The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-11
County Attorney Hanson Per-
mits Charge Against Will
son TO Be Dismissed.
THREATENS TO MURDER
TWO UTAH MINING MEN
J. H. McChrystal Swears to IN
sanity Complaint to Keep
Him in Jail.

Owing to a peculiar performance Of
the County Attorneys office. W. j..
Wilson, four-ply murderer, may be
turned loose from the county Jail to-
day To carry out his avowed intention
Of killing J. II. McChrystal and John
g. Packard, two prominent Utah min
ing men, Mr. Packard is the man who
donated to Salt Lake the city's mag
niicent public library.
The charge of threatening to kill was
dismissed against Wilson by order OF
the County Attorney Tuesday, and
Sheriff Emery was directed TO release
however. the sheriff kept him III Jail
and notified Mr.. McChrystal of what
had been done, with the result that Mr..
McChrvstaI, for his own protection,
promptly swore to a complaint In the
District court charging Wilson with in
sanity He probably will be given his
examination today.
May Escape Altogether,
If the examining doctors find that
Wilson is not insane, nothing Will re.
give him his liberty, although Sheriff
Emery is firmly convinced that, II
turned loose, Wilson will try TO kill
both McChrysJal and Packard,
The excuse given by the County At
tornev for dismissins the charge against
Wilson was that there was no evidence
20 convict him, The evidence against
Wilson consisted of letters written by
the accused man while in Colorado a
few weeks ago--which letters are IN
existence-declaring mis- intention TO
.g.-Sln re in
also has made similar threats since he
has been confined in the county Jail,
Everybody connected with the case
is ut an utter loss to understand why
County Attorney Hanson permitted the
criminal charge against Wilson 10 be
dismissed, except on the theory that he
is too busy Matching Mormon political
plots against the city administration
TO pay any attention to the duties of
his office Those interested IN the case
say that the proper thing to have done
would have been to have let the Grim
inal charge stand until the insanity
case was disposed of then. If Wilson
should have been adjudged sane, to
have had him bound over to keep the
peace. Evidence, it is claimed, is plen
tiful to have accomplished such pur
pose.
Emery Says He Is a Bad One.
Wilson is not violently crazy
said Sheriff Emery Tuesday. ''but he
is crazy enough TO carry out his threats
10 kill Packard aud McCbrystal. I
haven t the slightest doubt that, if he
were released, he would make an at
tempt on the life Of ono or both Of
them al the first opportunity. Judge
Diehi 'phoned me today TO know why
had not released him when the charge
against him was dismissed. / explained
the circumstances, and the court said
i did right in the premises.
Wilson. it is said, killed two men in
Ttah and two in Colorado. He was re-
leased from the Colorado penitentiary
only Il few weeks ago. and before that
he was confined in the Utah asylum at
Provo in consequence Of one of mis-
killings While he was in the Colo
rado prison and after his release he
wrote letters here threatening 10 kill
Packard and McChrystnl. and came to
Salt Lake as soon as he had saved up
money enough TO buy a pistol and
railroad ticket.
The man cherishes dclusion that
the two men whom he has listed for
slaughter have in some way detrauded
hin