The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-25
Victim Is AccOmplice, and Not
Permitted to Testify
Against Them.
TIMELY ILLUSTRATION
OF LAWS FUTILITY
BuncO Men Who Robbed Tourist
Allowed to Go Scot
Free.

George Thompson and Harry Sulli-
van, tho bunko men arrested on Tues
day by Detectives Shannon and Wilson
and Officer Ripley, pleaded guilty to
the charge of vagrancy on Wednesday
and their cases went over till Wednes-
day for sentence, the robbers being al
lowed 10 go on their own recogniaance.
This action in the case of two of the
most notorious confidence operators on
the American continent furnishes an
other illustration Of the great need of
n State law that would reach this an
noying class of offenders,
Victim Is Accomplice.
Under the law, as it stands at pres,
cnt, the victim Of such bloodsucllers as
Sullivan and Thompson is an accom-
plice to the crime, and, as such, cannot
testify against them. Thus it is I'M
possible to make out case against
them. AS no one knows this better
than these nimble witted thieves them
selves, they are ever ready to take q
longer chance in Salt Lake than they
would dream of taking iu community
where the law is less farcIcal.
Here arc two criminals who are
known TO the police of every city from
ocean to ocean, caught cdhanded in
the act of tieecing a respectabl tourist.
They, having no other course open TO
them, pleaded guilty TO the crime. They
are permitted TO go scot free, and, If
they had so elected, they might have
left for the East on the same train
that carried their victim out of the
city.
\ poor, old unfortunate the other day
pleaded guilty to the crime of petty
larceny. 1t was his first crime. He
had taken a few cheap musical instru-
ments belonging TO his employers.
Judge Diehl sent him to Jail for one
hundred days.
Authorities Are Powerless.
In the case of the hardened jailbirds,
Sullivan and Thompson, however, it
must not be supposed that the authori-
ties could have done anything other
than that which they did do. True,
the thieves might have been given two
hours instead of two days TO leave
town. AS it is, they continue their
quest for victims in Salt Lake until the
tick of p, m, on Monday next. II
after that time they are arrested, they
will be sentenced on their Saturday s
plea of guilty.
Both Sullivan and Thompson are old
pals OF the notorious Harry Pittman,
alias Clark, alias Walters, who has
served time in just about all the prisons
IN the country and who was chased out
of town only few weeks ago by Chief
of Police Sheets and Chief Detective
Raleigh. That precious rogue is at the
present writing awaiting trial for a
trick he turned at Colorado Springs a
short time ago, with the able assistance
of this same Sullivan. Thereby hangs
a little tale which shows that thieves
can be traitors to one another Just like
folks in other lines of human endeavor.
Stole His Girl Away,
For years Pittman has had for q pal
a well-known woman criminal, a hand
some, clever and entirely characterless
women, who hesitates at nothing and
plays no favorites-not even Pittman
himself. By lucky stroke Sullivan
managed to make his GETAWAY" from
Colorado Springs a few weeks ago, and
just in passing he grabbed Pittman g
woman and carried her away with him.
The woman is at present sojourning in
Salt Lake City and will continue her
tour of the country in company with
Sullivan, leaving no later than 3 p. m.
tomorrow.
When Pittman gets out of jail
there III be a fair middling police
story to write.