| Show J 4 I 1 k t t I 1 I 1 r 9 I 1 I 1 I 1 WI tragedy I 1 li enacted fil at k S ili fim I 1 i f 1 FAMILY TROUBLE mrs rockwell ran ean off with wm ritter THE FOLLOWS accompanied by his brother brollier falen shot in the deadly duel both are still alive an unhappy home a cifes infidelity and a jealous distracted husband are the leading features of provos latest tragedy two meu are lying at the county jail one with a bullet ballet through the breist and another with a rifle ball in the head as a gruesome final to the gun play the story as learned by our representative senta tive from a number of sources is as follows about six years ago john rockwell married ida jenkins a former nephi girl and one of twin sisters the couple moved to vernon in rush valley tooele thoele county god blessed their union with three happy healthy children elecie aad 5 4 grant aged 4 and Agnes aged 2 it 11 is ia said eaid that idaway ida was unhappy and her folks say it was mainly because her husband was given to drink something Bome oyer over a year ago william ritter appeared on the scene and the Rock wells say he has the reputation ot at quinine women he was with another mans mana wife who now resides in provo so BO they charge bat john bosewell Bos Roi kwell trusted ritter hitter 1 I was about the only one on vernon he said I 1 who would allow the scamp about his premises 73 ritter Is young bud and unmarried with a pleasing face fa cedars barz darz brown eyes and a graceful mustache his mother lives over in rush valley where ritter has been supporting her it appears that mrs john rockwell fell in love with ritter bitter and together they planned a removal from vernon creek what other plans they had are not revealed the attachment spoken of is evidenced by the following letters found by sheriff brown in ritters Rit tera coat tue the handwriting of the first two has baa been identified by john rockwell rock well as aa that of his hia wife we copy verbatim dearest will I 1 have been looking all day for some on a horse but I 1 see there is known one comming I 1 guess you have had such a nice time at you nave have forgot all about me else never minde if I 1 once get sight ht of you I 1 will reminds you von of some soma else I 1 thought I 1 would get this wrote so BO you would not have any thing to pick a quarrel with me about IL 1 am almost dy dying ing to see you will so BO it if I 1 ge get out of patience give von a ing von voa will ditl have hava to took look oyer ove r it I 1 know you dont want to see ees me half as bad as I 1 do yon but never minde I 1 bet you will the next time you yea see me I 1 donat known whether you can read this for or elects agness is standing by the I 1 table well I 1 will close jc hope when I 1 getup get up from the table I 1 will sed see you yon commine are I 1 will go crazy tear this letter up no more this time your earnest love good bye will the other letter is in lead pen pencil in the same handwriting and aad reads as follows vernon my dearest will you yon must mast not get mad at my neglect fullness but will it is not because I 1 dont love you yon for god only knows it if I 1 loved any more than I 1 do I 1 would gi ga crazy araza about yon yan will I 1 love you yoa to death I 1 was just thinking last iasi L night nh i u will was wai onla here hare I 1 wand give albe world all I 1 ever saw if we only was waa together to zether but will I 1 know you vet awful mad at me but god only knows I 1 cannot help it but I 1 hope when we do get toz together effier we will be bap happy py will if you yon should say anything to hurt my feelings after we was married it would kill me for I 1 would think YOU yon did not love me will I 1 loye love worship warship you von I 1 will show you yon alter alter a a white I 1 hope you yon do me for I 1 never would want to live if we could conid not agree I 1 would turn torn right light bad for I 1 would love you yoo so I 1 will close cloae for this time to my earnest love will x x x x x the following letter was also in the coat which had bad evidently never been rent it was waa poorly written with a lead pencil and the ep ellins linz is ia bad wei we give it verbatim may 29 th 96 1 my littel honey hocey i will drop 5 aon on a few lines aud and TOU ton had better have me a letter wrote ahm n i come down or thero there will be in our family oh ida i am sleepy it was lost just sonrisa when i got here th a morning mornine and i have been working all day it is 53 nine and ill bet you are in bed bv this time and i will 1 he s soon but i wish i was in the same bed that you yon are in i dont know how we are going to manage for you bead you wanted to start next monday and i have got to go to tooele thoele monday and cant get back antill tuesday i never thought to tell you when i was down how are we going to manage that can you tell me for i wont want let any one else take you to the track and i am afraid to let you stev in vernon to long for some one might gome come down and you bet i cant stand that cant you git redy bedy to 0 go well every thing thine seems lively here now sweet sweetheart beart and i think i am going to be luckey this summer and it ie s just u st the summer that i need to be au luckey c key well bye bye little pet i am sleepy s X x x x i X X X the trip to provo spoken en of in the last letter was commenced last tuesday ritter bitter drove the woman and her children through to provo prove from rush kush valley in a day john rockwell the husband ot of the fleeing wife left home in a nur Dur state of mind laet sunday to 0 work at a mine and said he ha hardly slept for two nights after leaving home in fact face I 1 did not want to leave come 11 says saya he but one of the partners of the mine urged ine ae so to go that I 1 could not refuse him did you suspect your cifes wrong doing not until recently and then I 1 felt a little suspicious but bat I 1 never thought she would go with that fellow for she knows hia file character so well wednesday rockwell heard beard of his cifes departure he returned home and was nearly distracted one of the neighbors feared he would commit suicide and kept a watch on him his brother david had bad similar fears there was talk of a divorce proceedings but in consultation with the justice of the peace a friend of johns he was told there was not evidence enough to pro care divorce you yon had better follow them john he said and maybe YOU can evidence on that advice john rockwell claims he acted he hitched up a buirgy put pat a smith wesson revolver in his hia pocket and started out david rockwell w wanted anted to ta go with him 1 I fear you might need me along with you yoa he said to his bis brother and john says that david feared a suicide they drove through from hugh talley thursday stopping to inquire at a ranch where the wife and ritter bitter had camped ranchman drove down in the brush and stayed for noon john says the brush brash was so high that the whole wagon was wae hidden from liaw both parties however drove through in a day sestet Yeste yesterday day iday evening the men met at the west end of provo the Koc brothers had baa been to the saloons first wid aid taken a couple or three drinks ritter had also been drin kinz some he was intending to start back for rush valley but bat mrs jenkins Jen Sing mother of john Roe wife asked him to get her some coal before going it if it had bad not been for that little accommodation he be would probably have been out of the city ritter bitter was unloading the coal at mrs jenkinss place when the Rock wells found him john came up first and drawing his smith wesson revolver on ritter hitter said I 1 you have wrecked my life you s of a b and I 1 have come to kill you yon ritter bitter replied AU all right shoot way away john held the revolver on him a minute so curs cursing irig the while finally he said no I 1 will not shoot you yon you are not worth killing gome come down you yon a of a b and I 1 will take satisfaction out oat of you I 1 john threw down his revolver and began pulling lis hia coat in the mean time dav david d rockwell had come up and dup the th revolver he also algo swore at ritter ashing it my brother wont kill you I 1 will you dirty s cur car ritter told him him to blaze away and david did bending a pistol ball through th rough ritters hitters breast the ball entered in the cen center ter of the bret breast and came out ont under the right sho uller blade rister then ra reached ached down doan and D cad up from the bottom ot of his bia wagon bed a 40 calibre winchester rifle and quicker than it askee to tell it sent a ball through david Rock wells head bead it entered just below the right eje in the cheek bone and ranged down lodging in in t the he right base of 0 the tha brain david fa fell I 1 t like a shot beef but ritter kilter still remained in the wagon ready for action john then ran up and caught the tha ale of the rifle pulling ritter bitter iron his his wagon A ensued for the 7 gun un 9 but bat ritter was w as too weak to ta retain his grasp lorinz his hia riffle he began to run ran and john fohn ad the rifle once at him on tho the empty shell he seemed too excited to throw in a fresh cart aridea alte abe j jones ones willis willie robbing bobbins and mrs cochrin cochran saw the whole fracas and john johnson and ad robbins came up cp in time to see eee david fall david rockwell told the first two to stand bland back and they did getting behind M mrs rs jenkins house bonsa when the firing commenced all agree that the pistol was waa first fired john tamed aton at once ceto to his wounded brother and ana abe jones got ritter over to tom Coch Oo chrans rants place where he lay down on the lawn it WM wee a frightful fright fa 1 sight algat which met the officers and spectators eight the tha enquirer reporter was waa early on the J ground and began talking with the ex john had his bia cited participants brother davida head in his lap and his hia clothes and hands were being bathed in al 0 O I 1 why blood john W waa moaning nin did you corae come D dave ve why did you yoa come this is ill awful she was wag not worth the sacrifice flee etc david WAS as ur ley lay ritter gaso also bleed A block away IL a piar ig H he s was waa wanting ranting to know if there was any chance to re coyer cover c they shot first I 1 he said do yoa von think they can cinch me what do yett yea think about it that was waa the strain ot at his conversation dr taylor was first ol of tho the medical fraternity to reach the ground and believing david dying the sheriff had bad him attend first to ritter dr allen alien shortly afterwards arrived and began drabing arobine in the wound of the other man locating tho the bullet ballet both were taken to the county jail where they now are lying ritter in one room david with john in attendance in the other david was conscious this morning and murmured words to his brother he asked often for water and once wanted to know what the doctor thought ot at the wound ritter was looking bright but had nothing gothing to say when asked if he be did oot not bring ida over to get a divorce and marry her he refused to answer but bat she seemed to loye love by letters she wrote was suz suggested 1 I will not talk until antill I 1 see counsel conn sal said ritter mrs rockwell Koc kwell also had nothing to say when called on her mother said I 1 11 1 I sent for ida to come home because sho she was waa beina abased all know whit the Rock wells Us are this man ritter bitter I 1 do not know he has haa acted a gentle around here the rockwell Koc kwell brothers othera br are sons eona of old porter rockwell well known in pioneer giltory big bil tory david has a wife and two children his wife it is reported is now in delicate health the wounded man may recover but the odds are against him drs allen alien richards and taylor made made a critical examination this after noon and may perform an operation to take out ont the bullet if possible in order to a hold john rockwell sheriff brown swore out ont a complaint against him bin last evening charging attempted murder the preliminary bearing will be before justice demoisy |
