The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1905-06-19
Treasury Funds Of
Utah Traced to
This City.
Salt Lake Sheriff Hot
on Trail of Men Ac-
cuSed of Fraud.
Wives of Two Alleged Bounty
SharperS Under Police
Surveillance.

Under Sheriff Joseph c. Sharp of Salt
Lake has been in this city for the last
two weeks, quietly directing from his
rooms in the Grand Hotel a search for
z part OF the funds of counties in Utah,
systematically stolen by q band of
bounty swindlers, of whom several have
already been convicted, others ar
rested and several who are known
10 have fed 10 this city. It is esti-
mated that during period OF twelve or
fifteen months the Mormon State was
robbed of nearly $780, OF this
amount between $4,000 and $4,000
was shipped out of the State and later
traced TO this city, where it was de-
posted in various banks by accomplices
IN the gigantic robbery. 1t was to re-
cover this money that Under Sheriff
Sharp was sent TO San Francisco by
the authorities OF Utah two weeks ago
and that he has been successful in his
mission was evidenced in a statement
made last night by his attorney, Charles
Pence, who admitted that Sharp was so
confident that he had located the money
that suits for its recovery would be
Instituted here to-day
Two women. Mrs. James Mitchell and
Mrs. John Meyers, the alleged wives of
two Of the men now under arrest in
salt Lake City, unconsciously gave the
Under Sheriff his first cleWs to the
whereabouts Of the stolen money, which
resulted in garnishments being fled
upon the various banks in this city
last Saturday. The Under Sheriff does
not claim all the credit for the sue
cess Of the work done in this city, for
shortly after his arrival mere he asked
the local Police Department for assist
ance and Detective Ed Gibson was as
signed TO duty on the case and finally
located the two women, who had fed
from Utah several weeks before Sharp
started for San Francisco. Gibson was
elso materially responsible for the dis
covery of the fact that the missing
money was on deposit in the local
banks.
THREE IN STATE PRISON.
The swindling Of Western States by
fraudulent bounty claims has been a
practice Of many years standing, but it
was not until a few months ago that the
authorities Of Utah suddenly swooped
down upon a number of guilty men and
began TO thoroughly exploit their crooked
methods OF business, which they had
probably been pursuing for many years
at a great loss to that State. Under the
laws OF Utah a bounty of IS is paid for
every scalp OF q mountain lion or a bear
81 80 for coyotes and a proportionate
amount for the hides Of other animals
that prey upon the stock. An investiga-
ton by the authorities Of Utah revealed
Of several counties large sums of money
had been drawn out Of the treasures on
warrants fraudulently issued. 1t was
found that clerks had been bribed not to
of1cialy muulate the scalps presented to
them for bounty. and the scalps were
shipped away. only to be returned later
and presented again
One investigation alone showed that the
counties had been mulcted in the sum of
Sc, 600. and that hides from various
States. among them Nevada, California
and Arizona, had been used to further
the scheme OF the swindlers. A number
OF arrests were made and three men en-
tered plea Of guilty and are now serv-
ing their time in the State prison. There
ere now In the Jails Of Utah five other
men, three Of whom are County Clerks.
who are about to be tried, and before the
present investigation is finished II is ex-
pected that half q dozen more men will
have been placed behind the bars The
authorities Of Utah believe that the gang
Of sWfndlers was working for men of
higher stations in life, and while Under
Sheriff Sharp Will not admit it, il was
reported here yesterday that two promi-
nent men OF San Francisco were sharing
in the swindle and furnished the neces-
sary coin with which the purchase of
hides from different States was made SO
that the unlawful scheme could be sue
oessfully carried out.
TRACE PART OF MONEY.
Among the men arrested in Utah were
James Mitchell, John Meyers and c. w.
Jones. The trio were in the habit of OBJ
tanning their bounties under numerous
aliases, and it was this fact that made il
difficult for the authorities TO trace the
offenders. The identity of Mitchell and
Meyers was finally established, and it
was later learned that they both had
wives, who had left Utah The women
were traced to San Francisco, and were
promptly placed under surveillance after
the arrival of Under Sheriff Sharp. 1t
was then learned that one of these women
had been the medium through which
SIS, 900 had been placed in the local banks,
and part of this fund was traced to the |
Bank Of California Before a garnish-