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Show the Mcpherson murder case (C" tinned.) Ltuher M. Palmer Live at fciahneld. Knew Luther C Palmer. He was my son lie came to By bous s from Fayette on Saturday evening, March 141b between 10 and 11 o'clock in the evening. He came down to Richfield to rent a house which I had written to him about. He tayed H my house that night. The next morning about 10 o'clock we went to see about the house. Alter visiting two hous-se hous-se and at aoout II o'clock he said "Pa, if you will walk over home I will go over to Raleigh oues's" My house was only half a block away. He was gone about an hour or an hour and a half, when he came back. He stayed home until about 4 o'clock, when he went over to Dan-iftiiman's Dan-iftiiman's to get some grain. He came back without getting any grain When I next saw my son he was at RaleiKh Jones's, he was partly lying and partly sitting on a bed. He had been wounded and the doctor was bandaging his wounds. My son died on Sunday evening, even-ing, March as. between 6 and 7 o'clock. My son made a statement of the shoot ing to me previous to his death. It was not reduced to writing. I weot into the house and he said: ' Pa, I'm dying; III live out se veu bavs by inches. I didn't want to make any statement to the Justice Jus-tice of the Peace because there's a conspiracy. con-spiracy. 1 did lit want it known for fear I would be put out of the house. On the dsy of the shooting, Raleigh Jones come to thi door and called me out and said Jim wan'a 'o talk to you. You must oe good 10 Jim because he ii a relative of mine.' I Mid: 'I can't be good to a thief and a mail robber.' I then went out and said: 'Jim, I understand you want to talk to me.' He said. Yes but not no , particularly. parti-cularly. I tnen turned around and he said 'Look here Lu, what did you publish pub-lish a piece about me in a paper lor?' I said I didn't publish any piece about you He said: Will Bean says you did.' 1 then turned around to leave, and he said, 'Oh I'm healed lor you ,G d you. I then partly turned aroand and aid.'For God's sake dotit shoot me.' He fired and I started to run. He ran after me. I tell and he came up and strnck me over the head with his revolve, and said: 'I'm fixed for you G d you.' Some men then came and carried me into the house." My son was about 5 feet and 7 inches I'lgh and he weighed about 160 pound. He had a wife and three children. Cross examiued by Mr Sutherland Mv son did not say to me that he vvould get better if he had better nursing On Thursday night. 1 was forbidden going to the house of the Jones family. He did put in a few words of a written statement state-ment the first evening he was shot. Whenever Mrs. Jones would quit talking. talk-ing. Don't konw any thing about my son being convicted of larceny and skipping his bonds. Donald McPherson Am the defendant defend-ant in this action. Fir.t met Luther C Palmer last February. Had trouble with Palmer previous to the shooting He ar rested me in freb uuv about the 18th or I9th at Manti Had trouble with Palmer on Match 14th, the day previous to the shooting at Manti. Further examination iu relation to the at rest ai d the difficulty on the 14th of March was objected to by Mr Zane, as immaterial Ol jectiou susta ned and exception inKcu. Had a conversation with Palmer , on the morning of Sundav, March 15th. ' He came Into the house and began talking angrily right away. We said he was not afraid of the biggest man that ever wa ked and I had better not cross his tracks. He had a revolver with him, The next time I saw Palmer was neai Jones' house at about 4:30 o'clock. This was previous to the shooting. After this Iwent tothe house and out to the wood pile.He came out of the the house to where I was. and said, "Jim, I believe you are going to have mearrested.'He then referied to aa article which appeared in the Salt Lake Times on Febiuaiy 3id, in relation rela-tion to myself and mr father and said: "O d vou and the paper; don't you say auytbiug more to me about it and G- d you and vour father. If you want anything out of me you can have if I am fixed for you G d you and don't yeu forget it. While he was saying this he first shook his right hand at me and then his left hand.VVhile shaking his left hand he dropped his right hand on his hip pocket. 1 thought he was going to draw revolver and so I dropped the ax and fired. He ran to wards the house and I fallowed. I did not run; 1 walked. 1 saw he didn't mean business and 1 didn't want anything to do with him. I thn went and jumped jump-ed overjlhe fence and when Marshal Bean came along I gave myself up. Palmer Pal-mer threatened to kill me several times. He once held a pistol iu my face and said ii I wrote to the Granlon Detective Burean in Montana, he would kill me. Another time he oflered me a horse and saddle, if I would get out of the country. I refused and he said "G- d - you I'll make you." A man at Fayett told me that Palmer had threatened to kill me, To Mr Zane: When Mi. Palmer was at Jones' house in the morning he had a revolver. He did not have on a car tridge belt. Sometimes he wore a belt and sometimes he didn't. He didn't have on a belt at the wood-pile. Dont remember saying anything to Mount bout a man iu Manti who wanted me to kill Palmer' Palmer was facing me when I pulled my gun. Don't know where I shot him, Susposed he was armed because he was in the morning. Did not tell Jones to tell Palmer I wanted to see him. I suspose the first shot bit Jones. I turned the second shot away Irom him because I saw he did not mean flight. Mrs. Jones cane to me when I was on the way to the house, 1 said I would respect a lady and turned around Did not have malice in my heart to ward Jones-tbat is not have kindliest of leeling to-wards him, but I did not have malice to wards him, THE YIRP1CT. The jury in the murder ease came in to the court and presented a verdict of murder in the second degree. MrJUoses announced the verdict. The jury were polled and the verdict Titled. |