Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-02-01


eralp leaders were gamblers. Now
what earthly use could Mr.. Jen-
nings or the Peoples Municipal
Central Committee make of such
evidence? None whatever. Granted
that there exists popular SUPPOSE
ton that those individuals are gam.
blers, what good would it DO the
Peoples Party to prove them such?
None whatever. Whether or not
they are gamblers is no issue of the
campaign, and by proving them to
belong to that class the Peoples
Party wop not win from their
following q single vote, for the
''Liberal'' party have openly and
for years advocated gambling as
means of reforming young Utah.
But in his sworn statement
o'Brien sufficiently gives the lie to
the above assertion published for him
by the "Liberal'' organ on Thurs
day. Under oath he declared to Mr..
Bonheld, his employer: "You only |
told me that l was to ferret out |
frauds in the registration which the
Mormons suspected, and that, being
legitimate detective work, 1 engaged |
in it" He here states exactly what |
his chief set him to do. He was not |
to inveigle anyone into viledens, he |
was not to collect material with
which to besmirch the private char
acter Of individuals. O'Brien had
no need to engage in gambling, nor
to visit houses Of illfame, in order
to do the work assigned him: and
proceedings Of that sort were, there
fore, entirely voluntary on his part,
and presumably must have origi.
mated in personal motives.
That 0'Brien was engaged solely
to detect registration frauds is amply
proved by the second, third and
fourth paragraphs of his sworn
statement which set forth in detail
the instructions he received and the
outlines Of plans given him to fol-
low. In the sixth paragraph is re-
peated the falsehoods nailed above.
and in the seventh is the statement
to the effect that Mr.. Barton wrote
a prO-"Mormon" letter which
appeared in the Chicago Herald.
MIR. Bonfield's denial of this asser-
ton, already made public, Is safsi-
Gent 1t is positive fact that Mr..
Barton did not write to the Chicago
Herald. In the eighth paragraph Of
the sworn statement .O,Brien says
that Mr.. Jennings informed him
there was evidence that three mem
beers of the grand jury frequent
ed private houses Of iil-fame, and
that if convicting proof could be OBJ
tained against them it might deter
them from indicting .stMormons. ;, ,
As there were no "Mormons, who
were even supposed TO be in the most ,
remote danger Of being indicted |
'y that grand jury, any attempt at $
lettering them from SO doing would 8
have seemed so superfluous that no I
nan Of sense would have engaged
n it. This. pretext of O'Brien for
visiting houses Of illfame, is en-
rely too attenuated. In
In the ninth paragraph, O'Brien.
Who is a married man, confesses TO =
correspondence with young
ady. 1t will be remembered that
That was believed to be an Internal
cheme on his part to ruin her, wa I
ne Of the reasons for his dismissal /,
y his chief. In the closing para ?
raph OF his sworn statement he r
sys: "Mr. Bonfield, 1 am not !,
ctuated by malice in this matter. ,
ut here stand for truth and the .
onor and dignity of the profess :
on" -.
The affidavit affixed to this state r.
Ient is such a curiosity that it Is =
Ihjoined: /"
LII LAKE COUNTY, -ss
Utah Territory, f.rk q
/, Joe E. o'Brien, do solen1nly swear q
at the facts in the above letter are re
ne. F-r Il. = ~ 50
sworn and subscribed to this slst
y Of January, A. d. 1890. W
lsEALl E. G. MATHEWS. ri
sts Notary Public. G.
O'Brien swears that The facts con. pr
lned in his letter are true; but ia
w about the falsehoods embraced tn
it, he has taken care not TO COM Ia
It perjury so publicly as to swear CT
the false assertions included in an
open letter to Mr.. Bonfield. His in
idavit signifies that there are Pr
schools in the document to which IN y.
is affixed. B B
eh
We turn again to the article of III,
lursday, in which We have ample fer
idenee Of the hammer in :
Iieh o'Brien vindicates "the ioc
nor and dignity of the c.
'fession." During thu natural no
ton examination before Judge or
ldersoH che made constan. renorts ~
the Peoples Party representa- .ine
esI that there was a universal sac
ling that the Mormons, were pie
ng prosecuted, and indignation Ia
; rising In the public mind, - dee
the claim is that he thus de- pal
we'd them. He was sent to Park con
y, but confesses his neglect TO do w
at he was sent to. perform. day
nelly, procure names Of miners for
ployed there. He was sent to said
CHAM on the same errand. Sut me me
petrated a shameful fraud are
the article referred to big
true-by copying the. names snd
the advertised letter list suc'
e.. -