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Show Assailant Held In County Jail Pleads Defense Quarrel Over Parking Place Leads To First Murder in Provo in More Than 5 Years; Inquest in Progress This Afternoon Slushed five times in the chest and abdomen during a stabbing affray at the Orem depot Monday night, Murray "Bing" Crosby, 23, Yellow Cab driver, died at the Aird hospital hos-pital at 11:30 p. m. His assailant, Carl Rogers, 2G, Red Cab driver, is a prisoner pris-oner at the county jail, held without bail while awaiting his : i. 1- Knife Victim hi i ciiiiiiiiciiL. unue trciny Luui,y said Rogers had confessed to wielding a small pocket knife with which he inflicted five wounds an Crosby, one of them proving fatal. Inquest into the case began at 2 o'clock today in Judge Don R Ellertson's court." Jurymen, ac. companied by the judge, attorney, attor-ney, and County Physician Stanley Stan-ley Clark, will view the body, following fol-lowing which charges to be preferred pre-ferred against Rogers will be heard at that time. Police, who , took Rogers into custody last night, are holding him on a temnorarv chartre oi ! ii' " if Murray "bing" crosb "assault with a deadly weapon." Immediately after the tragedy Crosby was rushed in an ambulance to Aird hospital, but he died even as Dr. W. Woolf sought vainly to preserve life. The knifing had disemboweled disem-boweled him, and in addition to four cuts in the abdomen, Crosby suffered superficial cuts on his chest. His only remark, re-mark, attendants said, was "I am dying." ' Crosby is manned and the father of a baby boy. His wife, formerly Melba Almira Johnson of Springville, spent a sleepless night, but was bearing up well this morning. Her mother, Mrs. Oliver Johnson of 56 South Sixth East, was with her. The Crosbys live at 74 North Fourth East. While the mother wept this morning, the baby, little Guy LeRoy Crosby, who was but seven months old Sunday, slept on in his grandmother's arms, unmindful of the tragedy trage-dy that had taken his father. Rogers Tells His Story The knifing occurred at the cab stand in front of the Orem station shortly before 10 p. m. Rogers told police he was sitting in his cab awaiting the 9:30 train and cleaning his sfinger nails with the knife. He told Officers Ren L. Thompson and O. E. Pedersen that he got out of his Calj and walked over to where Crosby was and slapped him on the back. He said, they reported, that Crosby started to "cuss" him. Previously Clifford Waid, Red Cab company owner, had asked Rogers to take Mrs. Waid and Verda Gren home.. Rogers said. As they got into the cab, Rogers reported Crosby Cros-by was doing the swearing. Rogers told police he' was going to get into the cab to take the two women home, when Crosby Cros-by came around and jumped onto him. He said he started to fight back, officers said. Rogers said he had the knife in his hand, but could not remember if he struck Crosby with it. Later he told Officer Thompson he knew what he had done. Asked which blade of the knife he had used, he stated "the small one," they reported. One of the blades was 21i inches long, the other IV2 inches. Both were quite sharp and pointed. I Rogers Appears At Headquarters - Immediately after the affray, Rogers went to the police station and stated he wanted to swear out a complaint against Crosby. Noting a cut on Rogers' head, Officer Thompson asked if perhaps they had not better take care of the wound first. Meanwhile Traffic Sergeant Pedersen phoned in telling (Continued on Page Six) i TAXIGAB DRIVER FATALLY STABBED IN KNIFE AFFRAY (Continued from Page Two) Thompson of the crowd about the cab stand, and learning that Kogers was at the police station, went on to Aird hospital. hos-pital. Kogers was put under arrest, surrendered the knife, ami "made a clean confession of the whole thing," Officer Thompson reported. Rogers is temporarily booked on the charge of "assault with a deadly weapon." h'ye Witnesses' Account Six persons wore listed as witnesses to the fight, including in-cluding Mrs. Waid, Miss Gren, Vern Clark of Belmont apartments; apart-ments; Rill Roylance, Orem station employee; N. McBride, and George . Henderson, 185 South First West. Mr. Henderson related this morning to the Herald that he noted the two engaged in what seemed to him to be a friendly scuffle. He crossed into Center street, where a passing car caused him to glance back. As he did so, he saw Crosby slump over the fender. Fearing something was wrong, he dashed to the car, where he found the dying youth. Doctor and ambulance were summoned. Henderson, a friend of the family, solicited one of the cabs and drove to tell Mr. Johnson, Crosby's father-in-law, of the accident. Both the Johnsons and Mrs. Crosby were present when the youthful driver expired. Asked if any bad blood existed between Crosby and Rogers, Mrs. Crosby replied that she had never heard her husband comment on Rogers, only that he had said that a new driver had started for Waid, referring to Rogers. She said her husband had commented on having difficulties over parking problems at other times, but she did not consider the matter serious. Crosby had only been driving for a month and a half here. He was born in Milford November 5 2, liiKS, but early went to Beaver- with his family. He - was a student at Beaver high school. He came to the Rock Canyon CCC camp and worked there for 22 months, then left to take employment em-ployment in the Kimberly gold while he was at the CCC camp that he met his future wife. They mal-ried September 5, 11)35, in Logan L. D. S. temple. Crosby was the son of Mr. Guy LeRoy Crosby of Beaver. His mother is dead. . Four brothel's and two sisters also survive: Allan of Kimberly, Garth and Gainell of Beaver, and No; man of Salt Lake City; Mrs. S. E. Thompson of Beaver and Mrs. Effie Taylor of Springville. Funeral services will he Thursday Thurs-day at 2 p. m., in Springville Ti-.ird ward with Bishop Will Whitney presiding. Interment will be in Springville under direction of the Claudin funeral home. |