Mile Marker 62: Pelican Point Massacre

Join us as we take a trip to areas surrounding Utah lake, as we visit the graves of 3 young boys, murdered, and the fella originally convicted of the heinous crime. We also make a stop to visit the area of the actual massacre. It is Halloween Season after all.

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Transcript

Pelican Point Murders-

Key: Drifter, Male voice. Gypsie, Female voice

Uplifting rock/western tune plays for 15 seconds, music begins to taper down then:

(Drifter) Welcome to the Rebel At Large Adventure Podcast. I’m Drifter

(Gypsie) And I’m  Gypsie

(Drifter) Talking about Ghost towns,

(Gypsie) Graveyards,

(Drifter) Outlaws, Heroes

(Gypsie) And Ladies of the night.

Music tapers to an end

(Drifter) Howdy folks, Thanks for joining us for yet another adventure. Today we are going to talk about a real life horror story, tis the season is it not. We’ll be going from one side to the other of the remnants of the Prehistoric Lake Bonneville, what is now known as Utah Lake near the center of the state itself. So grab a drink, turn the lights down low and go back in time with us to the late 1800s.

(Gypsie) In 1895 Utah had what is believed to be its first serial killer. In December 1894, 22 year old Albert Engstrom left his mother Caroline Hayes and his stepfather Harry Hayes in Eureka Utah to go work on the farm his mother owned in Pelican Point just some 30 miles away. (Drifter) He took a team of horses, a new wagon, and supplies with him so he could fix the place up. His two cousins, 21 year old Andrew Johnson and 18 year old Alfred Nielson soon joined him at the ranch. The boys wanted to have a place of their own and wanted to try and make a living working for themselves. 

(Gypsie) Alberts stepfather Harry Hayes on the other hand did not like the fact that Albert would inherit the ranch and wanted to get rid of it. According to the Herald report (Drifter) “He had ill will towards the boys and threatened them with violence,” . (Gypsie) The boys were seen working the ranch throughout December and January by neighbors. They even had help from a young man named John Barnes. Little did John know that he would be the last one to see the boys alive on February 16. 

(Drifter) Over the next few days neighbors started to notice the cabin looking as if it was abandoned. They stated the cattle, pigs, and sheep were running loose and chickens were dying. Some of the neighbors even visited the cabin and found that it was locked and empty. (Gypsie) On March 4th a family living nearby wrote to Harry Hayes letting him know that the cabin seemed to be empty and the animals were dying. Caroline was worried something may have happened to the boys and wanted to go check on them. Harry on the other hand wanted nothing to do with it. So Caroline and a friend left Eureka to check out the cabin. 

(Drifter) When she arrived she found the cabin was empty. The horses and wagon were gone along with a plow and other tools. Inside the cabin showed a different story: she found that the boys had not taken their shoes or clothes. This was odd as winter was coming to an end but it was still cold outside. She immediately felt that something was wrong. And she was right! on or about April 15, 1895 a young sheep herder was walking near Pelican Point. He came across a corpse of a young man lying face down in the water. The body looked to have been floating in the water for several months , it was swollen and partially decomposed. But one thing was clear: the body had been shot twice in the chest. 

(Gypsie) Though the body looked terrible it was still identifiable and it came to be known the man in the river was Albert Engstrom. Over the next few days the bodies of Andrew Johnson and Alfred Nelson surfaced, and they too had been shot. It was determined that Albert was shot twice in the chest, Andrew was shot from behind with the bullet going in just behind his right ear and coming out the other side. Alfred was also shot from behind with the bullet entering in about the center of the back of the head and coming out between the eyes. It was believed that the boys were all shot with the same 44 caliber rifle. 

(Drifter) The three boys were laid to rest in the Benjamin Cemetery on the east side of Utah Lake, opposite of Pelican Point. This became known as the Pelican Point Massacre or the Pelican Point Murders.

(Gypsie) With very little to go on as to who shot the boys, suspicion quickly turned to Harry Hayes. According to the Herald newspaper (Drifter) “Hayes was extremely indifferent and did nothing whatever to aid the officers, he had ill will towards the boys and threatened them with violence.”  (Gypsie) On December 4 1895, 9 months after the murders, Harry was arrested for the crime and charged with first degree murder. 

(Gypsie) On March 24, 1896 the trial began for Harry. The evidence was circumstantial and there was no clear motive as to why Harry would do this. None of that mattered. on April 1 the jury returned with a verdict,(Drifter)  “We the jury find the defendant guily of murder in the first dgree as charged in the indictment.” (Gypsie) Harry sat there alone by his attorneys, as the verdict was read he began rocking himself back and forth, his right leg was crossed over his left knee and his hands were clasped over his right knee. 

(Gypsie) On April 27, 1896 Harry was brought before the judge again, this time for the sentencing. Judge McGarty asked Harry to come forward as he read off his sentence. He said (Drifter)  “ You have been found guilty of murder in the first dgree by the killing of Albert Hayes, Alias Enstrom on the 16th of February 1895. Have you anything to say why sentence should not now be passed?” (Gypsie) Harry responded (Drifter) “Yes sir I have, I am not guilty of the deed committed.” 

(Gypsie) The judge did not care what he said and continued on with the sentencing (Drifter) “The crime for which you are convicted is punishable by death, and the statute provides that you can choose between hanging and shooting. Have you any choice?” (Gypsie) If I am correct you can still choose to be shot to death in the state of Utah I could be wrong! Harry responded with (Drifter) “If I must lose my life for those boys who I did not kill, I have no choice.” (Gypsie) The judge responds (Drifter) “You say you have no choice.” (Gypsie) Harry says (Drifter)  “No sir I have none.” 

(Gypsie) The judge hesitated for a moment then said (Drifter) “The sentence is that you be taken by the sheriff of this county to some convenient and private place in this county and there be hanged by the neck until dead. That’s all.” (Gypsie) Harry was devastated. during the entire time he was locked up he did nothing but profess his innocence. His wife even stood by his side believing that he had nothing to do with the murders. As he walked out of the courtroom he grabbed his hat and said (Drifter) “I am ready, sheriff.” (Gypsie) The day of execution was set for June 19th.  

(Drifter) His attorneys argued for a new trial and asked for 40 days to get things ready. (Gypsie) The motion was granted but the date was set so they needed to hurry if they were going to save Harry. While they were preparing for a new trial with the Utah Supreme Court Harry decided to fire his attorneys and this gave him more time. His new execution date was set for January 22, 1897. 

(Gypsie) The one thing throughout the entire court case was no one could explain what had happened to the stolen items. The horses and wagon were still missing but where could they have gone? (Drifter) They thought that maybe Harry had sunk them in the water with the bodies but after several days of dredging the lake with nothing coming up they determined the wagon was not there. 

(Gypsie) Over the next few months Harry sat in his prison cell being interviewed by the newspapers. He told the reporters for The Salt Lake Tribune on May 30 (Drifter) “It begins to look like I would have to die, and I am not worrying about it. The only thing I hate about it is that I have to die a felon.” (Gypsie) His wife was paying for everything and Harry was upset that she was going broke trying to save him. He told the reporter (Drifter) “I don’t want that little lady, my wife, to spend her last dollar on me. She has already had to spend a great deal. It cost her nearly 300 for detectives trying to find out who did the deed. Then she paid whitecotton 100 which she didn’t need to do. His agreement with me was that it shouldn’t cost me a cent if he didn’t clear me. I had no money.” (Gypsie) Though he protested his innocence he was ready to die just to save his wife the burden of having to pay his bills. (Drifter) The $100 & $300 paid then would be about $3500 and nearly $11,000 today.

(Gypsie) A petition was going around the state seeking signatures for Harry to change his sentence from death to a life sentence. Several members of the Salt Lake bar signed it because they believed the state did not have enough evidence to sentence him to death. On January 12, 1897 Harry was brought before the judge, just days before he was to be hanged. His attorneys pleaded his case and stated that he was tried unfairly and asked for a Writ of Habeas Corpus, which indicates they find his imprisonment unlawful.  4 days later on January 16 the supreme court denied his petition. Two days later the board of pardons announced they were changing Harry’s sentence to life imprisonment. This ruling came out just 4 days before Harry was to be hanged. He may not be a free man but he is still alive. 

(Drifter) On January 4, 1897 Utah County received a new Sheriff, Sheriff George Storrs. He was preparing for the execution of Harry Hays and had even purchased a new rope in St. Louis to hang him with. Once Harry’s conviction was turned from a death sentence to life in prison Storrs began to wonder if something was missing. He brought a new set of eyes to the investigation as to what really happened at Pelican Point. He started looking into the missing property as well as tried to track down a man named Stevens. 

(Gypsie) A few months into his investigation he got a major tip. Someone told him that a suspected cattle thief named James G. Weeks had the stolen property from the Hayes ranch. But when he jumped his bail bonds his wife was forced to sell the property to someone in Mapleton, Utah. In August 1895 Sheriff Brown and Marshall Storrs captured and arrested James Weeks. He was charged with stealing seven heads of cattle. He was able to make the 400 dollar bond payment and was out of jail (Drifter) (just over $14K). (Gypsie) If you remember, the three boys were killed in February of that year. Weeks had skipped out on his bail at this point and now Storrs was trying to track him down. 

(Drifter) During his investigation he  found out that around the time of the murder a man named Weeks or Case had a covered wagon full of tools. He was going around the area trying to sell the stuff to neighbors. He told people his name was Stevens. He even went so far as to show them a picture of his baby and told them her name was Ruthie. 

(Gypsie) Storrs went to Mapelton to retrieve the property; he then brought it back to Caroline Hayes. She was able to identify a quilt, pieces of Alberts clothing and other property that was missing from the ranch. The sheriff was becoming more convinced that Harry did not kill the boys but this was not enough to free the man. As he interviewed more people he found out that the man named Stevens would give out different names but who was he really? He then discovered a letter addressed to Mrs. Weeks that had been signed by a C.T. Case from Rangely Colorado. So off to Colorado he went to try and track down this man. 

(Drifter) Based on the charges of cattle theft and skipping out on bail Storrs was able to obtain an arrest warrant from the Governor. He was going to use this to arrest James Weeks once he was able to find him. Then once he had him behind bars he was going to try and charge him with the crime of murder. But he had no idea how difficult it would be to track him down. Storrs seemed to always be one step behind Weeks through the investigation. 

(Gypsie) Storrs headed to Colorado to try and tack down weeks. When he arrived in Denver he saw a news article in the Denver Republican with a headline that read (Drifter) “After nineteen months the murder of W.C. Crampton nears solution.”  (Gypsie) Below the headline was a picture of Weeks. In the article he found out that Weeks, who was going by the name C.T. Case, arrived in Colorado in September of 1895 and settled in Rangeley. Weeks told everyone that he was the nephew of a construction and agricultural equipment manufacturer named Jerome Increase Case. 

(Gypsie) According to the article Case was described as (Drifter) “ His schemes for mills and large enterprises were the ones on which the camp based its hopes of prosperity. A plausible talker, sociable, personally attractive, educated, raised in the technique of geology, he passed for the man the camp could rely upon pulling it out of any difficulty when the value in the veins showed the need for mills and capital to assist in the conversion into gold.” 

(Gypsie) Things in Rangely were going well for Weeks until he got greedy. On January 20, 1896, 11 months after the three boys in Pelican Point were murdered, he struck again. This time he killed W.C. Crampton at his ranch in Currant Creek. Throughout the investigation on Crampton it was determined that Weeks had been the man that killed him. Storrs stayed in Colorado hoping to be able to talk to Weeks but he learned that Weeks had given the authorities in Chicago the slip and there was no likelihood of him being captured and brought back to Colorado. 

(Drifter) With no hope of finding Weeks in Colorado, Storrs headed back to Utah. He was able to get some more information about Weeks when a man gave him the PO Box address for a Jennie Wright in Fowler, New York. Storrs sent a letter to the authorities in New York and was able to determine that a Jennie Wright was living with her mother just outside of Fowler and she also went by the name Mrs. George Wright. They also told him that her husband had visited her about a year ago and stayed in the area for a week. The New York authorities also told him that Jennie has been receiving mail from him and that they have the postmaster in agreement to ascertain any letters that are mailed to her. 

(Gypsie) While he was communicating with authorities in New York he and his deputies were doing investigation work in Utah. They were able to find out that George Wright, his wife, and baby had moved to Salt Lake around 1891. That is when his name started to change from George then to James then to Steven as well as different last names. He got a big break in the case when he talked to William Beckstead. William told him that he traded his Shuttler wagon with Wright/ Weeks for a 3 ¼ Cooper wagon. This would be discovered to be the same wagon that the boys were using at the Hayes ranch before they were killed, when family members confirmed it.  

(Drifter) Storrs did not stop trying to figure out who Weeks/ Wright really was. He wanted to find the man and bring him to justice for what was suspected he had done to the boys. Storrs found out that Wright's father was Abner Wright and lived in Owatonna, Minnesota. He also found out that he went to Ann Arbor Michigan to study to be a lawyer. While living in Michigan he was getting ready to marry Alma, the day of the wedding he was about to be arrested for embezzlement charges. He left with Alma before he was arrested and they were unable to find him to make the arrest. 

(Gypsie) Storrs even found out that the Pinkerton’s National Detective Agency had investigated him. They sent Storrs a letter stating (Drifter) “He had committed forgeries and embezzlements with every one of the mining companies he was connected with, and was a clever forger and an all-around crook. They know one thing, and that is he is the cleverest all-around scoundrel they ever met in their lives.” (Gypsie) The Pinkerton’s also confirmed that Wright had a wife living in New York. 

(Drifter) Storrs started working with the New York authorities to try and get Jennie to squeal on her husband. They even came up with an idea to have a detective try and date Jennie and then see if he could get her to talk. Ultimately it was the promise of immunity that made Jennie Wright want to come back to Utah and tell the true story about what happened to the three boys in Pelican Point. On January 15, 1899 she arrived in Provo, Utah with Storrs to submit her deposition. 

(Gypsie) While Storrs was on his way back to Utah with Jennie, Harry Hayes was still locked up in prison. On January 14, 1899 The Salt Lake Tribune posted an article stating (Drifter) “Mr. Hayes in talking over his chances for a pardon was very much opposed to receiving a pardon, claiming that if he was liberated in this manner there would be people who would still consider him guilty and he did not want anyone to think him guilty of the Pelican Point murder. He wanted a new trial, when he claimed he would be able to prove his innocence.” (Gypsie) When he was told he could not get a new trial because the jury had already heard his case and the judgment was sustained. He went on to say (Drifter) “A new trial was the only way by which justice could be done to him, and suggested that he could be tried for the killing of one of the other boys Johnson or Nelson.” (Gypsie) If you remember they only found him guilty of killing his step son. 

(Drifter) In the meantime Jennie wrote up her deposition on the murders. In it she talks about them moving from city to city before they settled in Salt Lake in 1890. She explains that when she married her husband he proclaimed himself  a wealthy man and she never bothered to understand where the money came from. She told them he would disappear in the middle of the night and return the next morning with money stating that he had sold shares in a mining interest. She stated (Gypsie) “I dared not inform on him because I was afraid of him, I was in fear of my life; I felt he would kill me if I exposed him.” 

(Drifter) She continued on saying they moved to Utah county in early 1895 and that George had left her in January to find work. She only received a few letters from him until he returned to her in early March. This time he had with him a team consisting of a 3 ¼ cooper wagon nearly new and two horses, one a dark bay and the other a light bay, both horses had a brand of an “H” with a quarter circle over it. When she asked him where he got the team he told her that he had stolen them. He then tried to get her to poison the horses but she said it made her feel uncomfortable. After he traded the wagon to Beckstead he killed the horses himself. 

(Gypsie) She also told them about an odd dinner conversation they had when a friend came to visit. Tom Williams told the couple about the boys being found dead at Pelican Point and said George looked ghastly pale. (Drifter) Over the next few days Jennie started putting the pieces together but the thing that confirmed it for her that George had killed the boys is when the newspapers described what they boys were dressed in when last seen and the items that were stolen. She recalled seeing some of the items in their cabin that were said to have been missing from Pelican Point. 

(Gypsie) Jennie needed to get out, she needed to be away from George so she could protect herself and her daughter. She told them that on May 18, 1897 she moved to Fowler New York and that was the last time she saw him. He would send letters to her from time to time but that was all. Though he was a wanted man in several states he was never captured. There were sightings of him in Oklahoma and Hawaii but he eventually disappeared from history. Governor Wells of Utah offered a 500 dollar reward for Wrights arrest but no one was ever able to collect the money. (nearly $18K today)

(Drifter) Thanks to Jennies testimony and Storrs hard detective work Harry Hayes was released from the prison a free man after serving 4 years in jail for a crime he did not commit. Storrs may not have found the real killer but he saved an innocent man from the gallows. Harry went on to live his life the best he could until he passed away on August 9, 1911 at the age of 56 from consumption. Like we mentioned before, the three boys Albert Enstrom, Alfred Nelson and Andrew Johnson were all buried in the Benjamin Cemetery. Harry Hayes was placed not only in the same cemetery as the three boys but is buried right next to them. 

(Gypsie) Last weekend We loaded up Marley and headed south. We wanted to see the resting spot for these men and pay our respect. The cemetery is small and very quiet. It is located in a small farming town with friendly people. Alfred Nelson and Andrew Johnson share a headstone, on one side it says- memory of Alfred Nelson aged 17 years said to be massacred February 16, 1895 at rest. The other side reads In memory of Andrew Johnson aged 20 years said to be massacred February 16, 1895 at rest. The other side has an inscription on it that reads Cursed is the man in void of law and right unworthy property unworthy light unfit for public or private care whose lust is murder and whose horrid joy is theft. 

(Drifter) Albert is next to his two cousins and he shares a headstone with his sister Amelia Enstrom who passed away in 1889 at the age of 18. His headstone is small and looks like at one point it had something on top of it and possibly something below it. What is left of his headstone that you can see is the two hands shaking, and yes we counted all the fingers, five on each hand. It bears his name Albert SN Enstrom Born May 18, 1872 was said to be massacred February 16, 1895. There is an inscription below but we tried and tried to read it unfortunately weather has taken most of it off. 

(Gypsie) Next to Albert is Harry Hayes his headstone has the most unique inscription on it and is still fully intact. It is a four sided monument with writing on only one side. The writing reads In memory of Harry F. Hayes September 19, 1854 to August 9, 1911. Below is the inscription Him shall the scorn and wrath of men pursue with deadly aim; and malice, envy, spite, and lies shall desiccate his name. But with truth shall conquer at the last, for round and round we run. And sever the right comes uppermost and ever is justice done.  

(Drifter) After Harry passed away Caroline moved to Spanish Fork Utah. She had outlived all 4 of her children, was divorced once and widowed once. On June 16, 1931 she married Llewellyn Morris Jones in Farmington. The two of them were not married for long when Llewellyn passed away on March 24, 1935 at the age of 65. He was buried in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery. After he passed away she moved in with her nephew O.P. Tyrrell. She lived to be 87 years old, 9 days shy of being 88 when she passed away on February 3, 1936. She was laid to rest in the Benjamin Cemetery next to Harry. Though Harry had a large headstone with plenty of room to place her marker on it she has her own small flat headstone. It is very simple with her name Caroline Hanson Enstrom Hayes on it and below has her birthday listed as February 12, 1848 - February 3, 1936. 

(Gypsie) After visiting the cemetery we headed out to Pelican Point. It is located on the western shore of Utah Lake just south of Saratoga Springs. Benjamin is located on the Eastern shore of Utah Lake so we had to drive around the lake to get to it. There isn’t much left of the area, just remains of an old rock house, an old mine, and a fishing community. It looks like, as of a few years back some houses have been built in the area and it is now gated off. The area has some very beautiful views of the lake. As we stood there looking around, i couldn’t help but think of those three boys being savagely murdered and then thrown into the lake. We did find the marker of a pelican saying pelican point but that is it, we could not find where the cabin would have been located. 

(Drifter) Alright folks, I think that I think that’s enough horror and tragedy to start off the Halloween season. Fear not however, we’ll be back in two weeks with even more tragic murder. We’ll have to do something light & happy in November to wash away some of this perhaps.

(Drifter) Dad Joke?

(Gypsie) A bunch of different birds were chilling in a large group when another type of bird came out of nowhere. “Sorry lads, I've just arrived from Europe.”  says the bird. “Ukraine?” Asks another “Nah mate I’m a pelican!”

(Drifter) Alright then, Thank you all for joining us once again. If you want to stay up to date with us we are most active on the Instagram (Gypsie) @rebelatlarge, (Drifter) we post photos of our adventures on our website, (Gypsie) rebelatlarge.com where you’ll find links to our Patreon, Merch store, email and other social deals.

(Drifter) We’ll talk to ya here in a couple weeks.

(Gypsie) Safe travels, (Drifter) we’ll see ya down the road.

Begin 30 seconds of the same uplifting Rock/Western tune as the introduction.