The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-13

mouse of Ill fame while he was CHIEF OF
police.
CONSULTED MR.. LANNAN.
I went to Mr.. Lannan for advice. and
he sent me TO Judge o. w. Powers, to
whom l went, and there learned that
ne tPowers) was attorney for EsS1e
Watkins. He took out book and read
a lot of things to me. showing how I'M
Just it was for Pratt to try to put Essie
Watkins out after renting her the build
ms. and allowing her to spend so much
money in improvements.
THEN PRATT CAME HOME.
After good deal of work and man
euvering, l got the Watkins woman out
of the building and informed Chief
Pratt of the fact. and he came home
PLAYED DOLLAR LIMIT.
While 1 was captain of police. at the
urgent request of Chief Pratt, l Joined
the Union club. which was then To-
Gated in the Hooper * Eldredge block on
Main street. One night Pratt and others
gambled at playing poker for 81 limit
from about II p. IN. until after daylight
the next morning. This was in the sum
mer of 1895. l have seen him gamble at
said place for money great many times
before, and after said time from evening
until or 4 o clock IN the morning. SaiG
Pratt was at those times chief of police
of the city.
DEATH TO HARMONY.
Arthur Pratt became chief of police Jan.
l, 1894 taking the place of Captain Samuel
Paul. At the time he took said office the
force was in a harmonious and contented
condition. This condition continued until
about April l, 1894, when one Ford men,
1 Der of the force, became the constant con-
fidante and intimate of Pratt. That
said Ford and said Pratt began
laying plans to get rid of the
old men on the force and get in other
men of the same kind as themselves, and
/ from about April l. 1884, down TO the time
/ l Let the department. there WAS not an
/ hour that there was harmony or content
ment in the department. Nor was there
J time when there was not TWO or more
factions among the men.
NO CONFIDENCE IN THE CHIEF.
That very few of the men had any con-
fidence in the chief. They believed and
! said that he was after the heads of most
OF the old men. and was so INSCRIPTIONS
, that he would resort TO any means TO ac-
comDiish his ends. That the fact IS tnat
during the time the said Ford was IN SAID
i department. he was a great cause OF con-
tention. He was a liar ana had perJured
/ himself. some of the men claimed, and
was indicted for perjury while on the
force. all OF which was well known TO
I Chief Pratt. and yet when any member
of the force made complaint TO the chief
about him he was threatened with as
missal il he said anything further about
the matter. That on several occasions
with the knowledge of the chief. Ford,
while only sergeant, changed men on
I their posts. that I had placed, and to
my protest TO the chief, he simply said
/ he would INQUIRE into it, but never dld.
/ Pratt al one time told me that when Ford
had il in for a man he (PratO would give
that man q poor place.
SHARED THE SECRETS WITH Ian
NAN
That during all the time I was in the
department, Chief Pratt was constantly
giving the secrets of the officers to Fat
Lannan and the Tribune, and the men
all understood that was the case, and
there was never an important case came
up but what Lannan was counSelied with
in regard to the same by the chief, in
stead of taking the men of the force into
his confidence. which caused dissatisfac-
ton among the men. That at the time
the council ordered decrease in the num-
Der of men on the force TO the number OF
ten. Pratt prepared a list of the men to
be discharged, which was as follows:
LUNE. YOCUM,
ESLINGER. DUKE,
LIVINGSTON, LARSEN,
BROWN. CANNON,
JOHNSON EVERILL.
who were, without doubt, the most eX-
perienced men on the force. and all of
whom Except LivingstOn) had been long
time on the force. and against whom no
one could with truth say anything, and
the reason these men We're selected was
understood TO the men to be because said
Ford did not Ike them, as they took no
stock in him. knowing the sort of man
he was. That many complaints were
made by different officers of the condition
of Ford. which was known by all men
on the force. out no complaint WOuiu De
entertained by the chief. Said Ford was
at one time accused of buying beer for a
woman while on duty as sergeant on
the night shift. and asking her TO
go with him to room in the Singer
block. which she refused TO do and COM
piained TO me about it. and by order of the
chief / investigated the matter and made
MN written report OF II, IN which II
was found that the charges of the woman
We're true. This matter came before the
police board where Pratt appeared as
u sol
of the case without taking all the evil
dence. At another time while ON duty
said Ford was caught drinking beer or
whisky with one Lottie Miner a notorious
prostitute. in the back room of a saloon,
which fact was reported to Pratt
the offense being punishable with dis
missal, who took no notice OF the matter.
PRATT SHIELDED FORD.
There are many other instances in
which Pratt shielded Ford, which are
TOO long to relate. and too numerous to
mention, and too disgusting to repeat.
All of the related instances and many
of the others are well known to the
men on the force That during all the
time said Ford was on the force, which
ended some time last year by his being
dismissed by the board said Ford and
SAID Pratt hae some friends on the
force who believed they were right, and
on the other hand 4 majority of the
force believed them wrong. and feared
the displeasure of said Ford and Pratt,
to frequent discussions, and angry
feelings among the men on the force. so
that lack of harmony and failure of the
men to perform the work was the result.
FEARFUL OF BEING JOBBED.
That during this time all the men of
the force feared Pratt and Ford and
that they would set up some job on
them. and many Of them spent their time
watching against surprise instead of 90
ing their duty. That said Pratt treated
me in a most unjust manner from the
time of the Essie Watkins matter, be-
cause he claimed that l had given the
Deseret News information about il. which
l proved TO him was not true but from
shameful manner. going so far as to ia.7
traps for me, putting men on my track
ard carrying out his well known course
of trying to do a man on the force, ne
did not like.
= GRUDGE AGAINST ESLINGER
From the time that said Ford became
the connaante of Pratt. said Pratt /
seemed TO have a grudge of some kind
against Esiinger. now captain OF pO-
nee. and to hate him, but for what
reason ] never knew and tried to poison
my mind against him, telling me to look
out for him. that he was no friend of
mine, and on many occasions told me
if he could get u chance he would get his
head. meaning that if he could get a
chance he would get him off the force. /
That said Pratt made this statement I
many times before and after he sent F.,
Eslinger's name to the board for re-
moyal Said EslInger was a hrst-class /
man in every respect and a most efficient I
ing his duty willingly, and in all my ex-
Derience with him | have found him hon /