The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-06
ALL PLEAD GUILTY
And the Conspiracy and Per
jury Cases Are Dismissed.
SCENES IN THE IDAHO COURT.
The End of the History of the Events Which
Had Beginning at the Election
in November, 1888.


ence of THE HERALD. The present tern
OF the district court of the third judicia
district Of Idaho. opened on the 1st inst.
ana 1t is needless to say that the commence
ment of this term was fraught with de
gree of interest never before known in the
court annals of Oneida county. It wa:
known that fifty three persons, who includ
ed many of the most substantial citizens o.
the county, were to be tried on an indict
ment Tor conspiracy; also that majority
OF them were under the charge of perjury
Court opened at II o'clock Tuesday morn
ing and after some preliminary arrange
ments the docket was called The civi
calendar was soon disposed Of as nearly al
the cases were dismissed or settled, only
one being continued Tor the term. The
criminal cases were then called and the
interest became very marked. The first
case called was that of the people
OF Idaho VS.. D. l.. Evans ct al. District
Attorney Standrod recited that a number
OF persons had just been arrested in the
case and that as the prosecution was ready
to proceed, he desired that they be az
ralgned. The sheriff furnished the clerk of
the court with list of the persons ar
rested, and who had not previously been
arraigned, and the names were called AS
the clerk called the roll, twenty eight per-
sons answered and stepped up to the bar.
among them were young men who had but
Just passed the threshold of majority and
old men whose silvery locks betokened the
near approach OF dissolution. In many re-
spects the scene was striking and touching.
PARTICULARLY was this 50 on account OF there
being no attorney to represent them
hai, g..
OF court usages and unfamiliar with the
legal terms, were entirely at loss to know
what TO do or how to conduct themselves
When the court asked them if they were
ready for arralgnment they hardly knew
what answer to make AT last they man
aged to inform the court that they were
not. The court then asked them if they
had an attorney; they said they had, but
that he had not yet arrived. Prosecuting
Attorney Standrod explained that by
agreement with Mr. Kimball, the defend
ants attorney, he merely wished that the
parties be arraigned; that they need not
plead until the arrival of their at
torney. After this explanation the
Indictment was lead and the defendants
gwen until Thursday morning to plead
On Thursday morning court was called
and the defendants, headed by Mr.. Kim
ball, filed into the court room In the
time intervening between Tuesday and
Thursday it had become pretty generally
circulated that defendants would plead
guilty, in consideration of an agreement
with District Attorney Standrod that they
pay fine of S25 each. This idea had be-
come so prevalent that everybody eX-
pected that the whole matter would com
to an end in ten minutes after opening of
court No doubt such would have been
the result had 1t not been for an obstacle
which seemed very difficult to overcome
No two individuals, the least number re-
CURED, could be found who were
willing to enter such plea
This fact, however, did not become
known until later. On Thursday morning
the court room and Hobbies were damned
fuu and everybody craning neclss. 1t was
beyond all comparison the most intensely
earnest and interested audience that was
ever brought together in this city. There
were now in the court room fifty of the de
PENDANTS, and as each brought train of
relatives, such as only Malad people accu-
mulate, 1t may be imagined that but few
present were Indifferent spectators. The
case was called, and Mr. Kimball arose and
entered plea OF not guilty In an instant
there was such buzz of voices and shift
ing OF feet that the court had to call several
tunes for order before business
could proceed. Then the mill began to
grind. Twelve jurymen were called
from the panel of twenty-four, and sworn
IN, and the usual examination began. In
order that the difficulties of procuring
jury In these cases may be understood. the
following instances may be related: The
hrst three lurymen examined stated that
they had formed such an opinion as would
prejudice their minds to such an extent
that 1t would require great quantity of
evidence to change their conviction. This
virtually meant that in their estimation
defendants were guilty. One luryman
stated that he had formed such an opinion
that he believed he could render true YER
dict without hearing any evidence. An
other, on being asked if any of the defend
ants were related to him, stated that he did
not know; there were so many
ramitications to his family con
necuons that he would have to
examine defendants pedigrees before he
could state with any degree of certainty.
Another iuryman, in answer to the same
question, Swore that he was related to a
of the defendants. Of course
these 1urymen were excused. Out of the
entire panel only eleven jurors were passed
by the prosecution for cause The LIST heinp
exhausted, the court ordered special ven
Ire Tor twelve talesmen, returnable at 9
O'Clock a. m. Saturday. 1t now became
evident that II would be almost impossible
to get jury in this county. At the Sen
TENDER term of court this same case had
exhausted the regular panel and half
dozen special venires, which included
about four-ffths OF the voter, of the
county. The court now took recess until
: O'Clock p. N. In a short time II again
became noised around that the conspirators
SO called, had concluded TO recall the orig,
lnal plea and enter plea of guilty and at
the opening OF court the room was again
TANNED. This time the rumor proved
true. District Attorney Standrod read to
the court q stipulation setting forth that
In consideration of all the circumstances
the defendants had agreed to paw into the
treasury OF Oneida county the sum of
; ,30o, lawful money, ETC., and in return
for which sum he, Standrod, as district
attorney for Oneida county, asked that the
cases against the defendants named in the
stipulation be dismissed That settled il
Here ended the great conspiracy cases of
oneida county, the most remarkable
cases in the history of Idaho litigation.
BEFORE making the order, Judge Berry
made short and very kindly address tn
the defendants. His language was tenn
perate and appropriate. While expressing
Inc hope that 1t would never again be his
unpleasant duty to sit upon such cases. he
avoided saying anything that had
The flavor of anti-Mormonism. The most
pronounced Mormons speak highly of the
Judges language and manner Whether or
1ot all the defendants so understood il. the
act OF the case IS that virtually and in fact
'hey each and all entered a plea of guilty,
ana Judge Berry stated as much in his re-.
marks. The general sentiment hereis that
,he worst possible course has been pursued:
hat while many will return to the church
some will remain out permanently. II
night be stated that not only the con.
'piracy, cases but also the perjury cases
Upon which the jury disagreed at the last
all term were dismissed. The election
cases were also dismissed at this
erm, at costof contestants.
Here ends the history of tho euar+s