The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-15

". H. Parent, principal witness for
the State in the prosecution Of the case
against Chief of Police George A..
Sheets, on a charge of an alleged CON
spiracy, self-confessed crook, bunko
steerer, and all.round surc-thing man.
was released from the county Jail on
his own recouizance shortly before 3
clock Yesterday afternoon. The re-
lease Of Parent comes as the climax
Of one of the most Infamous prosecu-
tions ever conducted in the State of
Utah. Parent was released by order
civil division of the city court on mo-
tlon of County Attorney Willard Han,
son, who went before the court yester-
day morning and made a motion that
Parent be released on his own reconi-
zance. The court promptly granted the
motion. Later in the day Sheriff Emery
was notified of the order Of the court,
and shortly before 3 clock ,Jailer Joe
Burbidge was instructed to turn Par
rent loose, Parent left the county pail
at once, and came up town; it is un.
derstood that he took a train for Den
yer last night.
The Infsmy of It.
Notwithstanding the fact that Par
rent, under oath, testified that he was
crook, card sharp, and sure-thing
man, with three separate charges hang
ing over his head IN this county, name
ly, that of grand larceny, robbery and
conspiracy, County Attorney Hanson
appeared before Judge Whitaker few
minutes after 10 o'colck yesterday
morning, and moved that the defendant
be released on his own reconizance.
This, too, in the face of the fact that
Parent has been held in the county
Jail for over three weeks in default
of bail in the sum of $4,000. Mr. Han
son did not even deign to inform the
court of tho nature of the charges
against the man, whom he asked to
have released. He simply appeared be.
fore court and stated that he would
against W. II. Parent he moved that
the defendant be allowed to go on his
own reconizance. "You may enter the
order,' said the court to clerk Palm
quist, 1t was entered. The man Par
rent, as far as the court was concerned,
is free to come and go as he pleases,
as though he had never had n charge
made against him, much less being ar
rested on three separate and distinct
charges.
In Spite Of Denials.
And this motion of Willard Hanson,
county attorney for Salt Lake county,
was made in the face Of his oft-repeated
statement that there was no under
standing on his part or with his Office
that Parent would be granted i'm
munity for the testimony which he
might give against Chief Sheets. Mr..
Hanson was asked by n representative
of The Tribune after the case against
Chief Sheets had been commenced, if
there was any understanding between
him and Parent or anyone else that
Parent should receive immunity in re-
turn for the testimony which he had
given, Mr., Hanson replied most en-
phatjcally that there WAS no such
agreement or understanding. He WIS
asked If there was any such an undcr-
standing with any of his official force,
To which he replied that If there was
he would have known of it, and be
knew nothing of anything of the kind
The crook Parent testified under
oath (whatever his oath may have been
worth is a question: that he had no
understanding with the county attorney
that he should be let off because of
what he testified to; that no promises
of any kind had been made TO him.
and that he expected that the law
would atkc its course in his case the
same as in any other. Yet less than
forty-cight hours after Judge Whitaker
had bound Chief Sheets over TO the dis.
trict court to answer 10 the charge of
conspiracy mainly on thc testimony of
Parent, the county attorney goes be.
fore the court and asks that Parent
be released on his own recognizance
and il was ordered,
Quick and Secret.
SO quickly and quietly was the mo.
tion made and granted that the action
of the county attorney and the court
wns not known outside the court room
until court adjourned nearly an hour
after the order had been made.
Sheriff Emery was not Informed of