The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-10-23
LAMBS AND FOXES.

lle case against george Sntel5,
| Chief of Police of Salt Lake City, is
before the courts, but it is also before
the bar of public opinion.
The ante,information bureau con-
Sheets, and perhaps others, furnished
information upon which certain news
papers tried and convicted the Police
Chief, and upon which public judg.
mept was induced to accept as posi-,
bility the story against him as it was
originally told.
Bit today there Is complete .hange
of sentiment. No matter what may be
the result IN court-no matter what
may be the temporary success or the
permanent non-success Of ths cont
spiracy-the whole town is laughing at
the grotesque attitude in which the
prosecution has involved itself. The
Tribune believes George Sheets TO he
perfectly innocent of any completely in
the pretended crime; but setting that
proposition aside it is clear that some
parties to the prosecution must have
had more than an innocent knowledge
of plot by which the Chief of Police
was to be made to appear as the part
ner of confidence men.
The Wbirters-innocent lambs in
September, bleating gently as they
were fleeced (according to their story;
the McWhntegs, foxes in October when
they appear in court as witnesses
against the man who did not take their
money-it is at the absurdity Of their
attitude and the story they tell, and
it is in 3 profound belief that, behind
their appearance i'll this matter, is the
guiding hand that has arranged so
many conspiracies in the past, that the
town is laughing. According 10 their
story, Bell took their money-Bell, the
bogus police officer. They and their
lawyers see Bell and make no effort to
have him arrested. make TO effort to
have him followed, but the proceed
ings are brought against George Sheets,
Chief of Police of Salt Lake City, and
they rely for their conviction Of Sheets
upon this grotesque thing: That Bell,
the pretended policeman, right in the
midst of the confidence game, went to
a public telephone and called the NUN
Der of the Chief of Police, but failed
to get him. That is the point where
the case touches Sheets, but il is not
the point at which public opinion
pauses after opportunity has been had
FOR investigation, and after time has
passed within which reasonable opin-
ion can be formed, These poor, bedaz-
zled McWhirters, VINO are running
about the streets of Salt Lake in Sep
tember in an agony OF fear, remember
faces so definitely and clearly that
when they are confronted by police
officers they are able 10 distinguish
between one aud the other-all in the
line of conspiracy against Sheets-al-
though, according TO their story, they
were at the tine Of meeting these sew
eral officers (sonie of whom very close
ly resemble each other) almost dement,
ed with anxiety. When they get upon
tue witness stand, with promptitude
which is more than suspicious, they
set aside the men who are not to be
involved in the transaction and select,
With precision that indicates pre-
coDcertmeut. the men who are TO be
involved.
The major part Of the people of Salt
Lake are indignant, too, in the belief
that carefully.arranged plot has been
laid TO avenge the feelings of hate of
certain parties against George Sheets,
Chief Of Police, for cleaning up this
town, and against the American party
for supporting him in this process. The
kind of town the ecclesiasts wanted
was the wide-open city which was CON
Quoted under the Morris.chureh admin
istration. Sheets drove out the thugs,
closed mp the gambling houses, caught
the burglars and made Salt Lake safe