The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-01
'fBiIlie" Cornell, Jockey, Ac-
4 : complete to Murder and
y Fence" for Thieves.
DIES CRYING FOR DRUGS
FAMILIAR CHARACTER ON THE
STREETS OF SALT LAKE.

= for which he called almost with 4
y his death rattle. Possessed of y
\ some natural ability, he might =
\ have won an honorable name and y
\ prosperity. But drugs pulled him y
\ steadily down. He was a jockey, =
= a thief. an accomplice in a muir =
y der and fence" for criminals. =
\ He reached greater and greater y
y depths until he became too much r
\ of wreck to be even thief. Yet y
4 he was possessed of some mystic y
= rious source of wealth from which y
= he drew for a daily supply Of =
y drugs. The secret of this hidden y
y fortune he carried 10 the last. +
= Here is the story of the life and =
y death of this strange character, =
y who for years has attracted atten- =
\ ton on the streets of Salt Lake as =
= A picture OF utter degradation.
<<<<<<<<$<<+<<
Billie" Cornell, the hunchback dope
fiend," SO years of age died begging for
dope" about o'clock last night in
his cell at the city Jail. For months
'Billie's" tottering, shuffling walk had
grown feebier in his nightly trips to
the drug store for cocaine. morphine
and his only medl-one glass of matted
milk. His bent. wasted figure support
ed by cane was sheltered by night in
some dark doorway where he used the
needle in angling in the streams of
pleasure. In the daytime his favOrite
haunt was dingy dilapidated shack in
the rear of Victoria alley. Orders were
issued by Chief of Police George A
Sheets to bring "Billie" to the city Jail,
where he could be given some atten-
ton for hun,auity's sake. billie" had
occupied his cell since Monday night.
Mysterious Source 80 wealth.
His career was tinged with crime
from boyhood. While q messenger boy
ne became addicted TO the use of
opium. He figured in the Clarke muir
der case when he was 49, years of age
and served sentence in the state indus
trial school. For two seasons he rode
Gu the California turf but dope
blighted his future. Afterward he be-
came a fence" for thieves. Mystery
still shrouds cache of diamonds
which he had some years ago. Some
where. it is believed, billie" had stored
away money with which he purchased
his dope" He never begged OF the
streets and as he sank into degrade
ton the light of day found him huddled
in his shack and in the cover of the
night he sought his single meal and
bought his dope"
Billie" was born and brought up in
salt Lake. His father died when he
swas a child and his mother supported
,Nhe family. ''Sissie was taken from
school when he was Il years of age and
was employed on the messenger force.
His earnings went TO his mother TO
support her and the other children.
billie" was a bright boy and was we'll
liked as a messenger. On his errands
he learned of the worldly life, of wicked
men and wicked women. This life en-
tered his while he was a messenger. He
carried cards of hop" from dive to
dive and loved its smell. He smoked
on one occasion and soon contracted
the habit. This grew on him but it
showed no effects.
Figures in Murder.
One night in d hop joint" where
''Billie' hit the pipe. he met two strang
ers. They sat about the same peanut
oil lamp and cooked their pills. They
smoked until they reeked with the es-
senee of the poppy, and then fell asleep
on greasy bunk" besides the
"Chinks." After sleeping off the
dreamy. day sIumber they awakened
in the early hours of the morning.
Stroiiing about the city Long Tom
Burdock, for that was the name of one
of his companions, fixed up highway
robbery. These crooks had followed
man by the name of Clarke about the
city and found that he was a wealthy
rancher. Clarke stopped at the White
House. and plans were laid to catch
him. The night following Clarke was
taken from the White House hotel in a
hack or on urgent call. He was driven
TO-, .
bill md another accomplice robbed
Clarke and beat him into unconscious
ness. He was left there to die and all
the trio succeeded in getting was So
billie" Burdock and their accompliee
were arrested and held. Three months
afterwards Clarke died and the men
were held ior murder. Long Tom"
was convicted and sentenced TO serve
ten years in the state prison. billie"
was under age and he was sentenced to
a term in the state Industrial school.
Their accomplice, whose name is not
known, escaped the law on some tech
Eicality.
Long Tom" served part of his term,
but escaped from the state prison in the
break twelve years ago. He was heard
of again some five years ago in north
ern Montana and was supposed to have
been connected with train robbery on
the Great Northern.
Becomes Jockey.
billie" served his time at the reform
school. He braced up and during his
term there studied hard. He was I'M
able 10 secure opium and the craving
SOON stopped and he had no desire for
the drug. After his release he went to
California, where he was employed as
stable boy on some string of horses.
The second season billie" rode in some
races and his future on the turf was
bright. While knocking about the sta
hles where some forms of dope are
,ised on horses "Billie's" cravings were
1lenewed and he longed for the dreamy
Ansation of the hop" He contracted
thf habit of using cocaine. which re-
viyAd his respirat ton. invigorated his
nerves. made him Eighty in the head
and then gave the dreamy after effects,
deadening his nerve centers.
Becomes Fence" for Thieves.
Twelve wears ago "Biil' returned to Salt
Lake. He returned to his old haunts.
living with the Celestials on their
.:bunks" where he slept off the effects of
oDium and used cocaine with needle.
He followed the races during the season in
Salt Lake. but his fence for thieves
MADE him a living. Billy knew all the
crooks who came TO town and worked for
them. He sold a number Of diamonds and
e.~retiv disnczed of considerable jeWehy