Item #19811 Murder by a Deputy U.S. Marshal. E. M. Dalton Waylaid and Assassinated in Cold-Blood. Sworn Testimony of the Eye-Witnesses
Murder by a Deputy U.S. Marshal. E. M. Dalton Waylaid and Assassinated in Cold-Blood. Sworn Testimony of the Eye-Witnesses

Murder by a Deputy U.S. Marshal. E. M. Dalton Waylaid and Assassinated in Cold-Blood. Sworn Testimony of the Eye-Witnesses

Salt Lake City: Deseret News Co, 1886.

First Edition. 6 pp. Disbound, but with original wrappers present. Thin strip of white paper remaining at inner edge where the pamphlet was once bound, some staining to rear wrapper, historical society stamp on title page; but still a very good copy. On December 16, 1886, Edward M. Dalton was shot in the back while fleeing from U.S. Marshals attempting to arrest him for practicing plural marriage. His death is often cited as the only case in which someone in Utah was killed in the war against polygamy. Since "unlawful cohabitation" was only a misdemeanor, there was considerable outrage over the action of the Marshal, William Thompson. Although Thompson was charged with manslaughter, the U.S. Attorney responsible for prosecuting territorial crimes argued that under statutes governing both manslaughter and the behavior of U.S. Marshals, Thompson was not guilty. A judge agreed and instructed the jury accordingly, resulting in an acquittal. This pamphlet provides the perspective of the Mormons, who found this to be just one in a series of "revolting outrages" committed against them by Federal authorities. The anonymous author provides testimony from numerous named witnesses to support his claime that Dalton was not shot because he attempted to escape (which would still have been unjustified), but that he was murdered in cold blood before he even had a chance to respond to Thompson's commands. The pamphlet concludes with a call for "Congress and the Administration of the nation" to conduct a thorough investigation of the Marshals' conduct. Flake 5667.

Item #19811

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