| Show PROVO SHOOTING CASE provo june 1896 david Rc rockwell kwell and wm ritter bitter bein lie in the county jail dangerously wounded rockwell wound is ie believed bal be leven lieven to be lata ista bialle there are favorable chances for ritter bitter to recover ritter bitter was shot through the body by rockwell he returned the fire and shot not rockwell io in the bead it was waa oot not expected that rockwell bock pell coula have lived through the night but towards morning he became conscious and roe rec his brother joho john hla his first words were III ave iva been very sick 11 he fie then asked for a drink of water doctor allen alien came over early and expressed an opinion that the man might live ritter bitter was resting easy and said he be felt quite well with the exception of a pain in his hie right side bide where his wound la is about halt half past six last evening the citizens in the southwest part of town were startled by the report of two shots shote fired in rapid succession when the people of the neighborhood arrived at the place of the shooting they saw aw david rockwell Boo kwell lying on the ground ground wounded in the lead head and william illiam biter running across the block he stopped on mr thomas Co cochrane cochrans Coo brans chrans law n D and mr 1 came to his aid found that he was badly wounded a cot was made tor for him on the lawn where he rested till ti 11 the doctor arrived the news of the shooting spread rapidly and a large crowd of POWs people gathered from all parts of the city brown deputy fowler and city marshal marsdal saara were among the first to arrive they had lett felt word for doctors to follow chent but it was some owe time before the doctors came and messengers on bicycles were sent up town with instructions to secure the me attendance of physicians as soan so an BB an possible in the meantime the excited people were moving from one to the other of the injured men horror borror eriken by the sight of two young juan apparently wounded to deatti death john R bickwell sobbing mobbing and lament ing woe was wiping the blood from the see oe of his bis brother david who was unconscious the ballet had entered his right cheek under the eye and lodged somewhere in the back of the flood bead ritter bitter had bad been shot in the haht breast a few inches below the collar bone and the bullet passed through adough his body and came out below the e shoulder boulder blade he exhibited a great amount of nerve and gave cireo hone to have his mother in vernon and od sister who lives in lehi Lehl notified of 0 bill condition and la in speaking of the foray to the bystanders explained that u was no to blame dr taylor was the be first physician to lif tive he be dressed ritter ritters s wound and told old him that he had bad a good chance to recover re with which opinion bitter agreed dr allen alien and or dr pike came oon after and dr alton allen tools took charge ot of rockwell Boo kwell none of the doctors thought there was any possible chance for or recovery both men were taken to abs tbs county jail where cots were maue matie lot or them and they were made as corn com triable as possible the story of the encounter and what ad d to it as near as can be learned lip in 48 follows follow tv john and david rockwell Boo kwell and wm win uter live in vernon thoele tooele county ome time ago john rockwell Book Is wife wrote to her mother mrs hire richard bichard jenkins in this city that she wanted to TO come home borne for the reason that her bar band was not treating her bar well and Pla ined ned that she could get a man to as K bet home by giving her bar cook ove or doing doin geo so mrs jenkins adi 11 her to come and tuesday morn aih mrs rockwell and her three little fahren left vernon with william er who brought them to her bar mo mother therlo home in provo where they arrived wednesday at the time she be left her husband was away from home and she abe lett left a note for him bim telling tailing him where she had gone he oame came home the same day she left nod and determined to follow her bar his brother david want ed to ta come with him to which john ob objected I 1 acted at first but finally the two brothers brot bere started for provo and reached here yesterday ater a afternoon tern noon they drank more or less leee liquor when they hey came to town own and then started out to find bitter ritter bitter was wae unloading some coal at the home of mrs mra jenkins when the Bio Rc kwell boys drove up they tied their team and walked up to the wagon where bitter was unloading the coal john rockwell book well had bad a pistol in his bis hand band be spoke to ritter bitter and asked him what in he meant referring to bringing mrs rockwell Boo kwell away ritter bitter made some reply and a great deal of angry talk was indulged IP IF some young men who were at work near the place heard beard the loud talking and began to gather around buethe but the rockwell Bock boys boy ordered them away and 1 they left hurriedly as an one of them expressed it 1 I nearly broke my neck getting away during this talk ritter bitter invited john rockwell Boo kwell to shoot and not keep him ritter bitter in suspense john said bald he be did not want to kill ritter bitter but wanted him to come off the wagon aud and light fight david Rockwall Boo kwell was urging john to shoot busjohn but john lo insisted stated he be did not went want to kill ritter bitter david grabbed the pistol from jotin jonn saying give sigive me the pistol lill ill him bitter stooped down to get a winchester rifle which he be had in the he wagon and as ae he raised up david fired striking bitter in the breast ritter bitter immediately fired brad at david the ball striking him in the face ritter bitter then ran toward cocbrane Coc brana place and john picked up bittera Bitt erd rifle and snapped it at him as aa he ran but the cartridge tailed to explode bitter is 27 years of age and unmarried david rockwell bockwell to la 86 85 years of age ag he has a wife and two children living in vernon john rockwell Boo kwell Is a year older then than david the rockwell Boo kwell boys are son of we late book well mrs john rockwell Boo kwell feels very badly over the affair and could not be interviewed but her mother claims that she abe has been very badly treated by her bar husband nod and Is afraid of him that be has bus tailed failed to provide for hr ber h r aud the children and that the only left tor for her tu to do was to come away from him john rockwell bockwell Boo kwell claims he be has more serious reasons for angry feelings towards ritter bitter than the fact that he be took mrs rockwell Boo kwell and her children to provo but this to is denied by ritter bitter ritter bitter bad been warned that ibe Bock Rock wells welle were coming over and that no doubt explains the reason for his having a gun in the wagon he bad also been drinking heavily before the rockwell book well boys came up the following letters were found in the clothing of mr ritter bitter toey are john rockwell bockwell says saya that two of them addressed addres bed to will were written by his bis joans Job johnd ns wife and the abe third letter was evidently written by a man and Js is supposed to have been written by ritter bitter and not mailed at ter ritter bitter was waa wounded be appeared very anxious about the letters let tere my dearest will you must not get mad at my neglectfulness but will it la in not because I 1 dout dont love you for god only knows it if I 1 love any more than I 1 do I 1 would go crazy about you will I 1 love you to death was just thinking last night inight oh ob if will was only here I 1 would give the world and all I 1 ever saw if we only was together but will I 1 know you got get awful mad at me but god only knows I 1 help it but I 1 hope when we do net met together we wll wil be happy will it if you should any aay any thing to hurt my feelings alter after we was married it would kill me for I 1 would think you did not love me will I 1 love and worship you and I 1 will show after a while and I 1 hope you do me for I 1 never would want to live jive if we could not agree I 1 would turn right bad lor for I 1 will close for this time to my earnest lover will lil the second letter reads dearest will I 1 have been looking all day for some on a horse borse but I 1 see there is know one cm caming ming I 1 guess you have had such a time at tooele thoele you have forgot all about any one else never mind if I 1 once get sight ight of you I 1 will remind you of some someone one else I 1 thought I 1 could got get this wrote so you would not have anything to pick a quarrel with me about I 1 am almost dying to see you will so if I 1 get out of patience and give you si a scolding you will have to look over it t I 1 know you don dont donit it want to see me half as bad as I 1 do you but never mintle I 1 bet you will the next time lime you see me I 1 dont donn anuw whether you can read this for elects and agness agnec is standing by the table well I 1 will olase and I 1 hope when I 1 getup get up from the table I 1 will see eee you coming or I 1 will go crazy and tear able letter up no ko more this time your earnest ivoe goodbye good bye will x x x x x this is abe letter in a mans hand bond writing way may 89 29 96 my little honey 1 I will drop you a few lines and you had better have me a letter wrote wroge when I 1 come down or there here will be trouble in our family lOb ids ida am sleepy it was past sunrise when I 1 got here bore this his morning and I 1 have been working all day it is nine and III bet you are in bed by this time and I 1 will oe there soon but I 1 wish i was in the same bed that jiu are in topsy i dont donis don Is know how we are going to go manage lot lor you sead you wanted to start next monday and I 1 have got to go to thoele jocele monday and cant got get back engli tuesday I 1 never thought to tell you when I 1 was down how bow are we going to manage that can you tell me for I 1 wont lot let anyone else take you to the track ani and I 1 am afraid to let you stay in vernon too long jong for some one might come down and you bet i cant stand that cant you net got ready beady to go sunday well every thing seems lively here now sweet heart and I 1 think i am going to be lucky this summer sod and it IS Is just this the summer i need to be lucky well bye bye little pet I 1 am aim sleepy x x X K X X X X X the child elects electa referred to in the second letaj letter or is johnd jobu d child aud ana agnes Is ie the child of a neighbor so BO john states elates these let letter terp if written by johns wife and ritter bitter would seem to indicate that john had bad reasons for his bis angry feelings towards ritter bitter john says lays this ibis morning that he be dropped his hia pistol when he asked ritter bitter to come off the wagon and fight and that david picked it up both of the rockwell boys boya attended the brigham young academy here shout about sixteen years ago and many provo citizens remember the boys they were rather wild abut but not in any way vicious john was waa a lively good natured boy while david was very quiet and inclined to ta be morose ritter bitter was originally from salt lake but has ban been it living ving for years yeara in rush bueb valley with his bia mother si ariff fl brown has sworn to a complaint against john rockwell charging him with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill some borne ot 0 rockwell le friends came down from salt bait lake thin morning and will try to nave have an early examination of the cas so BO that john can be admitted to ball bail and david removed from the jail complaints will also be made against bitter and david if he aitel tat anc of officers ficere are inter view ang the relations ione of mrs rockwell Boo kwell to see ee mrs mra rockwell Boo kwell last evening they were not able to see aee her as aa her mother insisted that was waa too much exulted to see gee any one this afternoon doctors allen alien richards and taylor probed the w und and in ld head trying to locate the bullet but failed and are now of the a vinton opinion that the bullet shattered sheriff brown had bad an interview with mrs john rockwell Boo kwell and she denies danteo positively having written the letters found on ritter bitter and insists that no improper relations existed between thew them ritter bitter was a resident of salt lake until some time ago he was a member of troup troop C national mal guard of utah until ble bis remo removal removaldo valto to tooele john rockwell bockwell was waa taken before justice do de moisy friday afternoon for a preliminary examination on con a charge of 0 assault with intent to commit murder on the person of william ritter bitter committed iu in provo on june ellb judge W N dusenberry appeared as attorney for rockwell Boo kwell and waived examination Rc ackwell kwell was then ban bound over to await the action oi 01 the court in 2600 2500 bail his brother inlaw in law mr E R M stowell of ball bail lake became one of his sureties and will procure another surety who will justify before justice harvey in salt gait lake today an aa soon boon as aa the bond was waa signed david rockwell bockwell was removed from the jail to judge Cusenberry a residence where he be will be attended by john mud and his bis slater mrs mra stowell Bt owell he was waa as an well this morning as at any alay time alma after the shooting if not better the doctors have no hopes oi 01 his recovery but bus say may ike he may linger for several days william ritter bitter the other wounded man is doing nicely the bullet it ap peare did nut not pass through his bidy but followed full owed a rib under the ibe flesh anu and came out under and back of the armpit the wound la is said to to be almost identical with the one received by boren nielson Nie laon the mt pleasnt pleasant banker who was wag shot some years ago he died several weeks after the shoot log ing from pneumonia that la Is the danger that confronts ritter bitter as he be Is 18 almost certain to have an attack of pneumonia produced by the inflammation which will be the natural result of his hia wound his hie mother and his hie hall half brother 8 J cocroft come came in from vernon last evanine end and are waiting on him they will make an effort to remove him to some more convenient place than the county jail today he will be arraigned on a charice charge of an ae sault with a deadly weapon with it intent to commit murder and it if david rockwell dies the charge will be changed to murder sheriff bad not decided this afternoon whether to permit ritter bitter to be removed be ore his examination it if be does doea not allow this the examination will be hold held in jail |
