The murder took place up Nephi Canyon on Sept. 27, 1895. As you go up the Salt Creek Rd.(SR-132), you will look to the right and find the "First" Canyon; the second one, then the third is called Price Canyon, as the area on the top belonged to Charles Henry Price who came to Nephi as a part of the Mormon Pioneers in 1852. That canyon used to have a trail and wagon road, but now washed out by floods. It is directly across the road from the entrance to Reese's Flat. The information I received comes from years and years of research, principally completed by Robert Carter, who now lives in Springville, but born in Nephi. He was a journalist for many years and had the ability to research all available news that were printed. Additionally, I have spoke to a variety of people and looked at some of the records of Nephi City. When I use quote marks, it is from the written document from Robert and of the information he gave me on the phone. "Charles Henry occasionally stood guard with his father in the Fort". "In 1875, Charles Henry married Martha Kendall and they moved to a farm and ranch nested in the low mountains east of Nephi". It had spring-fed ponds and fertile lands, which I verified with a local cowboy who hunted deer in the little valley where Charles Henry kept a good herd of sheep. His wife longed for "sing, dance, and attend theatricals" so after ten years, "they built a new home on the western edge of town". At the time, Typhoid fever hit Nephi, and Charles Henry was hit hard. He couldn't manage his sheep herd, so "Ike Cartwright, the herder in charge of the Price flock in the canyon, and run desperately low on supplies.....Louis made preparations to supply him with food and help him move the camp....further up the canyon". "On Friday, Sept. 27, 1895, young Price loaded a pack mule with food and supplies", with the hope "to return that night to escort his girlfriend to the dance that evening". He didn't return and his ailing father "deliriously exclaimed 'they've killed, they've killed my Louis". The sheep herder came to the Price home the next day reporting "he had run out of food in the camp" and said he searched for the missing boy so "he hurried to Nephi to see what had delayed the boy". A search was conducted on Saturday with no trace, and another on Sunday. Among the searchers were Ike Cartwright, who "found Louis' body about a quarter of a mile from the former sheep camp. City Marshall Goldsbrough and Justice of the Peace Timothy Foote responded to the news and "hurriedly forming a coroner's jury composed of Adelbert Cazier, J.A. Hyde and F.W. Chappell. They traveled to the site". "The body lay in a cramped position in the center of a large burned circle of grass and underbrush". "Twenty yards away a mule loaded with a pack browsed in the unburned brush". "On the trail above, the contents of a second pack were neatly piled up, and on top of the contents, sat a .45 caliber revolver". "After a superficial investigation the coroner's jury reached the verdict of accidental death." They theorized that...Louis noticed a loose strap on one of the burro's packs and got off the horse he was riding to tighten the cinch.....the force of Louis's tug threw the mule off balance and Louis rolled down the steep hill...it appeared a narrow branch had penetrated Louis's abdomen and come out near the small of his back". The coroner's jury believed that Louis was badly injured and "built a fire to attract the attention of the herders in the canyon". He then attempted "to crawl away, the fire ignited his clothing and badly burned his hands and stomach...collapsing and dying". Relatives accompanied by Wm. and Bert Sparks, Edward Bean and George Little retrieved the Corpse". As the family prepared the body for burial, "they contacted Dr. Miner, who determined that a .45 caliber slug had entered the boy's back where his suspenders crossed". On the following Monday, Justice Foote and the coroner's jury "reassembled at the site of Louis's death.....and determined that it was willful murder". The revolver belonged to the dead boy, with one bullet fired. The investigators concluded "it might be difficult for a boy to shoot himself in the small of his back with his own revolver then carefully place it on top of the neatly stacked contents of a pack, roll down hill, start a fire, and fall into it face down". The officers "theorized that while Louis was below the trail fixing a loose strap on his mule, some unknown person used the dead boy's pistol, which he left on the trail to shoot the victim in the back. The murderer then built a fire and placed the boy's body on it in an effort to destroy the corpse or disfigure it to such an extent that the burns would cover the crime".
Needless to say one page can not cover this situation, so we will follow it up later with Part Two at a later time, but will continue to talk and walk with people who may have some insight in to this cold blooded murder and will bring in a team of experts who may assist this unofficial investigation.
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