Salt Lake Telegram | 1941-08-19 | Page 5 | Martyred Policemen of Salt Lake

J MARTYRED POLICEMEN OF SALT LAKE LAKE- Transients s Shot Officer as He ale Tried To Force Them There to Leave Town Editors Editor's note nole This ThIN Is No 7 In a of artl Salt of the deaths of lake City policemen In duty the line of Reach P Patrolman David H. H Crowther brought the police car to to toa a halt as a revolver barrel prodded him himin himin himin in the ribs Instead of raising his hands Patrolman C Crowther row the r plunged an arm into the car door pocket in which a pistol was con con- Before he could draw the weapon weapon wea wea- pon a bullet crashed through his skull His body was dragged from the automobile and thrown face down in a pool of water at the edge of Jordan river near West South Temple street Two days later officers searching searching search search- ing for the missing patrolman and his car found th the murdered man Police of surrounding states were asked to watch for the missing automobile Arrested Transients Ludlow Cal Cat officers spotted the car on the following day and arrested arrested arrested ar ar- ar- ar rested its three occupants transients tran tran- Ralph Ralph 20 Joseph 20 and Geor George Georee e Wil- Wil liams Iiams 19 The three men were returned to Utah to face charges of automobile automobile automobile automo automo- bile theft heft and for investigation into the murder of the patrolman As police reconstructed the crime Patrolman Crowther had picked up the three men in the hobo jungles jungles jun jun- gies o on the west side along Jordan river He ordered them into hiscar his hiscar hiscar car and was taking them to the railroad yards where he intended to see them aboard the first outbound outbound outbound out out- bound freight train On the way to the yards Sey Sey- boldt decided to steal seal eal the car ordered ordered ordered or or- dered the officer to halt and shot him him when he resisted two companions helped him hide the body and rode with him to toC C California Admitted Shooting Shooting- questioned here admitted admitted admitted ad ad- the shooting but claimed he was alone at the time of the murder on October r 12 1923 In April 1924 and Williams were convicted of second degree murder and were sentenced to life imprisonment was convicted convicted convicted con con- of first degree murder and was sentenced to face a firing squad on July 5 1924 A bitter legal fight followed appealed to the supreme court winning a stay of execution His appeal was denied and date was set for May 29 1925 The late Governor George H. H D Dern rn on May 28 granted a 30 r. r Y t 1 r. r f r I 1 y J bt s i q o 4 r s PRISON FIRING SQUAD AVENGED HIS DEATH Patrolman David avid H. H Crowthers His Isis body found in pool day reprieve so the pardons board could consider his case The board denied plea for commutation of sentence to life imprisonment October 23 1925 was set as the day for tion Another reprieve was granted grant grant- ed and another clemency plea was denied January 15 1926 was fixed as execution n day Killer Imler Executed Attorneys for pleaded with the pardons board all the day of January 14 to no avail The firing squad blasted out life avenging Patrolman Crowthers Crowthers Crowther's Growther's Crowth Growth ers er's murder on the morning of J January an uary 15 Williams and Mar nga served six years of their life sentence and were paroled I