The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-12-08
THE CASE or coNTEMPT. X

on the side of Chief Pratt in his con
tention with the grand jury over iii,
scandal case which has created SO
mach comnotion in this city Bul
popular feeling is not often safs
guide on q legal proposition. T'hs
common impression thai Judge judo
has been the chief cause Of the new
stirring up Of this sensation, to ust
q published expression that he has
! been on "a dshing. expedition aftel
names. we believe does him a gfe2'
injustice. Popular opinion often runs
wild and it certainly ought not to in
iiuence a court in rendekng judisia'
The publicity given to this case was
unfortunate and unwise. The Herald
which does not intend to be informed
as to the names, was in possession
of the facts some days before garb-
led account appeared in another pa.
per. But The Herald respected thu
secrecy which was considered the
proper thing under the circumstances
and published nothing concerning tbs
matter, believing it would better qro'
mote public policy to suppress than
to relate the particulars. Printing the
account, even with the Withholding 81
| the names of the parties. accomplished
no good purpose, but led to the pres
rent complications.
1t is the legal aspect of this case
which the court has now to determine.
No matter how much the public may
admire the fortitude and persistency
of Chief Pratt in refusing to disclose
the identity of the woman in the case
after pledging his word to protect her
name and reputation, the court has
only to judge OF the legality of that
declination.
Whether the District Attorney has
been officious in this matter or not
should cut no figure in the decision.
But, from what we have learned, we
have reason to believe that if he could
have fairly refrained from any action
in the case he would gladly have done
so. It was pressed upon the grand
jury by other parties; who deemed it
necessary to their and the public in
ferest that this public scandal should
be traced to its true source, so that
ifinocent persons might be relieved
from suspicion.
The position taken by our morning
contemporary as to the "perturbed
husbands who. it says, are dis
turbed lest their wives may turn out
to be the lady in the case is net only
insulting to the citizens who have de-
lnanded an investigation by the grand
jury, but is on the face of it incorrect.
1t is not because the "perturbed hus-
bands" are disturbed about the fidel--
ity of their wives. it is because the
tongue Of SANDER has been wagged by
others in relation TO them. and they
want it stopped. The very fact thai
these gentlemen desire the grand jury
to go to the bottom of the matter is
proof that they do not suspect their
spouses. as so shamefully intimated.
The statement in the same paper
that those husbands have thrown
the foulest suspicion upon their
wives" is a fouler calumny than that
cast by the gossips who have stirred
have felt compelled to take. There is
no joke in this matter; it is a vile at
tempt to twist and turn the facts into
a slur upon men who are seeking to
guard the good name of their wives
instead of making them objects of
suspicion"
A public offense is charged, a pub
lie scandal has grown out of it, inno-
cent persons are suspected, their hus-
bands desire that SANDER shall be 81
fenced and think that the surest
means of stopping it is to urge the
grand jury to investigate the case and
bring the guilty parties to JUS
tice. These are the facts. AS
to the wisdom or propriety of the
means adopted, that is another thing
and is a matter of opinion.
If there is any legal and consistent
way of settling this unpleasant affair,
without further pressing the officers
to disclose the name of the person al
legged to be guilty, and to bury the
offensive scandal out of sight and
scent, the thoughtful and high-minded
among the public will be glad. But
they hold that the law SHOULD be i'm
partially administered and the rights of
courts and juries be upheld. And there
is a widespread feeling Of eager cur
iosity to know, now, who are the par
ties to the disgraceful occurrences
which have stirred up all this odor.
There is no pressing reason why that
should be gratifed. but there is that
Justice shall be done with mercy tenn
pering it. The whole city waits anX--
iously Tor the ruling of the court.