The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-20
jim DONALDSON
TAKES THE STAND
Gambler TeStifieS for the Pros
ecution in Trial of
Sheets.
GIVES VERSION OF GAME
AND SAYS FORMER CHIEF
SHARED IN sPoiLs.
GIVES VERSION OF GAME

AJim Donaldson. faultlessly attired in a
natty street suit and looking the part
ne has played for years in Salt Lake
the Beau Brummel of the sporting fra
ternity-was the important witness for
the state yesterday afternoon in the case
against George Sheets, former chief of
police, who is now on trial before Judge
Morse, charged with having accepted
bribe OF s. 500
The testimony of Donaldson was abso-
hteiy contradictory to the evidence he
gave in his own defense, and varied
somewhat from his statements made at
the preliminary hearing of Sheets on the
present charge. The evidence he gave
was the most damaging to Sheets of any
given at the present trial. The effect
of the testimony was weakened cOnsid-
eraly by the vigorous eross-eXaminatlon
OF Attorney Soren Y. Christensen. The
cross-examinatiOn was not completed yes
terday and he will be recalled for fur
Their cross-examination.
Donaldson was a member of the bunco
gang that robbed the McWhirters or over
$4,000. He Waa the doctor in the lit
tie melodrama at the Antler rOoming
house for which the McWhirters paid
so dearly. In the poker game which pre-
coded the actual robbery, Jim Donaldson
held the winning hand and gathered in
$3.50 of the ScOtchmen's money. He was
arrested in Hot Springs some weeks aft
er the robbery had been committed, was
, brought TO Salt Lake, convicted of grand
larceny, and was recently sentenced to
ten years in the state penitentiary. He
is now out on $4,000 bail awaiting dispo-
sition of his case by the supreme court,
TO which he has appealed
Two Stories Differ.
The story of the robbery at the AntIer
rooming house as told by Donaldson is
widely different from that told by the
two McNNhirters, Donaldson protecting
himself as well as he can in his recital
+. ~
in the affair was that of an innocent
outsider. that he gambled with Alexander
McWhirter and the two O'Briens. win
ming the money honestly. As TO the sub
seduent robbery he said he knew nothing.
Following the departure from the Ant
Ter rooming house after the appearance
of Parent and Bell as the bogus police
officers, Donaldson said that he felt that
Sheets should know of the occurrence,
and for that reason he met him on the
corner of Third South and State streets
and told him all about the poker game.
He said that Sheets advised MIN TO keep
out of sight for a while. Later IN inc
evening on the way in TO Salt Lake from
the New England addition he said that
he called Sheets up by telephone at his
office at the police station and told MN
that the kid" meaning Bell, was with
him. Donaldson then gave Bell Sl,VV 10
turn to the McWhirters.
The next day, he said the members
of the gang met in Donaldson room al
the Imperial and detefmlneu now thS
money should be divided. Jack O'Brien
Did that Sheets was to get 20 pc cent
of the money and that he would give 1t
to him They gave Donaldson 500, then
took out 500 for Sheets. and finally gave
Donaldson $40 more, making $40 alto
gether as his share of the proceeds
Advised to Leave Town.
On Sept y Donaldson said he again
met Sheets, this time at the convention
of the American" party in the salt
Lake theatre. He said that at that time
he told Sheets that he didn't think the
other BOYS had treated him square in
cutting III the money. He said that
O'Brien had told him that Sheets was
TO get 20 per cent and for that reason
had taken out 5000 to give to him. Don
aidson said he asked Sheets If this was
all right and Sheets said that it was
p On the day that Donaldson left Salt
Lake he said that he met Sheets on First
South street and that Sheets told him
the McWhirters had returned to Salt
Lake. While they were talking one of
the McWhirters came down the street.
Sheets then told Donaldson that he had
better leave town and he left that day.
Upon cross-eXamination Donaldson said