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[Vernal Express, Sep. 26, 1919]

Accidental Killing of Hugh Hall on Diamond Mountain last Thursday

A most distressing fatality occured [sic] last Thursday, when Hugh Hall of Dry Fork lost his life. All kinds of rumors were circulated as soon as the news reached Vernal and as is usually the case, none of them were correct. In order to publish the truth, a representative of the Express went personally to Mark M. Hall, the one who did the shooting by which Hugh lost his life, and got from him the following account:

"I have been with my sheep on Diamond Mountain since August 24th. They have been running between Warren Draw and Dry Hollow, on the divide. On the day of the shooting, which was Thursday, September 18, Theo Bullock was with me. He was not with me, however, at the time the fatal accident took place, and knew nothing about it until I sent word back to him by one of Coltharp's men, telling him what to do with the sheep, that I was going to town. Lyman Hall and his brother Hugh were running sheep up there and we had made arrangements we would all go hunting when our sheep were dipped. I had dipped ours and Lyman Hugh came down from the dipping corral with theirs on the 17th. On the day of the acccident [sic], Thursday, September 18, Lyman came to the spring where I was. Hugh was back with the sheep. I had not seen him since the 14th. It was agreed at this meeting that Lyman was to go back to where Hugh was, and they were to scare the deer up to us. The timber was one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide, and they had to go through it to reach us. We had seen deer in this timber and knew they were there. It was agreed that Bullock and I were to be at a certain draw by 2 o'clock, but we did not get there until 5 minutes to three, as we had been detained through watching some sheep in the east part of the Jackson Draw, to which point we had now driven our sheep. After stationing the Bullock boy at this draw I parted with him, it being understood I would go to another pass and stay there until 3 o'clock. I left him at a quarter past two, and went to the place agreed on, telling him that if Lymann and Hugh came up for them to wait, and then we would all go together and round up the deer we had seen. I looked at my watch at five minutes to three, and had not seen or head any sign of the Hall boys.

At three o'clock the shooting had occurred. Where I stood there was a swail [?] or draw. I could look down in the timber, and though I would be able to shoot down into the timber as the deer were chased out by the boys. But as I put my watch back into my pocked I concluded to change my position and cross the draw, and stand on an elevation on the opposite side, and thus be in a better position to shoot them as they went up the hill on the other side of the draw.

In a few seconds I saw what I thought was a deer feeding in the buck brush, about three hundred yards away. I saw what I took to be the yellow body, but the head was hidden in the brush as though feeding. It was moving leisurely and I took my time to fire at it. I was perfectly calm and took deliberate aim. As soon as I had shot I heard a loud cry, and I first thought it was the Hall boys who, coming through the timber and hearing the shot, cried out so that I would not shoot again for fear of hitting them. Then the thought came to me that possibly I had wounded Lyman, I never once thought of Hugh. And so, as I went over to the object I had shot at, I kept calling out "Lyman'" "Lyman'" all the way down. As I got up to it, I had to go around its head on account of the thick buck brush. When I came to the body and saw what had happened I rushed to him and picked him up. He was lying on his face. I turned him over and saw that it was Hugh, and that he was dead, for he never moved a muscle. I kissed him and asked him to speak to me. I then laid him down and fired off the remaining cartridges in my gun for help. Lyman came up in about ten minutes, he being that far behind Hugh in the thick timber. Hugh must have seen the deer before I did and was skulking in the buck brush so as to get a line on it. He had a tan or kakhi [sic] colored shirt on at the time, which in the distance gave the appearance of a deer.

As soon as Lyman came up, we decided to make a stretcher out of quaking asp. All we had were our knives, and it took some time to get it ready. I took off my jumber and we ran the poles through the sleeves and laid the upper part of the body on it. Then we took Lyman's jumber and did the same for the lower part. We then strapped the body in with a bridle rein. We carried the body about three-quarters of a mile though the timber to the open, and I waited with the body while Lyman went for our wagon. When he came up, we lifted the body into the wagon and started for Vernal. This was about five o'clock. We brought the body to the home of Mrs. John Hacking, his cousin, where it has been kept in ice wait for his father to come home."

Such is the narration of the unfortunate affair, as told by Mark M. Hall, who it was plain to be seen was under a very severe strain, being heartbroken over the unfortunate affair. The whole community knows that Mark M. Hall would not harm a living creature, and that he is conscientious upright and honorable, being of a mild and peaceable disposition, always on hand to do a kind act. He feels more keenly than words can express the most unfortunate affair.

The father of the dead boy, J. C. Hall, was away from home at the time of the shooting, up on the Yellowstone, above Altonah, and a posse was sent out in all directions to get word to him. The forest rangers were put on the trail through the kindness of Supt. Wm. Anderson, but to no avail. About 11 o'clock Monday morning the father overtook a boy on Lake Fork about twelve miles above Altonah, and from him he heard that his boy had been accidently killed. He at once set out for home, reaching Vernal about 5 o'clock. Arrangements were at once made for the funeral.

The name of the deceased was Golding [sic] Hugh Hall, but he was always known as Hugh. He would have been 20 years old had he lived to October 8. He was the son of J. C. (Cell) Hall and Lola Hall. He was born in Dry Fork and was laid to rest in the Mountail Dell cemetery.

The funeral was held Tuesday, September 23, at the family home in Dry Fork, and was largely attended by relatives and friends. A large crowd accompanied the remains from the home of John Hacking, where the body had been kept, awaiting the arrival of his father, Cell Hall.

Owing to a misunderstanding as to the time of meeting, the Dry Fork people did not get there until the services were almost over.

The maeser choir furnished the singing, rendering the following selections, "I need Thee, every hour", "Nearer, My God, to Thee", and "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere". Bishop Bodily of Maeser presided. The opening prayer was offered by Elder Thomas Bingham and the benediction by Bishop Fuller Remington. The speakers were President Don B. Colton and Bishop Bodily.

Many good things were said of the deceased and cheering and comforting words spoken to the bereaved parents and relatives, who for the past nineteen or twenty years have had him for their own. Such a profusion of flowers has bardly [sic] been seen. The grave, which was dedicated by Malten Caltwell, was covered entirely, and leaning against the head stone was a floral offering made of green foliage and white asters forming the one simple word ‘Cousin', placed there by his cousin Mark M. Hall. The floral tributes were so many that the one mound could not contain them and several other little graves of the family were beautifully decorated.

The absence of this member of the family from the community is keenly felt and comes as a stab at our hearts, but there is consolation in the thought of the life he has lived, honest and true at all times; loving and thoughtful of others, cheerful and happy, radiating sunshine wherever he went, he was a living example of all that was good and to know him was to love him. Surely there must be less brightness in the home and in the community where one with so much sunshine is taken from us, but we must find comfort in the pleasant memories of his clean life and the cheerful sweet companionship of the past.

It is nature's law—"Earthy things must perish". Life of man, like all nature bends to the will of God.

Springtime buds and summer blosoms, wither and decay with the coming of fall, and long seems the day 'ere we kiss the rose again; but nature in her eternal round brings us back once more to the spring and gives us back the things we long for. Just so God will be with his people. The body that is placed in the bosom of mother earth sleeps as the plants do in winter time, but the resurrection and the springtime are coming.

Hugh lives now, but did not grow to maturity in the eartly garden, but has been plucked out and transplanted in a richer soil where he may develop more fully and without weeds and thistles to choke out his growth, where it is always summer and there is no death.

And 'ere long we will meet those we love and they will seem more beautiful because of the absense, and the sorrow of the past will be forgotten in the joy of the metting.

God 'is merciful and just, our loved one has come into his own. He was given this eartly body only that he might go on and progress more fully, he has filled his mission in a shorter time than some of us have been able to do, and has now been called back that he might go on still higher, and it is pleasant to reflect upon his deeds and know that his life here has been such that his progress shall not be retarded.

All his thoughts were pure and holy,

Forming habitrs day by day,
Sowing deeds of living kindness.

For life's toilers by the way
All his aims were up and onward.

Building character round by round,
Catching all the joun and sunshine.

That in early lives abound
Thus with noble deeds and actions,

Reaped the destiny he earned
And the plaudits of the master.

Enter my rest for which you've yearned.
(Contributed by Mrs. Chas T. Pope)
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