Salt Lake Telegram | 1905-04-20 | Page 1 | Probably Fatal Cutting Affray; Victoria Alley in Scene of Bloody Fight

PROBAEL? FATAL GUTTING -. AFFR AY; VICTORIA ALLEY IN SCENE OF; BLOODY FIGHT Ethel Decker, in Jealous Fury, Slashes E. A. James; Woman Wo-man in Jail; Victim May Not Recover. One of the bloodiest cutting scrapes that has excited the tenderloin of Salt Lake occurred .this afternoon about 1 o'clock, when a negress, living at 67 Victoria alley, cut and clashed "E. A. James, a negro, so badly with a knife that he may die. James was cut frightfully about the head, and face, back arms and chest and was lying on the floor of the house bleeding profusely from his wounds when the police arrived. Claims Self-Defensei The Decker woman was arrested and taken to Jail where she admitted doing the cutting, but claimed that it was in , self-defense, as James attacked her first . and she merely defended herself. In proof of her statement she exhibited several slight cut on her hands. The trouble Is said to have started from a trivial quarrel between the two. After bandying words for several minutes min-utes threats' were made and the razor with which the cutting was done was drawn. It is said by denizens of the -alley that James, who' has been calling to see the Decker woman for some time, was extremely Jealous of her and had threatened her at various times If she did not "cut out" the other metf who came to see her. No one seemed to know exactly who ' started the cutting and nothing could be learned further than the statement made by the Decker woman at the po- " lice station that she had merely defended de-fended herself from the attack of -James. Woman Is Locked Up. The woman was sullen when taken to the station and refused to make any other statement regarding the trouble. She Mas locked up and will be he!4 pending the result of James injuries. James was loaded Into the patrol wagon along with the woman when the ' arrest was made, and taken to the station, sta-tion, where his wounds were givenat- tentlon. V The back of his head was badly cut, and there are several wounds on his face. His arms and chest are also slashed with the razor, and there Is a" deep wound in through the muscles of his back. . The surgeons who dressed his wounds say that in spite of the serious nature of his Injuries there Is a chance of recovery re-covery unless Internal bleeding, or blood poison sets in.