The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-13
THE BELL CLANGOR.

The Deseret News on Wednesday
evening had q humorous editorial
giving fulsomo praise to the Shcr'
ifs office of this city, and com
pairing it's work to that Of "tho
great Pinkerton agency or Of Scot
land Yards Naturally, VIC made
sport of this arrant humbuggery,
and showed how thoroughly absurd
any such Il silly claim must inevitably
be. Thereupon the News jumped to the
conclusion that The Tribune regretted
the arrest of Bell in Kansas City and
make. The morning appendix Of the
| News followed this up with the in
quiry; ''Why does The Tribune grieve
so at the arrest of men accused Of
robbery in Salt Lake?" And all this
merely because The Tribune saw the
that the Sheriff S office of Salt Lake
City is equal in detective efficiency to
'"thc great Pinkerton agency or Scot
land Yards.
We think that the public generally
joined with us in the laugh over the
Sheriff IS office. We have pointed out
from time to time the absolute and
ridiculous failure of the Sheriif's Of
fce to do the ordinary things that a
Sheriff is expected to do without gucs-
tion, and failing to do which is counted
c1, P,,1 1ov Soil
methods, whereby prisoners easily es-
cape, it's low moral tone which aided
and abetted in the marriage of pris
oners scandalously unfit, its robbipg of
the public by way of excess charges,
have all been pointed out from time
to time, and the facts remain undjs'
puted; and still, because we were not
able all at once to take the necessary
somersault required from the calm and
sane view of 1.-The inefficicncy of the
Sheriff's Office to the grotesque and hui
morous idea that it is one of trcmen-
dous vitality and fitness. comparing it
with the best the world has developed
anywhere, we are supposed to regret
the arrest of Bell in Kansas City.
The fact is that Bell could have been
arrested at any time, because he is a
crook of well,known character. has
been operating in Omaha and other
places, and has left black train Of
crime behind him wherever he has been.
1t was announced from the first that
the Sheriff's office here had its hands
on all the men that it required in the
McWhirtcr case, and could produce
them whenever it wanted TO do so.
Doubtless this was the fact; and if Bell
was one of those incriminated In the
McWhirter case no doubt he could have
been produced as easily as Parent was
produced, and as quickly, or even more
quickly, if the conspirators had de"
sired TO produce him. But the tactics
of the conspirators have been to make
delay, to produce their case by piece
meal with the stale idea of impressing
the public with the Importance of the
case and with their great ability and
diligence in managing it. il the Off.
cial conspirators had any case at all,
they would no doubt have produced il
last fall when the matter was up first
for consideration. They claimed to
have their eve on everybody wanted
and TO be able to produce them at will.
Why were they not produced! Simply
because it was the plan to dawdle
along with this case. nurse it for poll
tical purposes, and only make move
in it from time to time whenever any
political point was at stake. The case
was sprung during the county campaign
last fall, practically under avowal that
1T was meant for political use. After
the election the matter was dropped
until the bill which was hoped to be
crowded through the Legislature, TAX,
ing the police and fire departments of
this city out of the control of the
municipality and vesting that control
in State commission. came on for
final consideration. As soon as that
failed the case was dropped again, the
cnse being presented IN the District
Court in such form that dismissal was
inevitable; ii was remnnded to the
cunning and intriguing control Of the
OAcldi cobsplIdtOiSs preclseIy ds II
nothing had been done by way Of pre-
senting it in any real court 1t is idle
to say that the County Attorney did
not know he was on an impossible
trail when he undertook to try case
Of felony on an information merely
charging misdemcanor Of course he
knew ii Little as he knows of law,
he certainly must have known that
much. 1t was trifing with the court
that would have justified the Judge in
arraigning the whole bunch for con
tempt OF court. If it was not contempt
it was such utter Ignorance as to show
absolute incompetence for holding the
position held by the chief of the Off
cial conspirators.
The conspirators produced the man,
Parent, crook, admitted and incor-
rigible-a man who could not refrain
from bunko games on the train while
he was in charge of the conspirators
and bejn0 brought from Dcnvor to }b;c |