OCR Text |
Show J J " THE BULLETIN, BINGHAM, UTAH v 4 Page Flvf ' ' ... : : First Legal Execution In Rich County : : I' y,g"f','g" T "V """rr"""" """" """ " " ' n How the long arm of the law reached out for a pair of young men who stole two cases of rasp-berries from a peddler's wagon, in 1896, and sent them before a firing squad in the only legal execution ever performed In Rich county, Utah, Is revealed in documents and photographs located by Adolph W. Larson, supervisor for WPA history ical survey at Randolph. The two men, Patrick Coughlin, 21, and Fred George, 19, perpetra-ted the theft that started this in-teresting and grisly case by "pinch-ing" the raspberries near Salt Lake City. They were captured by local authorities, charged with petty, theft, and lodged in jail. Coughlin had previously had trouble with the authorities, and had served short jail (terms for sev-eral, delinquencies. The confining atmosphere of prison walls did not appeal to him. Whether he had to use much persuasion to induce George to help in the escape will never be known, but the fact is, that the two youths managed to break jail and proceeded to leave the vicinity of Salt Lake with the greatest possible speed. Word was forwarded to Evans-to- n to arrest the pair. Irate citizens formed posses and began combing the countryside in search of their quarry. With jail break, horse theft and assault with a deadly weapon al-ready added to their raspberry stealing, Coughlin and George were in no mood to be taken by a posse. The man hunters rode down upon what is now the Jones ranch (near Wyuta on the present Lincoln high-way) where the pair had establish-ed another hideout. With them, the posse carried two sheets in which to bring back the bodies of the out-laws. Included In the group that sur-rounded the Jones ranch were two men named Dawes and Stagg, an-other known a "Red" Taylor, and Bob Calvary, then Evanston dep. uty sheriff. When the posse opened fire on the ranch, Coughlin answer-ed with well-aime- d shots while George loaded his gun for him. The four men went down under the fire. Dawes and Stagg were dead and Taylor and Calvary wounded. The posse retlred-wl- th the bodies of its two dead members wrapped In the sheets It had brought for the horse thieves. Stagg was shot in the back, and Coughlin later maintained in his defense that Stagg was killed by a member of his own posse. out In the direction Meissner had indicated. But the fast moving Coughlin and George reached the Salt Lake City limits before the police did. Inside the city, they rode past the laden patrol wagon and were recognized. Rapid Flight The chase had now turned from to a contest of speed. Coughlin and George sepa-rated. The officers stayed on Geor ge's trail and finally captured him in City Creek canyon, on the out-skirts of the city. Coughlin fled west, but the net was now widely spread, and he was taken into cus-tody at Tooele. The pair were placed on trial for murder. George, being convicted only as an accomplice, was sentenc-ed to life imprisonment, later be-ing paroled. Coughlin was found guilty as charged and sentenced to death by a firing squad. Maintaining throughout the trial that he shot in self defense, Patrick Coughlin carried his case to tha United States supreme court, but that body upheld the sentence Im-posed by the Utah territorial court. On December 9, 1896, District Judge Charles H. Hart ruled at Randolph that Coughlin be shot to death by a firing squad between the hours of 10 a. m. and 2 p. m. on the following day, Executioners Silent . The firing . squad was In charga of Albert Dickson, 'sheriff of Rich county, and consisted of a group of men picked from Evanston, Wy oming and Randolph, Utah. Al-though their identity was kept a secret, it is claimed that at least three of the men are known to pio-neer residents of Randolph. On the morning appointed, the firing squad and a compariy of guards loaded Coughlin into ; a white topped buggy and took him to a bleak, greasewood-dotte- d area near the town. There he was strap-pe- d to a chair placed on" a white expanse of snow, a black hood waa drawn over his head, and a target pinned over his heart. The grim firing squad took aim at the target, and Coughlin died in a hail of lead -t-he only man ever legally execut-ed Rich county. r An early photographer with an apparent eye for news was on hand to take the remarkable picture ac-companying this article. George, freed later, returned; to a g life and died recent-ly in Park City. For Patrick Cough-lin, the only freedom was that giv-en by the leaden death. ; : Add Horse Stealing ' To aid In their escape, Couglln and George placed themselves In real Jeopardy by stealing a horse In the vicinity of Morgan. It will be recalled that horse stealing was a major crime In the eariy days. Before the advent of law in the west, horse thieves were usually summarily punished by stretching their necks with the far-fame- d "hemp-necktie- When the people of the territories organized legal forces, they took care to provide heavy penalties for anyone who made free with another's equine stock. So Coughlin and George, trans-formed by the horse theft fro;n petty thieves to major criminals, knew well what awaited them if they were captured. And to prevent that capture they committed their second major crime. Fleeing from Morgan, the two went over the mountains to a sheep camp in Summit county. The coun-ty sheriff learned of the fugitives' whereabouts and , approached on horseback. He was met with a blast of gunfire. His hand was wounded and the horn of his saddle shot The trail was becoming steadily hotter. Quickly the youths took leave of the sheep camp and head-ed for a cabin located in the moun-tains east of Coalville. Formed Posses Again Take Trail With two killings added to their score, Coughlin and George aban-doned the Jones ranch and rode horseback across the mountains to Huntsville and from there down Ogden canyon. They slopped at the Ogden railroad shops where they had a boy buy them a newspaper. Then- - In the fabled 'manner of all criminals who return to the scenes of their original crimes-rod- e south toward Salt Lake City. Meanwhile Ogden citizens formed a new posse to take up the trail, Steve Soppinger, Captain Silvia, Dan Sullivan and Reuben Egglesto forming a quartet of searchers. During the morning, Fred Meiss-ner, jailer and desk sergeant at the Ogden jail, received word that the pair had evaded the Ogden men by making a wide circuit, and had been near Kaysville carying Win-chester rifles across their saddles. Meissner notified Chief of Police-Arthu- r Pratt at Salt Lake City to send his forces to Warm Springs, where the jailer believed the men could be captured. Chief Pratt filled a patrol wagon with policemen, and accompanied by several mounted officers started Pioneer Descendants " fa ft - J: jf i i . i I i 1 , 3 V IA, 3'" " I-- H .a 'r ? ' V ' " i - JF V V 4 Covered Wagon Days Greeters of Brigham Young and his 1847 pioneers will serve as Salt Lake City hostesses during the Covered Wagon Days celebration there July 22,23,24 and 25. They are, top to bottom. Marjorie Judd, France Rogers, Mary Creer and Dorothy Denton, all University of Utah stu-dents. O , Highland Boy by SophU Loverich Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Bee and son Jack left for Los Angeles, Cal. where they will spend two weeks with friends and relatives. Mrs. Charles Austin and daugh-ter, Florence spent Monday in Salt Lake City. Mrs. Sidney Tregaskis spent Mon-day in Salt Lake with her daughter Miss OUie Tregaskis. Miss Mildred Jensen of Salt Lake spent the week-en- d with her par-ents, Mr. and Mrs. James Jensen. Miss Eva Loverich, office girl of Dr. Bennion left for Denver and Pueblo, Colorado where she will spend her vacation. Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Jeffcott and daughter spent the week-en- d in Salt Lake visiting with friends and relatives. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wilson spent a few days in Highland Boy visiting with friends and relatives. Mrs. Wilson was formerly Miss Hil-da Tregaskis. Mrs. Jennie Kascek left for an indefinite stay at Lava Hot Springs Idaho. Miss Sophia Loverich is working in the office of Dr. B. D. Bennion in place of her sister Eva Loverich. I j jl THE BULLETIN FOR FINE PRINTING Wfay aaaaMe? When You Can Buy A Re-- newed and Guaranteed Used Car From Your Friendly ' Ford Dealer. I ! 1.1931. MODEL A Coupe, Bumble Seat, New Upholster- - i' Int, Al Condition , $265.00 I l 1931 MODEL A Coupe, New Paint, New Upholster- - Inf, A-- l Mechanical $260.00 I 1 1930 STUDEBAKEB Light Six Coupe, Leather Up-- J bolstering. Good Paint $235.00 j 1 1929 CHEVROLET Six Coach, New Upholstering, ' r $235,00 ' 1 1929 WHIPPET Coach, A Real Car For the Fisher- - , At $160.00 1 1929 ROOSEVELT Sedan, New Tires All Around. . $135,00 1 1928 CHEVROLET Sedan, New Paint, New Uphol-stering. Only $135.00 I 1 1928. ESSEX Sedan, Very Good Condition for .... $120.00 ' 1 1928 DURANT Roadster, Rumble Seat, Leather Up-- , holstering, New Paint, For $125.00 i 1 1927 PONTfAC Sedan,' A Good car for Only $120.00 " . . - 1 1927 CHEVROLET Coupe, Three New Tires, A Bar- - ' ran At ..... $ 95.00 ,1 1926 OLDSMOBILE Coach, ......'............:....$ 55.00 CANYON MOTOEl CO. PHONE OR CALL 333. MAIN AND MARKHAM ' Iri i'H,n linn i,i ,t n'i r: t r tiiTT'rn i,t i i uj.i i iij July White Sale Drastic Reductions on all j white shoes for Men Women j and Children. Mens White Oxfords $2.49-$2.- 85 1 Women White Sandals NI ev. r ' Ties and Straps ' " $1.40 to $2.95 I KwA.j Misses . and Childs 98 $1.79 Buy now and save. Campus Boot Shop No. 1 East Broadway Under Schramm-Johnso- n Drag; Useless Gift "I don't go much on bathrobes," said the farmer. "Jim sent me one for Christmas and I tried bathing in it just one. If it wasn't for the style of it, I could get along a lot better with-out it." L. D. S. Training Pays! I VACATION TIME is YOUR OPPORTUNITY V I to get ahead of the Crowd I While others are idle, you can prepare yourself for j the BETTER POSITIONS. J We' offer you practical training, PLEASANT CLASS- - 1 ROOMS, SHADY LAWNS, FREE GYMNASIUM Prm- - I leSes.. . 4 Fill out and mail this advertisement for complete infor- -' niation. ' , L. D. S. BUSINESS COLLEGE 70 North Main Salt Lak City WaMtcbl812. 1 Name: . ........ Address: r J You'll be pleased with the mile-ag- e ihe and if?ou buy your ga STANDARD GARAGE Bryan Bird, Prop. Agents for VICO OIL PEP 88 GAS ATLAS TIRES I'lk 60 proof-- by the L) m makers of the world- - .. - 1 I i famous deKuyper 0(r " Alex. D. Shaw & Co., Inc., New York V. S. MINES DEFEATS MAGNA 16-- 7 (Continued from Page 1) The score: U. S. Mines B.H.O.A. Mattson, rf 5 0 0 0 Krissman ss 7 3 2 5 Zaccaria, If 5220 Myers, 3b . 6 4 0 3 Vecchio, cf 5 2 0 0 Walbeck, 2b 5 2 4 1 Reid. lb 6 3 12 2 Butler, c '4272 Mclvor, p 5302 Totals . ..... . ... ... . 48 21 27 15 Magna-Garfiel-d B.H.O.A. Vaughn, rf 4 0 0 0 Facer, lb 4 0 7 1 Bonham, 2b 4 2 5 1 Owen, cf 5 12 0 Shafer, If 4 2 2 0 Flinders, ss 5 0 15 Hartley, 3b 10 10 Evans, 3b 4 1 2 1 Rasmussen, c 1111 Christensen, c 3 160 Coon, p 0000 L. Johnson, p 4302 Totals 39112711 Utah Industrial League Won. Lost. Pet. Magna-Garfiel- d 11 6 .647 Gemmell club 8 8 .500 U. S. Mines 8 9 .471 Pinney Beverage 7 9 .438 Provo 7 9 .438 Mines 271 010 113 16 Magna 122 000 200 7 Summary: Errors Walbeck, Kris-ma- n. Vecchio. Myers, Mattson, Fac-er. Stolen base Vaughn. Sacrifice hits Zaccaria, Bonham. Home runs Walbeck, Krisman. Three-bas- e hits Mclvor, Vecchio, Krisman. Two-bas- e hits Mclvor. Myers. Double playReid to Krisman to Reid. Struck out By Coon 1, Johnson 4, Mclvor 6. Bases on balls Off Coon 1, Johnson 5, Mclvor 2. Hit with pitched ball Butler and Shafer.! Wild pitches Johnson 2. Passed ball Butler. Umpires Barber and Kid. all ales As told to: ELMO FRANK E. .nd SCOTT HAGAN WATSON The Unfinished Story CHARLES M. WALKER tells tall of silent hours with feeding slieep In the Big Horn mountains of Wyoming. But, strangely enough, his favorite yarn concerns the heart of Chicago in-stead of the great open spaces. "In 1928," Charlie tells, "down-town Chicago had numerous banks and many bank vice presidents. De-spite their numbers, however, some of the latter were obsessed of e. One of these I recall. "He lived fashionably on the north shore, commuting dally to the loop. One crisp morning he discov-ered the family cat dead at his back door. It was only 18 paces to a small garden but the banker re-volted at being seen burying a cat. He wrapped the carcass in oiled pa-per, Intending, to cast It into the Chicago river which he always crossed downtown. .; "Two friends joined him at tfie river's edge, which meant that the parcel was cached In an empty safe deposit box at the bank. "Homeward bound, the banker retrieved his demised animal, plan-ning quick interment on recrosslng the river. Once again, however, friends accompanied him. He boarded a crowded train, placed his ghastly parcel In a lugajje rack. "At his station, the banker seized a brown-pape- r parcel and bolted. Swallowing pride, he decided on burial In the garden. But when he opened the parcel there was a steak which an un-known but com-muter had selected." Q Western Newspaper Union. - - - o Phone as your news Items. Call fit- - During the World War the base-ball team of the Battleship U. S. S. Pennsylvania won the champion-ship of the Atlantic Fleet. This was not much of a surprise as practical-ly the entire Boston Red Sox team was wearing the uniform of the ship. as playground supervisor of Jordan school district visited at the recrea-tional center at the Central school Thursday morning. Mr. Ballard pressed himself as being very much impressed with the number if children participating in the pro-gram. Mr. Ballard complimented the girls who are supervising the work on the excellent progiam they have worked out . ... Mr. O. D. Ballard, Jordan high c school instructor in his capacity YOUTH KILLED, SEVEN INJURED IN CRASH (Continued from Page 1) slightly bulged, but the interior was said to be splintered. After the victims were taken from the scene of the crash the caboose .was removed from the track and rolled down Dry Fork canyon. Injured Improving All of the injured were reported Thursday to be Improving. The two most seriously hurt, John Hayes, brakeman, and J. A. Mar-shall, conductor were said by at-taches at St. Mark's hospital to be in "good" condition. Pending reports of the investiga-tors the wreck was unexplained. Mr. Ed. Alder spent Wednesday in Salt Lake City. |