The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-27
WAY MADE EASY
FOR THE FINAL
EXT OF BELL
Bell Pleads Guilty After Hours
and Walks Out a Free
Man.
TEN MONTHS SENTENCE
is MADE RETROACTIVE
ACTION MAY BE BROUGHT
AGAINST ATTORNEYS FOR
NEGLECT OF DUTY.

w w St Clair. alias Bell. one of the
bunco men in the McWhirter robbery.
and the star witness against George
Sheets, former chief of police, was re-
leased yesterday from custody and is
now a free man. The release of Bell
followed an order of Judge George G.
Armstrong. before whom he was
brought late yesterday afternoon.
+ Bell was not brought before Judge
Armstrong during the regular court
hours. il was shortly after O'Clock
in the evening when he was escorted
to the court room for arraignment. The
regular business of the courts and 9TH
er offices in the city and county build
ing is usually concluded by O'Clock in
the evening. The newspaper men leave
the city and county building at that
hour
AS Though PrearFanged.
For some time prior to o'clock, Sell
was in the county sheriff's Office wait
ing to be brought before the court.
When he finally appeared, only Judge
Armstrong, deputy clerk, a deputy
sheriff, County Attorney Hanson and
District Attorney LOOfbOurow were in
the court room. A complaint charging
Bell with cOnspiring with other crooks
and with members of the police depart
ment to sWindle tourists passing
through Salt Lake, and particularly
the two McWhirters, was read to ths
prisoner. He was asked if he was
ready TO plead. and he replied, with
smile, that ne was. He pleaded guilty.
District Attorney Fred c. LOOfbOu-
row then asked that the prisoner be
sentenced to ten months in the county
ssg
date he was brought to Salt Lake from
Omaha, May Is, 1907. This was done
and the record made to show that The
sentence had already been served. The
court then adjourned and Bell shook
I hands all around and left the building
a free man.
Hanson is EVasiVe.
As soon as it was known that Bell
had been released, an effort was made
/ to secure from County Attorney VIII
! lard Hanson d statement as to what
/ the proceedings were.
What was done with Bell today?"
( he was asked.
Ask Loofbourow," was the reply.
We'll weren't you there when he
was discharged?'
You had better see LoOfbOurOw
about it"
WAS his release a part of a prear-
ranged plan to grant Bell immunity for
testifying against Sheets?'
Ask LoofbouTOw.'
/ Several unsuccessful efforts were
then made to reach Mr.. Lo0f5ourow.
! The person who answered his telephone
said that he was not at home when he
was called, and later in the evening
nobody answered the telephone. Ii is
not believed. however. that it was
] z hat Ar
/ Hanson referred the qUestiOner u Mr..
/ LOOfbOurOw.
Who's Got the Button?
! One peculiar feature of the case Is
/ that Immediately following The acquit-
( tai Of Sheets the district attorney vas
asked what the prosecuting attorneys
| intended to do with Bell. and he re-
/ piled:
Il do not know anything about Bell
l have nothing to do with him. You
/ had better ask the county attorney
about it."
On that occasion the county attorney
was not at home.
w. w. Bell is the second of the bun
/ &C, men who robbed the McWhirCers to
/ escape any serious punishment foe the
crime. the other was W. H. Parrent,
/ the man who actually took the $500
/ from the McWhirters. He disappeared
/ last fall. after being released on his
own recOgnizance, and has not been
heard from since that time. At the
time the Sheets trial opened the district
attorney said that so far as he knew
/ Parent was still in the county gail.
/ The same evening Sheriff Emery said
/ that Parent had been released on bis
own recognizance, and that he did not
know what had become of him. Sheets
says that before Parent left the city
/ he told him he had been promised i'm
munity from prosecution because ne
/ had testified against the former police
chief
/ May Be Called to Account.
! For more than eighteen months the
/ McWhirter robbery in some form or
another has been before the public.
| Sheets has been arrested on several dif-
/ ferent charges in connection with this
crime, but his recent acquittal on a
Continued or Page 2.