James Kittleman

James Kittleman is reported to be one of 4 ex-miners who come from the mines around Marysvale when they closed down in 1873. These 4 men were the first white men to come back into the Circle Valley after the first settlers moved away because of the indiam problems during the Black Hawk Wars of 1866. He built a cabin at the mouth of Circlevile Canyon, where he did some gold mining in the canyon like he had in Marysvale.

James is the brother of Elizabeth Kittleman who married Henry Simon Dalton.

3 February 1897:

An Excruciating Death / Flames Kill James Kettleman - An Old Rancher Near Circleville Burned in His Cabin - Suspicious Circumstances.

On the night of Thursday, Jan. 21st, James Kettleman, a bachelor ranchman who lived at the mouth of Circle Valley about four miles south of the hamlet of Circleville in Piute County and fifty-five miles south of Richfield, received injuries from the burning of his clothing that resulted in his death on Sunday morning, Jan. 24th. Deceased was a wealthy dealer in livestock and was about sixty years old. Soon after the tragedy, Max Parker, a neighbor, drove down to Monroe, the nearest telegraph station, to wire the news to Kettleman's relatives living in Centreville, Davis county. From them no answer has been received in person or by wire or mail. To the operator, Mrs. N.J. Bates, Parker related substantially the story printed below: On the ranch was a good house which Kettleman had leased to Marvin Dalton, a man of family, retaining a part of the dwelling for his own use. Kettleman and Dalton quarreled about this room and the former left the residence and went to his camp house a few yards away. Kettleman was a heavy drinker at times. He was in the habit occasionally of buying ten gallons of whisky, taking it home alone and remaining in a state of intoxication two or three weeks until the sprits were all gone. He was drunk on the night of Jan. 21st. On that night a little boy who had been in the camp house with Kettleman, left about ten o'clock and fastened the door on camp house his coat and vest on fire and his breast and arms frightfully burned. the outside. Later Dalton came from his dwelling and found Kettleman lying outside the Kettleman had been unable to escape by the door and had so torn nailed boards from the window, which proved his means of egress. All over the floor straw was strewn to the depth of six inches but none of it was burned; neither was the bed upon which Kettleman was last seen reclining. Dalton carried the victim back into the camp house, stripped him and tossed his clothing into the fire that was burning on the hearth. Then Dalton left the injured man alone and went home. Later William Applegate came to the camp house and found Kettleman in fearful agony, his intense suffering making his mutterings unintelligible. His clothing was still smouldering in the fireplace where Dalton had thrown it. Parker stated that when Dalton was disrobing Kettleman the latter said: "Don't pour any more grease on me." Dalton's answer, according to Parker, was: "You d----d fool, who's pouring grease on you? There's no grease on you except what is frying out of you." Among the intelligible things Kettleman was heard to say shortly before death was: "It is pretty bad to be forced out of my own house and then burned up." Deceased was buried without the preliminary formality of a coroner's inquest.