THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 16, 1940
REAL LIFE DETECTIVE TRIUMPHS
OF A
REVELATION"
FATHER-IN-LAW
a
they came to a body which had been buried under the mound. It was the remains of James R. Hay.
He
This is a strange, creepy story of the solution of a murder mystery by "revelation" aided by detective skill. It savors so much of the supernatural
Peter Mortenson was found at his that it might seem to belong to a collection of ghost stories rather than place of business and when told of detective tales from real life, but it what had taken place expressed great was the evidence dug
denied emphatically up
the surprise. by sleuths that apparently convinced having anything to do with the death
of Hay. Jury of the guilt of the accused man. James R. Hay, well known in busi- ness circles in Salt Lake City
was the secretary and treasurer of the Pacific Lumber Company. He was a man of the highest integrity, but very strict and exacting in all of his com- mercial relations. It was said of him that he demanded and always ob- tained his "pound of flesh."
of
Mortenson had an alibi, of course, and it now became the duty of the detectives to prove the truth of the revelation so far as it concerned the the murder of Hay. It did not take them long to find a learned that Mortenson had been in debt to the Pacific Lumber Company His bill amounted to $3,007. Hay pressed him hard and said if it was not paid he would hale Mortenson
motive. They
into court. This would have been fatal to the contractor because he was
TRAPPED IN TUNNEL FOR
A DAY
TRAPPED IN A TUNNEL FOR 22 HOURS, TWO CHINESE WERE RESCUED YESTERDAY BY MINERS. THE MEN WERE IN AN EXHAUST- ED CONDITION AND WERE RE- MOVED TO THE KOWLOON HOS- PİTAL FOR TREATMENT.
According to a report made to the Police, the men, two brothers, Wong Sau, 35, and Wong Chol, 25, entered an abandoned tunnel in No. 4 Hill near Shing Mun, New Territories, at
receipted bill for his entire indebted-2 p.m. on Sunday.
ness..
*
10
in-
Less than 48 hours later the
£ motorman
vestigators discovered who gave them Important information. He said that while making the early morning run on his car he had seen Hay had been buried. It was Peter a man coming from the spot where
Mortenson and he carried a spade
over his shoulder. The motorman
made his statement under oath. The trial was a celebrated
One morning he left his place business and never returned. It was learned that his destination was Forest City. Days passed and no- thing was heard of the missing man in a bad way financially and such Naturally the revelations could While the police were groping around in the dark, vainly searching for a clue, James Sharp, prominent Mor- mon elder and the father-in-law of Hays, informed them that he had had a "revelation" and that in it he saw his son-in-law being murdered by Peter Mortenson, a contractor of Salt Lake City.
The police were very skeptical about the revelation, but the
Mor-
and tell where
even
mon elder was positive went so far as to
-By GEORGE BARTON
affair.
not
be accepted in a court of law, but the testimony of the motorman and which some circumstantial evidence was introduced spelled the doom of, Peter Mortenson. He was convicted and sentenced to death. The verdict was appealed on the ground that members of the Mormon Church, who had heard of the revelation of Elder Sharp, were on the jury. There was a second trial, followed by a second conviction.
of
meunt the action would have
business
To this day public opinion has re- murder had taken place. He said ruin.
So he contrived to pay partimained divided as to whether Mor- the body had been buried in a spot of the debt and told Hay that if he tenson was convicted by reason about half way between Salt Lake would send a man to Forest City on the revelation or because of the testl- City and Forest City. Still doubting a certain day he would pay the re-
mony presented at the trial. Mor- they decided it was a matter which mainder.
tenson, given the choice of being shot or hanged, elected to die by bullet.
not
with
required investigation. Elder Sharp Hay went himself; he would accompanied them and pointed out trust any of his subordinates a snow-covered mound on the spot the job. Mortenson admitted he he had already described so vividly. had met Hay and insisted that he had given him the balance of the bill, paying him with $20 gold pieces which he had kept in jars in the cellar of his home. As proof of his were set to work, In a short time truthfulness he showed the police a
Workmen with pick
*
and shovels
After walking in for about 12 feet the roof of the tunnel suddenly collapsed, partly burled the two men and blocked the exit.
Digging into the earth, miners located the two men at noon yester- day and had them removed to hos- pital.
U.S. NAVAL BUILDING
Washington, To-day. Owing to the accelerated pace of Roosevelt naval building, President has sent a letter to Mr. William B. Bankhead, Speaker of the House of Representatives, asking Congress to provide an additional $31,000,000 im- mediately for armour, armament and ammunition.
This is additional to the $48,000,000 last provided for the same purpose year-Reuter,
of
NEW PUBLICATION
London, To-day. The first number of a daily survey foreign comment on the war, "compiled from telegraphic reports re- ceived by the Ministry of Informa- tion," was issued by the Ministry yesterday.
Mr. P. H. Symons, the Government Assistant Analyst, who failed to answer a charge in Court yesterday and had his bail of $25 estreated, ap- peared before Mr.. T. J. Houston later in the day. He pleaded guilty and the case was dismissed, with a caution. Wireless.
Extracts are given from the press of Sweden, Germany, Brazil, Den- mark, Venezuela, the United States, Switzerland and Egypt. British
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