The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-23

I. q. Inspector.
After retaining this page for sew
eral months, the page was returned to
! Fillmore and ii is now restored TO the
! files OF the ofiicc.
| The Tribune Is Informed
This page was examined by United
| States District Attorney Booth and
| others in Salt Lake City IL was doubt
lessly removed from the book AT Fill.
moro for examination in Salt Lake
Inspector Durand admitted TO The Trib
une that it had never been examined
by tho postof1ice department at Wash.
ington, though he stated that he had
sent the registry cards to Washington,
He stated that he had examined the
alleged forgeries in the Fillmore Office,
but that he had removed the page So
as TO inquire further into the matter
OF Salt Lake.
"Did not W. P, Payne protest
against I5 you cutting a page from the
II don t know whether he did or
not, He had no right to protest. I
don t think he had any business IN the
office"
But he was one of the bondsmep,
wasn't be?'
u reckon he was
- Did YOU make a record showing
that you had removed this page7'
~ don t remember whether [ did or
not "
Will You tell me whether or not you
had a legal right as an Inspector TO
mutllate that record and carry away
any of the pages7'
II certainly had a perfect right TO
do so. -
"Whst objection could there have
been, if you had intended to examine
further into the alleged forgery, if You
had taken possession of the entire rec
ord book and brought it to Salt Lake2'
ooh. we'll. ] DON 4 think I should
discuss this matter any further In
fact, ] don't believe | should have sub
mitted TO an interview in any manner
whatever.
q certainly do not ask you to dis.
close anything that would embarrass
YOU officially, and if anything has been
said heretofore that you believe would
cause you official annoyance, ] assure
you that YOU will not be quoted. But
may I ask YOU to dictate a statement
explaining some of the matters | have
asked about 9i
81 decline 10 90 further into tins
case. | have investigated it and made
"While at Fillmore, - continued The
Tribune man, 81 heard considerable
criticism because the Hanson case had
been in official hands for so many
months and no action taken towards
Furnishing Frank Hanson for his alleged
oifenses. You. yourself, were criticised
severely for mutilating one Of the i'm
portant records Of that Office. And since
this matter has now taken such shape
that 1T is TO be given 10 the public, we
believe that 1t is no more than right
that a statement he published explain
ing why a page was cut from that book
over the protest Of one of Hanson s
bondsmen. | hope YOU can see your
way through to enable us. to give to
transaction. y
"Well, I could not take the book
because it was necessary to the daily
use of the Office. -
''This is, then, your explanation, is
it?''
''I have nothing further 10 say"
Book Not a Necessity.
The public will probably be interest
ed in knowing that shortly after the
jackson forgerjes We're discovered
(morc than six months before Inspec-
tor Durand cut this page from the
registry book. although the book was
but little more than half filled with
registry entries, the book was laid
aside!
Ii was, therefore, not necessary to
the daily needs of the Fillmore post
office. An entirely new record was
then being kept.
Inspector Durand was asked why he
did not send the page containing the
forgeries in the Jackson case to Wash
ington along with his reports and with
other evidences of alleged forgeries
which he said he had submitted with
his reports. but he respectfully declined
TO make any further statement on the
case.
The Tribune believes it is prepared
TO show that if United States District
a ttorney Booth stated fact when he
explained that he had been warned
in advance OF contemplated visit of
representative of The Tribune, and
had been advised that a trap" was
being laid for him. that this "warn-
ing" and this suggestion Of a "trap"
was uttered by Postofiice Inspector Du-
rand.
1t Will require another story to tell
why District Attorney Booth was
warned, and why he was angry and
ratified when The Tribune man called
on him to talk with him about Off
cial matters.