The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-04

rough and tumble life of public schools.
left the tutors care he entered Am
herst college. He remained there three
years, and at the end of that time he
left on account of poor health.
But il was not in the Jerome blood
TO stay dOWned. Next year William
Travers entered Columbia college law
school and graduated in 1884.
In District Attorneys Office.
After that he Travelled considerably,
practised law a little and amused him
self little. BY 1883 he was ready to
settle down. and in that year three
important things happened in his life.
He was appointed assistant district
attorney. He married Miss Hart of
Sharon Conn. Lawrence jerome, his
father, died.
In the district attorneys Office young
Jerome made a reputation among the
other assistants as a man who never
gave up in the most -thankless task, and
as an embryo politician who never
worked for his own pocket
He won cases that nobody expected
him to Win-not by briIliancy, but by
bulldog tenacity. On one. occasion he
took up a suit in the interest of i'm
porters. 1t was one of the things that
had to be done as matter of routine,
but nobody expected a favorable de-
cision.
Jerome worked nights, Saturdays.
odd times. out of Office hours and in a
year he won his case. 1t was worth
thousands of dollars to the merchants,
and they made up a purse of S2,000 and
presented it to him Jerome returned
the money with thanks.
=
nothing more; don't want anything
more" he said.
When the municipal campaign Of 1890
came on. Jerome supported the anti
Tammany ticket put up by the NUM-
cipal league. 1t was the first round of
ten-year fight between the future
district attorney and Tammany. Tam
many won. Jerome lost his place as
assistant district attorney.
Carlyle Harris Defense.
In the years of private law practice
that followed Judge Jerome's most i'm
Dortant case was that of Carlyle w.
Harris. the medical student who was
on trial for the murder Of Helen Potts.
Jerome undertook the defense. He lost,
but his work made him reputation
among the first as a criminal lawyer.
1t was held by the prosecution that
Helen Potts had been potsoned-prOb-
ably by morphine. The case required
a knowledge of chemistry, both accur-
ate and thorough enough to be avail
able to every turn of the long trial
Jerome had always liked chemistry and
had had a good college training in it.
He set himself to the task of acquiring
the minutest details of the effect Of
poisons. and his knowledge was the
marvel of the trial
At one point in the celebrated case,
Jerome arose to address the judge on
an important issue. Nervous, young
overweight by study and by the stage
fright that comes to a lawyer in his
first important case, he began to STAN
mer and suddenly collapsed complete
~ BY next day he had recovered en-
tirely. but the break down" was the
sensation Of a week
When the Lexow investigation began
in 1894. Jerome assisted John w Golf
as induisitor
In 1895. as manager of the Committee
of SEVENTY. ne won the good viii of
Mayor Strong and was by him ap-
pointed judge Of special sessions
On the Bench.
It is said that the things the Judge
has hated most. in the order of his dis
like. are perjury. blackmail and any
crime that tends to lower the morals
of children by mad example