Salt Lake Tribune

13 January 1914

Back Page, pg. 16

 

 

 

THINKS MURDERERS

          WILL BE CAPTURED

          __________

 

Police Confident That Slayers

   of J. G. Morrison and Son

           Will Be Taken

          __________

 

            Though there were no important developments yesterday in the search for the murderers of John G. Morrison, Inspector of Police Carl A. Carlson said last night that he has reason to believe that the men will be captured within the next few days.

            All the members of the department have been working double shifts since the murder took place in Morrison’s grocery store, 778 South West Temple street, Saturday night.

            In addition to running down all clews, the members of the department have been active in picking up all suspicious-looking characters.  More than a dozen were held yesterday and last night until rigid questioning had eliminated the possibility of their being implicated in the murder.  W. J. Williams, who was arrested on suspicion Saturday night because of peculiar actions in the neighborhood of the crime, was released yesterday, the police becoming convinced that he had no connection with the killing.

            It is understood that those who are in charge of the search for the slayers have definite suspicions as to who are the guilty persons, and that by process of elimination they are trying to narrow down [missing words] where it will justify the arrest of the suspects.

            Governor William Spry yesterday made formal offer of $500 reward for the capture of the murderers of the Morrisons.  The proclamation exempts ministerial officers.

            In the effort to pick up again the trail of blood which was followed nearly to Tenth South street from the scene of the killing, members of the police department found a blood marked trail that led to a disappointing and somewhat humorous discovery.  Considerably south of where the trail of the supposed wounded bandit was lost, blood marks were found.  They were followed to a house where the owner of the place explained that they were the tracks of his dog that had cut one of its feet.  On the back track plain where he had been digging out a cache, a piece of jelly cake frozen hard and left by him as unpalatable after he had unearthed it.  It appeared that the animal had cut one of its feet in digging at the frozen ground.

            Examination of the original blood trail on which was found a handkerchief like the ones used as masks by the slayers showed that the blood must have fallen from considerable height.  In places where the wounded man appeared to have stopped it had splashed considerably.  The conclusion of the police is that the man must be wounded in the upper part of his body or in the face.

            Word was telephoned to Captain John J. Roberts last night by W. C. Burton of 220 South State street that two men were seen going southward on the track of the Salt Lake route Sunday morning, one of them limping badly, while his companion helped him along.  The lame man had one foot bandaged and showed plainly that traveling distressed him.  The report reached Mr. Burton, through a neighbor, N. J. Hendrickson, whose children saw the men.  While the police are trying to check on the whereabouts of the lame man, yet it is not thought that he could have been the wounded refugee, because of the fact that the blood on the trail did not look as if it had fallen to the ground from so slight an elevation as would be the case in a wound in his foot.

            Funeral services for the murdered father and son will be held at the Eagles hall, under the auspices of camp No. 53 of the Woodsmen of the World, at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon.  Two hearses will be employed to carry the bodies to the City cemetery, where internment will take place.