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Show Miner Commits Suicide In Utah County Jail Fllll TRIES FAIL: 111 HANGS SELF Man Apparently Temporarily Deranged Leads Officers a Hectic Chase During Afternoon; After-noon; Wife Survives. Four times James E. Fer-rUsen Fer-rUsen of Santaquin attempted suicide Tuesday evening, but it was not until the fifth attempt at-tempt that he was successful in taking his own life. His dead body was found Wednesday Wednes-day morning in a cell of the Utah county jail, where he had hung himself. Fcrguscn was lodged in the worn- , ens cell at the county jail shortly before midnight Tuesday, after he had made four unsuccessful attempts at-tempts during the evening to end his life. At 1:30 a. rn. Deputy Sheriff Sher-iff Joseph McKcll, night shernf. went to the ceTi in response to a request for a drink of. water. Fcr-gusen Fcr-gusen went back to sleep at that time. Deputy McKell reported, but when he visited the cell at 5:o Wednesday morning ho found the dead man's body dangling from the bars of the cell. i During the night Ferguson had ripped sheets in strips and improvised improv-ised a rope, which he used to cn-1 his life. Tieing a slip-knot in the sheet, which he placed around his Ihrot, he then stood on a bench and fastened the other end of the sheet to the bars. Stepping from the bench, the rope apparently tightened until life was extinct. Slashes Throat Fergusen'a first attempt to com- . init suicide came at 5 o'clock Tues- j day evening as he was driving his . car toward Salt Lake in company j Willi his wife, Grace McKay Fer- Kus.n. Nearing Pleasant Grove, Fergusen slashed his throat in two places with a saf'-ty razor blade, slightly cutting one of the arteries. Immediately after he stopped the cur and jumped directly in the pnth of an approaching car. State Traffic Officer G. E. Van Wagcnen arrived on. the scene just at this moment. The car avoided hitting Fcrguscn, who was dragged to siifety by Van Wagenen. He" was rushed to Pleasant Grove where Dr. O. E. Grua closed the wounds, which, necessitated five atitches. After medical attention was given, Officer Van Wagcnen accompanied by Aichie Peterson, started to Provo with the man. Grabs Pistol Shortly atter leaving Pleasant Grove, Ferguson grabbed Van Wag-encn's Wag-encn's pistol and pointing the barrel bar-rel toward his head, pulled the trigger three times. Previous re-. re-. moval of the cartridges by the of-, of-, ficer again frustrated Fergusen's plans. I As the trio neared George Strat-ton's Strat-ton's home on Provo Bench. Ferguson Fergu-son made a leap through the plate glass window of the car. hitting the pavement head first. Rolling over Uiree or four times, he commenced to run away from the officers. He was overtaken and placed in the ' Jewell Tea company's truck, and lushed to the Aird hospital, where - more than 50 stitches were needed to close the wounds on his head. ( After medical attention was given he was taken to the State .Hospital, but on account of the fact I that proper papers were not pre- I seated, he was not permitted to remain re-main and was later taken to the county jail. Ferguson was recently employed nt the Park Premier-Utah mine in Eureka, where he labored as a Umbcrer. His home was originally in Eureka, where he has worked the greatest share of his life. Since his marriage he has lived at Santa-tpiin. Santa-tpiin. Besides his wife, he is survived sur-vived by two children. It was reported by Traffic Offi-C(,f Offi-C(,f Van Wagenen and Deputy Sheriff ira Packer, that Ferguson tt'ns rational during his attempts lt) end his life, hut was suffering from nervous breakdown. Family difficulties arc believed to be the motive of the suicide, as it was reported re-ported that he and his wife had , separated, but recently had a rc-'"r.ci rc-'"r.ci nation. ( |