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Show The Park Record Wed/Thurs/Fri, July 27-29, 2005 A-9 Personal Paragraphs- The way we were Valine, Brett engaged --r-r COURTESY PARK CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM Shootout at the Palmer cabin By Barbara Martz On July 30. 1895, two young Park City men, Patsy Coughlin and Fred George, were holed up in Ernest Palmer's abandoned cabin in southern Rich County. The boys had fled Park City three weeks earlier to avoid arrest and a $20 fine for stealing strawberries from a peddler on Main Street. On the run, they added to their trouble by stealing a horse in Salt Lake City, and exchanging gunshots with Summit County Sheriff John Harrington near Wanship. Harrington sent a telegram to Constable Thomas Stagg of Echo, advising him to be on the lookout for the fugitives. When word came from the town of Wahsatch that Patsy and Fred were hiding out at the Palmer cabin. Constable Stagg formed a posse with three men from Evanston, Wyo., and set out to find the boys. Arriving about 3 a.m., the posse surrounded the cabin and waited for Patsy and Fred to show themselves. The Michael Valine and Kirsten Brett plan was to arrest the boys when they went for their horses. Unfortunately, nothing went according to plan, and the events that followed ended in tragedy. Shortly after arriving at the cabin. Constable Stagg lay dead from a gunshot to the head, and Edward Dawes was mortally wounded when a bullet struck him in the shoulder. Those present during the shootout told different stones of what happened at the cabin. Bob CaJverly and Red Taylor, the two surviving posse members, testified that Patsy opened the door of the cabin and aimed his rifle at Taylor as he took a drink from a spring. Calvcrly fired at Patsy to save Taylors life, and then the battle began. According to Taylor, the posse fired 25 shots into the cabin. Then a shot coming from the cabin window struck Dawes. Taylor ran to find Stagg. heard a gunshot and saw Stagg fall. By this time Calverly and Taylor were out of ammunition and headed back to Evanston for reinforcements. On Aug. 3, The Park Record reported, "When reinforcements arrived, officers, after riddling the cabin with bullets - the purpose of which has not yet been explained - took up the trail and followed the fugitives to Ogden..." Neither Patsy nor Fred took the witness stand in their defense, but Patsy's story was that the boys were asleep in the cabin when they came under heavy fire from the posse. Their only choice was to fight or be killed. Fred loaded the rifles, and Patsy fired back through the cabin window, shooting Dawes in self-defense. Patsy claimed that he never fired at Constable Stagg. Fred said that both boys, too frightened to do anything, hid on the cabin floor until the shooting stopped, then crawled out the window in time to see Taylor and Calvcrly heading for their wagon. According to Fred, Stagg and Dawes were killed in the heavy crossfire as bullets flew around and through the flimsy cabin walls. The jury believed the posse, and Patsy and Fred were found guilty of the murder of Edward Dawes. They were not tried for the murder of Constable Stagg. Fred was sentenced to life in prison and later pardoned. Patsy was executed by a firing squad. Most likely, we will never discover what really happened during the shootout at the Palmer cabin. Perhaps those present during the shootoul could not accurately recall the events, considering the chaos that followed that first predawn gunshot. Wouldn't you like to know what the evidence would have revealed if modern crime scene investigation techniques had been available in 1895? Whose bullet struck Dawes? Or Constable Slagg? What do you think? Walt and Candy Brett of Park City are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Kirsten Condas Brett, to Michael Roy Valine, son of Vcrnon and Diana Valine of Napa, Calif. Kirsten, a graduate of Ramona High School in San Diego, attended California State University. Long Beach, where she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in communication studies. She is currently working on her multiple subject teaching credential and her master of arts in education at Chapman University. Michael, a graduate of JustinSienna High School in Napa, attended University of California at Davis where he graduated with a bachelor of science degree in landscape architecture. He currently works for Urban Arena, a landscape architecture and planning firm in San Diego. The two plan to marry in the summer of 2006 at The Lodge at Torrcy Pines in La Jolla, Calif. - -Getting married?^ % Park Record will include i in Personal Paragraphs... ; and mmmm it/s teei y: mB £§£ E-mail kat@parkrecord.com An Elegant Community Benefit at St. Mary s uima GOU)i:NU< MIRSCII 1N\ I A A A 4 DIAMOND RATING) BISTRO TOUJOURS Till; CANYONS US DI;SSI;RT amtna To the Live Music of the Glenn Miller Orchestra JO/A, YOU PLAY 200Z uf 6: JO Summer Formal Attire Black-tie Optional YOUR PRODUCTIVITY JUST WENT UP. .. Up to Coltonwood ai Newpark, Park City's beautiful, new professional office complex surrounded by INCLUDES COCKTAILS W W W A V < \ I I. M i L i PAfRINOS [ O R I' I i R (. 11 A S |-' exciting shopping, restaurants and recreation. Miles and miles of trails within steps, three world-class ski resorts within minutes. It's a great way to work. RESERVATIONS LIMITED CALL 435.649.9676 • • • • 60,000 sq. ft. of professional offices From $20.50 sq. ft. N'NM Plenty of parking Minutes from world-class skiing Miles ol adjacent trails Seconds from Redstone Village, County Recreation Center, Swaner Nature Preserve Occupancy January 2006, Call Janet Vise to be among the first tenants! 4 3 5 - 7 7 6 - 7 4 0 0 (Park City) • 801 - 3 6 5 - 6 2 0 0 (SLQ I COTTONWOOD at NEWPARK (Kimbail Junction, Park City) www.cottonwoodpartncrs.com |