The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-22

Earl S. Beers, returned to Salt Lake
yesterday afternoon and immediately
resumed work as manager of the retail
department of the Salt Lake Electrical
Supply company. With smile and a
few pleasant words for his associates
and friends, Mr.. Walker held something
of an informal reception in the Office of
the Salt Lake Electrical Supply COM
pany yesterday afternoon to those who
called to congratulate him on his &C
quittal of the serious charge for which
he was being tried.
Il am glad to be back at work." said
Mr.. Walker yesterday. Il started In
to work at once upon my return to Salt
Lake, and 1 will get back to work i'll
earnest next week. I feel that ! call
rest better at work than any other way.
The verdict of the jury was what L
expected and / consider that 1t was
just one.
Everybody has been very kind TO
me. The sheriff did all that was IN hls
mower to make us comfortable while
we were in jail and am very sratelui
to him for his efforts. All of the news
paper boys treated me fairly-an ex-
cent one. One of them ran off with one
of the witnesses for the defense, but the
eIopement apparently did not materlai-
ly injure the case,
District Attorney George Halverson
and the officers of the prosecution con-
Quoted a fair though energetic prose-
cution of the case. In spite OF the TACT
that / felt confident throughout the
trial that the only verdict possible was
an acouittal, l was supremacy happy
when it was all over.
Appreciates NicoIs Aid.
throughout the case my friends
have all stood by me, but there is one
man more than all the rest to whom L
feel indebted to an extent that can
never be repaid-Robert Nicol. Inc
friendship and loyalty that Mr.. Nlcol
has shown me throughout my trouble is
the one pleasant recollection that have
of the affair. 1t makes me proud TO De
associated with such a man"
Three months in Jail and eighteen
days before a jury facing trial for his
life have somewhat impaired the phys
ical health of Walker, but the terrible
nervous strain which he has undergone
throughout this time has not given MIN
the mental pain that was his When at
the trial he learned for the first time
the details of his wifes infidelity. At
the time Oh Tic lAdSCOy AtC hcNO NV -
of the intrigue between DR.. Beers and
his wife, but the details of the love-
making of the pair had never been told
him. The attorneys for the defense had
thought it best to spare him the dis
tress that such a knowledge would
bring to him until such time as 1t would
be brought out in the evidence.
Thoroughly repentant, Mrs. Josie
Walker, through whose folly the trag-
edy in which DR.. Beers lost his life was
brought about, waited anXiously at her
home in Salt Lake Friday evening for
the verdict of the jury in whose hands
lay the fate of her husband. As soon
as the verdict was announced, Mrs.
Walker was notified by telephone. The
good news overcame her. She was so
weakened by the nervous strain OF the
entire proceedings that the ultimate re-
suit caused her to suffer nervous col
lapse.
Divorce Is Probable.
Not once since the tragedy has Mrs.
Walker seen her husband. She called
at the tail in Ogden on her return from
Los Angeles a few days after the trag-
edy, but her husband declined TO see
her. No further attempts were made
by her to talk to Walker, although she
sent their little daughter to Ogden fire.
uuently to be with her father. The
probabilities are that there will be no
reconciliation and that a legal separa-
ton will be effected quietly.
Throughout the entire time that
Walker was on trial resulting from his
encounter with DR.. Earl S. Beers in Og-
den on Sept. II, his closest friend and
adviser was Robert W. NicOl, proprie-
tor of the Salt Lake Electric Supply
company. of which Walker was man
ager of the retail department. For three
months Mr.. Nicol has neglected his
business and devoted his time and mon
ey toward freeing his employe from the
charge which he faced.
The killing of DR.. Beers was not in
any way connected with anything
growing out of the business affairs of
the company, and Mr.. Nicol was under
no obligation to enter into the case at
all. Nevertheless, with a loyalty and
generosity characteristic of Mr.. Nicol,
he became actively interested in the
case from the start, directing and finan-
cling the aggressive defense of his ac-
cused employee.
When Nicol first learned of the fight
at Ogden he telephoned to Walker
that he was with him to the end. he
took the next train to Ogden, and from
that time on SD6Il tire nCAl NhACC
months working hard to free Walker.
AS soon as Walker was admitted to
bail his employer put up the $500 to
secure Walkers release on charge of
assault and battery. He brought
Walker to Salt Lake, and as soon as
he learned of Beers death telephoned
to Chief Mckenzie, telling him that he
would bring Walker to the police sta
ton at once.
After a charge of murder had been
placed against Walker, Mr.. Nicol en-
deayored to secure his admission TO
bail. In the hope that the court would
decide to release him, Walkers en-
plover arranged to get any amount of
bail that might be deemed necessary.
Before the death of Beers, Mr.. Nicol
had engaged Attorney j. H. Hutchin-
son of Salt Lake as chief counsel for
the defense, and former Chief of Police
George A Sheets to collect the eVl-
dence for the defense in the case. To
these two men Mr.. Nicol modestly
ascribed the credit for the. excellent
showing made by the defense in court
From a legal aspect the work done by
these two men for Walker was doubt
less invaluable, but the moral effect of
NicoFs fidelity was immense. He was
a persevering worker. and it was in a
large measure due to his tireless en-
deavor that much of the evidence
which from its nature was difficult to
secure was obtained.
Jury FeIicitates Nicol.