiit twentyfive minutes Q Woich way was deceased traveling travel-ing AWest QWhen you saw the deceased where was the defendant AOn too wagon road QDid the defendant then get on the broad track Q Yes and picked up a blanket and a gun the deceased had dropped QWhen defendant picked up the gun and blanket did he follow after deceased AYes QVere they both walking in the same direction Did you hear any conversation con-versation between the two ANo QThe deceased was the first man to turn around AYes and drew a pistol QYou are confident the deceased made thosfirst attempt to draw firearms fire-arms AYes QYou are equally satisfied in your own mind that the defendant did not make the first attempt to draw AYes QBy Vincent When I came to you alter the shooting did I not say I had done a bad job but it was to prox tictn y own life A I do not remember the exact words but it was to that effect QlJo you remember my saying I was glad that somebody saw it A I do not remember Mr Lee Daniels was then sworn QWhere did you see defendant first A The first T nan he rode nrt to TOT I saw up o my home about 535 p m QWhat took then place x AHe asked toe if my name was Daniels I told him yes He said he had shot a man I asked him if he had killed him He said no he was not aead He wanted me to take my team and take him some place where he could be attended to hitched up my team and defendant got in together with George Stevenson and my little son We started up where the defendant said he had shot the deceased On the I road we came up with some sheep wagons J stopped and called them out to inquire wit was best to be I done Their adyice was if deceased was dead it was not best to move him i until inquest was held One of the sheep herders named George Shields got in wagon and went up with us to where the man was shot and helped to put him in wagon We thought the nearest and best place was to take him to Castle Rock Shields and my little son went back Stjevenson and defenc ant and myself went up with the wounded roan to Castle Rock He the wounded man said Aint he a coTCird for shooting me Hes a cowardly man then asked why he hot him I made answer I did not know it was between him and the defendant One thing I remembur the defendant seeing the deceased with a rair of rubber boots on he spoke saying You have my boots on The deceased said Yes you can have them Iogues I wont need ihem anv more QWas there anything passed between be-tween defendant and deceased as to the cause of the shooting ATh deceased only said Why did you not shoot me in the head or in tb2 breast The defendant saidI did not have time Deceased said Yes you did you had plenty of time J QWas there anything said between them about either of them having fire arrns or the using of them AI think defendant said he wanted his things Deceased said Yon have them and me too J Q Did deceased make any statement state-ment to you before he left 1 AXO QDid you hear any other conversation conversa-tion between deceased and any other person except what you have stated AI did not QDid yon hear defendant say anything any-thing about the cause of the shooting or why he shot AHe only told deceased he would have shot bird if he had not shot him first Deceased said No I would not have harmed a hair of your head QBy defendant When I came to your house do you remember my telling you why I shot him AI do not remember I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true arid correct statement Signed A H BAILEY Clerk Territory of Utah j v County of Summit j We the jurors in an inquest held over Thomas J Kirkland now lying dead before us do hereby render our verdict and say that deceased Thomas J Kirkland cpnie to his death by a pan shot wound received from the hands of Samuel Vincent without felonious intent and in selfdefense L PHILLIPS T A STAGG e DAVID REES Dated April llth A D 18S7 Castle Rock Station Echo Canyon Summit Co Utah Attest myhand and seal this the 14th SEAL 1 day of April A D 18S7 THOMAS BALL Justice of Peace and Acting Coroner I |