The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-28


start had less than an even break.
For over a year we have been COM
PEELED 10 engage in filibustering meth
DDS to eFade a trial al time when the
public sentiment was all against Us,
when George Sheets had been convict
ed by the public press without hear
ing, when political capital was being
made out of this case. We had 10 9l@Y
a waiting game, and we did. even at
the risk of being criticised for our
dilatOry methods. 1t was not hat Ne
didn't want trial. but II was that We
wanted the guilt or Innocence of
George Sheets passed upon as the result
of a fair trial. and in doing 80 we had
10 wait until the sudden sentiment
aroused against Sheets had be n quiet
ed TO such an extent that we te't sure
that we mightobe accorded a trial hv
jury unbiased by sentiment against the
defendant.
Il said to the jury and l repeat it
now that George Sheets went on trial
unsuliied by association with the con-
fessed criminals on whose testimony the
state based it's case. IT is ALWAYS a
questionable procedure when the prose-
cution resorts TO promising criminals
immunity for their testimony against a
man on trial, but to promise two men
whose crimes TO which they have con-
years in the penitentiary absolute inn
munity in order to make out case
against a man charged with crime,
for which the maximum penalty is five
years imprisonment, has hitherto been
unheard of.
Calls 1t Limit of Injustice.
THE methods pursued in this perse-
cutiOn. 1 won't say prosecution. of
q h.. Is,x,4N Of
injustice. At his preliminary hearing
they put Parent on the stand to estab-
fish a prima facie case in order that
Sheets might be bound over to the dis
trict court. At that time we demanded
that the prosecution put Bell on the
stand. They refused. We proved at
that hearing that Parent was a con-
summate liar.
Then the trial comes to the district
court. In the meantime they have got
ten rid of Parent l have no doubt
but that they sent him out of town. He
had earned his immunity and was given
1t. Before he left he admitted that he
had deliberately perjured himself that
he might thereby purchase exemption
from prosecution. At the trial in the
district court they put Bell on the stand.
He avoids the obvious fallacies in the
testimony of Parent in the justice
court, and for the most part so fixed his
testimony as to leave no opportunity for
us 10 contradict him. And yet they call
that justice"
Christensen's Plea.
When court opened yesterday morn
ing Attorney Soren Y. Christensen
chief counsel for George Sheets. COM
pleted his argument to the jury. His
address consisted of a plea for a con-
SideratiOn of the entire evidence in the
case, first TO conform with the pre-
sumption of the innocence of the de-
PENDANT and then if this could not be
done the jury could consider whether or
not the evidence established beyond a
reasonable doubt that the defendant
was guilty of the crime charged Then
he referred to the evidence of Bell.
Now. gentlemen OF the jury" he
said, let US look at the evidence of the
principal witness, Bell. You heard him
say that transcript of this case was
in his cell at the county Jail for months.
although he never looked inside of it
Now, as you know, the jails are made to
keep people in, prison for criminals.
Ii is the duty Of the county sheriff TO
see that those criminals are kent from
communicating with people on the out
side except for some good reason. Not
so much as pin or a scrap of paper
can reach prisoner without being
carefully scrutinized by the sheriff,
Was IT by accident, then. that the tran
script of the evidence in this case. an
official record of the court, got from its
place with the records i'm the county
clerks office into the cell of this crook
in the county jail? l repeat. was il an
accident? And If not an accident, it
must have been taken to the Jail with
IA ~ -s-F, =
or the district attorney And If Bell was
only to tell the truth to the best of his
recollection and TO detail the actual
happenings in this case, why. i'm the
name of justice, was it necessary In
supply him with the court record of
what his pal, another confessed robber
had testified to under oath? Was that
the idea of fair play which the prose-
cution held? I'll ask Mr. Loofbourow
TO tell you why this transcript was fur
nished to this crook if they wanted
only the truth
Closing Arguments.
Attorney E. A Wedgwood followed
with ten-minute talk that contained
some of the most telling arguments for
the defense.
They want you TO convict George
Sheets merely because there was the on
portUnity for his being corrupt if he
chose. They don't try to prove this de-
PENDANT guilty. but they try to place
the burden of the proof of innocence
upon the defendant. Instead of pre-
Stunning him to be innocent unless
proved guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt, they take the position of presum-
ing him guilty unless proved innocent
beyond any doubt. And in this l feel
that we have satisfied them. we have
proved George Sheets innocent beyond
any doubt"
District Attorney Loofbourow closed