Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-11


possession of two lost diamonds which
had been found on the street by little
Alonzo Whotcott, of 575 north First
West street last Monday morning, by
frightening the child and his mother and
two young sisters with threats to send
the boy and his mother to the penIten-
tiary on charges of grand larceny II
they refused to give up tho stones to
him, says that he Is still holding the
diamonds.
The head of the Salt Lake City police
department says that he will hold the
diamonds until they are called for by
]. II. Xander. the man who claimed
that he owned them.
The Tribune, which has simply
echoed Barlow's dictation in this case.
stated this morning: 1.-The police are
of the opinion that the gems belong to
Xander. and when they are turned
over to Xander the case against What
colt, who Is charged with grand lur-
ccny Will be dropped"
Mrs. Anna Whatcott, when informed
OF Chief Barlows expressed intention
| to give the stones up to Xander. said
THAT is very peculiar. Chief of Police
| Barlow said to me the last time that
| / saw him, on the night that he and
| Tribune representative attempted to
| compel me to sign a written statement
| declaring the exposures in The News to
be false, that he would not give the
diamonds up to Xander Chief Barlow
said: L won't give up the diamonds
| to Xander. l am going 10 make q
thorough investigation. Xander will
have to tell when where and how he
came into possession of the stones
"I hope that Chief Barlow is proud of
| his actions in this matter l hope that
| he thinks he has acted like gentleman
! and an honest public officer. hope that
he gets the. comfort of self-palliation,
| because 1 know that he can get justi-
flcation from no one else but himself
Il hope that Chief Barlow enjoys
having beaten my little boy out of the
reward for finding the diamonds-that
Is a deed of which any brave. chival-
rous American ought to be proud"
CHIEF VIOLATES LAW.
The actions OF Chief Barlow have
| been In violation OF the law from start
| to finish in this case. In the first place.
| he arrested my boy without warrant.
| on a charge of grand larceny, when he
| knew that the boy had found the dia-
| monds. and when no complaint had
! been filed against him. In the second
| place, he demanded $1,000 bond be-
| fore he would release my boy. when
| no complaint had been filed against
the child In the third place, he delib-
| erately lied to me by telling me that
my son had committed grand larceny,
and that he would be sent to prison.
TERRIFIED BY THREATS.
1.-THE police secured possession of the
| diamonds from us. when they had no
right under any law to compel US to
| give up the diamonds. and they did 1t
| because my little daughter, Ermlna,
had been terrified by threats that her
brother. Lon, and her mother, myself.
| would be arrested on charges of grand
larceny and would be sent to prison"
The Whatcott family is poor, but a
multitude OF friends and strangers
whose SympathieS have been aroused
by the scandalous conduct of Chief of
Police Barlow and Chief of Detectives
Sheets. have signified their eagerness
to contribute to fund to enable Mrs
Whatcott to prosecute this case in the
courts. Mrs. Whatcott wants to apply
to the court for q writ restraining Chief
Barlow from giving the stones up to
\ander OF anyone else, until the mat
ter OF ownership is definitely settled
openly and above board.
According TO County Atty Job +.
Lyon, Xander told him that his sister
had sent him the diamonds the stick
pin being in one box and the ring in
another box and that he had put them
in his overcoat pocket, and had dropped
them out OF his pocket when he pulled
letters out of it to mall on the street
corner.
1t has been discovered by Mrs. What
colt that the diamonds were in a box
bearing the name of a jeweler in a city
outside of Utah, and this fact adds tc
her fears that she Is the victim of 3
conspiracy.
Mrs. Whatcott may file suits fol
heavy damages against Chief OF Police
Barlow and Chief of Detectives George
Sheets for false Imprisonment OF hel
little boy. Lon.
STARTLING AFFIDAvITS
Startling affldavits, revealing sensa-
tional facts in the case, have beer
made by Mrs. Anna Whatcott and heI
daughter. Miss Ermina Whatcott
Mrs. Whatcotts sworn statement is ns
follows:
Believing that the people of Salt Lake
City should know all of the facts con-
nccted with the finding OF a diamond
ring and q diamond stickpin by my lit
tie boy. Alonzo Whatcott. which are
claimed by one ]. H. Xander, and which
| Chief of Police Barlow secured pos
session Of through terrifying my young
daughter. Erminas by threatening tc
send hcr Drother TO the penltenttary
unless she would turn the Jewels over
to him, issue the following statement.
The article printed on page IL of the
Salt Lake Tribune. Thursday. Dec 8
1909, under the headline Foolish Story
in Dcseret News is Replied to by CHIEF
of Police" is false. That story ir
The Tribune reads as follows:
1T was merely another one of thoss
| without any foundation. l believe thai
the general public is aware that we
are not engaged In stealing diamonds
When Mrs. Whatcott. who lives at 81.
north First West street. was assured
that we intended to protect her inter
ests. after we had explained matters Il
her. she readily turned over tho dia
monds. After they have been identified
they will be returned to the rightfu
owner The story about the boy bcinl
| placed in a cell was entirely false
There was not a man in this office o.
connected in any way with the de
partment who wished to put the child Ii
jail"
Such was the statement OF Chief O
Police Barlow when shown a copy o
the Deserct News containing a mum
Der OF charges against the police dc
partment. The basis of the story wa
the fact that Lon Whatcott, a news
boy, is years OF age, found case con
4 tanning some diamonds on the corne
OF Second South and Main street Mon
day morning
The boy took the stones homo TO hi
mother. and then went back to sellin
his papers. In the meantime the ma,