| Date | February 16–17, 1895 |
|---|---|
| Location | Pelican Point, Utah County, Utah, United States |
| Type | Homicide |
| Outcome | Unsolved |
| Deaths | 3 |
The Pelican Point murders refer to the 1895 killings of three cousins and ranch hands: Albert Enstrom (22), Andrew Johnson (20), and Alfred Nelson (17). Their bodies were discovered in Utah Lake near Pelican Point, Utah County, Utah, following an extensive disappearance. Despite a high-profile trial, a death sentence, and a subsequent gubernatorial pardon, the case remains one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in Utah's history. [1]
The three victims worked as ranch hands at a livestock operation situated in Pelican Point, a remote area on the western shore of Utah Lake. On February 16, 1895, the men traveled to Lehi, Utah to attend a legal hearing involving a property dispute between Enstrom's stepfather, Harry Hayes, and a neighbor, Oliver Slade. Following the hearing, the cousins were seen returning toward the ranch but never arrived at their destination. Their families initially suspected the young men had left for the Arizona Territory to find work, which delayed a formal missing persons report for several weeks. [2]
In March 1895, Caroline Hayes, the property owner and mother of Albert Enstrom, visited the ranch and discovered her son’s personal belongings, including his clothing and tools, still on site. Realizing the men would not have left such items behind if they had moved to Arizona, she contacted local law enforcement to report a suspected crime. [1]
On April 15, 1895, a sheepherder discovered Albert Enstrom's body floating near the shoreline. Within five days, the bodies of Andrew Johnson and Alfred Nelson surfaced approximately three miles away. [3] Forensic examination determined that each victim had been shot in the head at close range with a .38-caliber revolver, and one victim had sustained an additional wound to the chest. [4]
Evidence at the scene suggested the men were murdered while sleeping in their cabin. The killers then allegedly loaded the bodies into a wagon, transported them onto the frozen surface of Utah Lake, and dropped them through a hole cut in the ice. The cold water had preserved the bodies, though their facial features were obscured by scavenging animals. A wagon, a team of horses, and several firearms were missing from the ranch. [2]
Early suspicion fell on Oliver Slade due to his ongoing litigation with the victims' family, but he was eventually cleared of involvement. Investigators then focused on Harry Hayes, Enstrom’s stepfather, who was convicted in April 1896 and sentenced to death by hanging based on circumstantial evidence regarding his previous threats against the men. [2]
The case shifted when Sheriff George Storrs reviewed the evidence and successfully lobbied Utah Governor Heber Manning Wells to commute Hayes's sentence; Hayes was eventually granted a full pardon. [1] Storrs redirected the investigation toward George H. Wright (alias James G. Weeks), a known cattle rustler. Storrs compiled a circular of items stolen from the ranch—including chains, crowbars, and distinctive quilts—and distributed it to law enforcement. A tip from Mapleton led Storrs to a cabin Wright had rented, where several stolen goods had been stored. [2] The mother of one of the victims later identified a specific "blocked" remnant quilt and a Spencer rifle with unique stock markings as belonging to her son. [3] Wright fled to Colorado, where he was later implicated in the 1896 murder of William Crampton, but he was never apprehended for the Pelican Point crimes. [2]
In 1914, W. E. Davis, arrested in Los Angeles, reportedly confessed to killing three men during a "range war" in the Utah Territory. While an uncle of one of the victims believed this confession matched the case, it remained uncorroborated. [5]
The Pelican Point murders remain unsolved. The three victims are buried side by side in the cemetery in Benjamin, Utah. Their shared headstone bears the following inscription:
"... But truth shall conquer at the last, for round and round we run, And ever the right comes uppermost, and ever is justice done.” [1] [2]
Artifacts from the case, including the Spencer rifle and original court documents, are archived and displayed at the John Hutchings Museum in Lehi. [6]