The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-17
Ross Was a Suspicious Character
and Had Burglars Tools.
HE IS A TOUGH CUSTOMER.
WAS ALL PREPARED TO DO SOME
QUEER WORK HERE.
kid" Costello VIII Leave Town To-
day-.Irish jack VIII Fight the
Cause.-The Gamblers Row Will
Probably Not he Aired in Court
Wife-Beater Gets Twenty Days.

The police court had a tough GUS
toner before it yesterday. He made
one of the hardest fights that have
been seen in tho court for some time
The culprit's name is given as Will
liam Ross, one Of a dozen aliases, and
his offense that of carrying burglars
tools, consisting of two skeleton keys,
a bent button hook and a. highly tenn
pered saw. He has been out of the
penitentiary only about four months,
having been sent there for housebreak-
ing and has behind him a generally
unsavory record, besides the general
desire for him in several other places
He was one of the smartest and
smoothest crooks the police have
taken in this summer. He defended
his own case, and did some cross-ex-
amining and pleading in his own be-
half that would have done credit to
police court lawyer. In the first place
he was smart enough to demand a
trial by jury, and John H. White, J.
c. Ensign, j. H. SaXman, L. F. Harr,
j. B. Dumont and w. II. Gibson were
sworn in as that body.
1nem.
Detective Sheets testified that he
had taken Ross in on Sunday after
noon as a. generally suspicious charac-
ter and that, while he was being
brought to the station, he attempted
to slide the keys out of his pocket
into his trouser leg, but was caught
in the attempt. He also testified that
the saw in the mans possession was
often used for saving out panels of
doors and was of such a character
that it could be used to saw a prison
bar in two.
officer Janney testified as to Ross
residence in the pen and as to the
character of the implements. Captain
Donovan also testified on this latter
point. On crOsS-eXamining all three
the accused asked if such keys We're
not commonly used as pass keys and
if The saw could not be used for fancy
work.
a smooth Defense.
For the defense the only witness was
Kid James w. Costello, who has
been laying around town for several
months and has been suspected of be-
ing concerned in several quiet jobs. He
said that Ross had said he had lost
the key to his room and, therefore,
witness had given him note to
John Burns, otherwise Irish Jack"
asking him to lend a couple of pass
keys for the night
1t was on this argument that Ross
showed his smoothness. He asked in
the most pleading tones if a man who
had been in Jail once cannot reform
and be an honest man. He said he
had come out from the penitentiary
without a cent in his pocket and had
been trying ever since to earn an hon
est livelihood, but had constantly been
blocked by the police He plead for
fair play. However, the jury found
him guilty and he was sentenced to
four months in the county Jail. John
James prosecuted in the name of the
county.
q Tough Customer.
The police are glad over the verdict
of the jury. They were fearful lest
Ross would be turned loose on them.
He is d very dangerous customer. The
fact is that when Detective Sheets took
that Ross and a pal were to make a
haul that night. The further plan was
for Ross to get several saws in his
possession, go to Evanston, where
the postoffice thieves are in Jail, get
thrown in for some wild offense and
pass the saws to his pals, who could
then seek their liberty. The scheme,
however, has been nicely nipped in the
bud.
kid" Costello was brought up to
answer to the charge of Vagrancy.
He had, however, shown a very ar
dent desire to get out of town rather
than go to jail, and, therefore, he was
allowed to plead guilty and have SEN
tence suspended until o'clock today,
when he promises to board the train
and never again seek the sweet Sc
cIusion of lions fair land. He is an
all-round crook and the police are glad
to run him out.
The third one of the three brought
in on this same business is John Nc
Nance. otherwise Irish Jack" who
is up for vagrancy. The police would
be we'll content if he would agree to
leave town. However, he has his fight
ing blood up and has retained Attor-
ney S. P. Armstrong. His bail has been
fixed at 500 and he will probably be
tried today.
That Gamblers Row.
DUSTY Dam and ''Scorcher Jim"
appeared yesterday to answer for their
love passage the other night in a
Second South street saloon. Dams
optic was sadly in mourning, but Jim
looked like the last rose OF summer
in exquisite sweetness. By request of
Assistant County Attorney Harrington,
the charge of assault with a deadly
weapon against Dan was dismissed
and both will be arraigned for assault
and battery this morning. 1t is proba-
BILE that both, however, viii conclude
to forfeit their $25 bail and nothing
more will be heard from them for a
time.
Wife Beater.
d. E. Carpenter, who was charged
with having returned home the other
night and venting his spleen on his
wife in the favorite manner of cow
ardlv husbands WAS found guilty of