The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-02
PATRIOT DAYS OPPORTUNITY

Lead, in ore, $50; New York $500
PATRIOT DALY's OPPORTUNITY.
The conduct of the prosecution of the
Wilson case by Patriot P. J. Daily, as
sistant city attorney, yesterday is
worthy a passing notice. Wilson was
arrested by the police on a charge of
conducting a gambling house at Second
South and Commercial streets, follow
ing the publication by The Herald of
the fact that the house was running.
Although he had the evidence Of the
police officers who made the arrests,
and of officers who had been in the
place when 1t was open, Mr.. DAILY util-
azed his office to summon members of
The Herald staff as witnesses when the
slightest inquiry would have developed
the fact that the men summoned had
nothing to do with the Wilson case.
) DAILY either knew this, or he is even
less competent as a lawyer than most
men suppose him to be. In the course
sf his inquiry, he attempted to ask
questions evidently for political pur-
poses, and although he was not per-
mitted to pursue them, he made it very
clear that he intended, if possible, to
discredit the newspaper men he had
called as his own witnesses. Mr.. DAILY
and the Thompson administration may
regard this use of a court position as
legitimate, even smart, but if they had
any idea it would work to their advan-
tage the outcome must have disap-
pointed them grievously.
The most significant testimony-and
the public ought to bear it in mind
was given by Detective Dick Shan
non. The detective testified, under
oath, that after The Herald had given
the location of the gambling houses
which were running under this admin
istration, he (Shannon) went to the de-
PENDANT, Wilson, and notified him gam
bling would have TO stop in his place.
Shannon, who undoubtedly acted under
instructions, does not seem to have con-
sidered it unusual at all for the police to
notify a house in advance of it's raid,
TO give 1t a chance to close up its real
games and assume the aspect of a quiet
little EndeavOr class by the time the
raid came. It evidently did not occur
to him that his evidence was a cold be-
trayal OF the Thompson-She policy,
and that under such a system gambling
could continue indefinitely without
much annoyance to the gamblers or
distress for the administration shield
ing them
IF aDDaarad from, Oa7co~ vEy;1.o,,,-,
evidence that when the raid came the
men who were in the rooms were hav-
Ding nice little game of Slough and
that fully 40 cents in cash changed
hands over the frogs" and "solos"
which he beheld as an eyewitness.
ALSO, there was a game Of stud poker
in which one man sat with his shirt
sleeves and the others in warmer cos
tune. He saw no money change hands,
though one player seemed to have ac-
cumula4ed surplus of the visible
checks.
Curious, wasn't it. that no faro or
roulette or other serious game of chance
should be in hand after Detective Shan
non had so kindly warned the estab-
lishment in advance? Most remark
able that the faro table should be piled
up with newspapers and magazines,
much as if 7. NJ. c. A reading room
had been opened up for the homeless
men who had assembled there? One
would suppose that after Shannon's
preliminary call, SO to speak, the house
would be chock full of faro layouts,
roulette wheels, keno cards and other
devices for the separation of coin from
the unwary and sportive. Possibly
Shannon bungled his job and did not
convey his meaning clearly or things
would have been arranged better.
Possibly, also. Mr.. Daily had the very
highest motives in making things IN
pleasant for The Herald staff when he
must have known they could rot legiti- |
mately be used as witnesses in this
case. Possibly-and we say it with
some reservation-possibl DAILY was
anxious to show that gambling had
been going on under the Thompson
Sheets regime. If that is his purpose.
The Herald viii try to help him from
time to time. Incidentally, it win try.
also, to prevent the system of gam
bling graft" which was in vogue when
Thompson was mayor before
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