The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-07

Yesterday was a day of unusual ex-
citement in Judge Bartch's division of
the Third district court. The grand
jury room was the source from which
the matter creating the excitement
rsprang. 1t was all over the case which
tthe grand jury are investigating in
which Mr.. Harte, the city editor of the
Tribune, was called as a witness on
the previous day and refused to answer
a certain question propounded by the
inquisitors. The public prosecutor
abandoned the attempt to compel, the
4 newspaper man TO answer and turned
Mis- attention to Chief Of Police Pratt
dnd Officers Sheets and Ferguson, vino
were subpoenaed, and asked questions
similar in some respects to the one
A-arte refused to answer. They also
declined to give the desired Information
end We're committed to the penltentiary
fer contempt and remained there all
might. The contest will be renewed this
morning when arguments will be made
on a writ of habeas corpus issued last
might from Judge Bartch's court.
The fun began shortly after IL o'clock
when the hearing of the case of the
people VS.. Leatham was interrupted by
the grand jury accompanied by United
States District Attorney Judd fling in
to court. Judge Judd stepped TO the
bar and after the grand jurors had
taken their seats, addressed his honor,
stating that sometimes in the admins
tration Of the law unpleasant duties are
imposed on those who are called upon
to act as agents of the public in its
execution and there is now before your
honor case of that kind. Judge Judd
then proceeded to read the article
which appeared in the Tribune of No
Z vember 1, in which it was stated that
a man drove to the neighborhood of the
Holy Cross hospital in a hack, in the
middle of the night and was Joined by
lady. That the occurrence had fire.
Quently taken place and that detectives,
placed there by Chief of Police Pratt
had discovered the pair inside the car
ciage in a compromising position, placed
them under arrest and taken them to
the police station where they were
ushered into the presence of Chief
Pratt. The article went on to
state that the chief, finding
that the woman was noted
society lady, the wife of a prominent
business man and the mother of sew
eral children, let the pair go on their
promising never to repeat the perform
6Qc2 or renew Il6lT
Judge Judd Explains.
} the Judge, after reading the arti-
Gle. went on to explain that a num-
Der of persons residing in the north
eastern part Of the city came to him
in his official capacity and demanded
that he cause that case to be inves-
tigated before the grand jury. He de-
clined to do so, saying there were some
duties devolving upon a public prose-
cutor which were Of their character adj
ministrative, and that it did not al
ways follow, because information had
been given to him that a crime had
been committed, that he was neces-
CARLY compelled to have it publicly in
vestigated. AS public prosecutor he
always askeH himself the question
whether the party accused was guilty.
Having answered that in the affirma-
tive the next question, he said. was
Did the public good require the case
20 be prosecuted? This was the course
he had steadily held to. He put the
complaining parties in this particular
instance off and off, remarking that
It seemed TO him an investigation of
the matter would do more harm than
good. But they returned to him again
and again and stated that persons in
the vicinity where they lived were be-
ing wrongly uspected-while some
even stated that their own relatives
Nvere under suspicion. A public scandal
having come out, the question arose
whether the guilty party should be ex-
posed or innocent people in the neigh
borhood further subjected to suspicion?
He (the district attorney informed
those who waited upon him that of
course If some responsible man should
come to him, demand that the matter
be investigated. and make charge be
fore the grand jury he had no
pQkyer to say that he would not
han the right to have an IN
curry made. He talked with the
foreman OF the grand jury, but kept it
from that body itself. Finally the de-
mand was made in precisely that
shape. The gentleman who came for
ward--a respectable individual Of this
city-went before the grand jury, COM
planned that his relatives were being
compromised by this thing, and in
sisted upon an investigation; and that
was how the matter came here.
The Questions.
The grand jury summoned before |
them Arthur Pratt, chief of police: the /
article in question was exhibited to |
him, and the following questions were
Sasked:
Question-Do you know the name of /
the man and woman mentioned in the
newspaper article here shown you, |
tpublisheC in the Salt Lake Tribune of |
November 4, 1894?
I Answer do know the name of thel