Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-12-21 | Page 18 | Fires at Thieves; Boy Wounds One

FIRES AT THIEVES; BQY WOOiS 01 Youth Stops Attempt to Make Way With Pure- Bred Chickens. Firing at a pair of chicken thieves who attempted to steal some of his father's pure-bred stock, while other members of the family were away, 15-year-old Kdward Atkins, son of T. St. Lcger Atkins, 9 13 South Seventh East street, inflicted wounds on one of the men. A trail of blcod traceable for half a block may land the miscreants in the hands of the sheriff. According to the lad's father, the two would-be thieves have been loitering about his premises nearly every night for more than a week and were well quainted with the vicinity. Last night, Mr. Atkins taid, the thieves put iu an appearance about 6 o'clock, while the boy was alone in the home. He telephoned at once for his father and went out to meet the marauders with a shotgun, encountering en-countering them Mfi they were entering the coot. At h command to surrender, they turned a flashlight on the. boy and made derisive remarks about his nerve. When they caught .sight of the gun, however, they look to flight, just as the youth emptied a barrel in theii direction. leputy Sheriffs W. L. Goodsell, Jopjih Turnbow and J. T. Raleigh were called by Mr. Atkins and traced the thieves to an empty cellar on an adjoining lt, where the pair stopped to dress the wounds of the injured one. after which they made their way to tho nt reet pome distanco to the northeast, where a watting watt-ing automobile enabled them to escape. Tho officers said tho nature of the bloody trail convinced them the man had been shot in lbn legs. Young Atkins was unable to get a clear view of the intruders owing to the darkness, dark-ness, but said they were both men, one of them very tall and the other of ordinary or-dinary height. Their abi I it y to escape led the officers In believe they were well acquainted with the nefiihborhood.