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Show PERSONAL. j President Brigham Young and George A. Smith arrived at Parowan last evening, en route to this city. They were in good health. Col. J. P. Page returned yesterday morning from San Francisco, bringing bring-ing with him his wife and boy, who have been spending the winter at the bay. A. Blumenthal has got back from a business trip south. He went as far as Btaver. Col. E. D. Baker has been ordered to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, and will take up his line of march in a day or two. I Bullty. For the first time in years a Utah jury has found a man guilty of thai most terrible of crimes, murder. The trial of Philip Shafer, which hai been going on in the Third district court for threo days, ended last evening, even-ing, the jury returning a verdict ol guilty against the defendaut. The murder for which Shafer has boen convicted was committed one year ago this month, and mvny of our readers will remember how the community com-munity was shocked when the account ac-count of the affair was published. It was a cold-blooded, cowardly, brutal murder. Peter Van Valkenberg, a reyident of Union fort, on Little Cottonwood Cot-tonwood creek, was alone, returning home from Sandy station when he was wayloid on the prairie, and cruelly murdered, his body being literally riddled with lead. He fell from his wagon and was left by his assassins lying dead in the road, whero the body was afterwards found. The evidence introduced at the trial has been published in the Herald; we need not therefore again give the particulars of the horril ilo affair. The trial wus "Conducted "Con-ducted fairly, and all the testimony that could benefit the prisoner's cause was brought out, but to no avail. The twelve jurors who tried the case were men possessed of more than ordinary intelligence. Almost to a man they expressod a desire to be excused from serving in the case, and a majority of them were opposed to capital punishment; but having been drawn on tho jury they could only perform their duty as citizens. The evidence was direct and pointed point-ed against the defendant, ond however how-ever painful it must have beon for men to say a fellow man shall die, undor their oaths the jurors could not do otherwise than pronounce Shafer guilty of tho terrible crime, the penalty for which is death. The prisoner is a young man who has resided in Wyoming and Utah territories for a number of years. He wus a hard-working, industrioua blacksmith, and up to the time of the murder of Van Valkenberg he bore a fair reputation amontc his acquaintances. But one false Btep, one heinous crime has spoiled all, and he stands beforo the .world a doomed man. His career on earth has been short, and his impending fate is terrible to contemplate. But he has only himself to blame. He has violated the law of both God and man, and must pay the ponalty, which is blood for blood, a life for a life. His sad fate Bhould he an example to others, a terrible warning to all. 1 The punishment for murder in this territory is death, either by hanging, shooting or the guillotine, the victim having the privilege oj choosing the means oj death. The court did not pronounce sontence last evening, and the prisoner was removed to his cell in the county jail. |