Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-17
TRIBUNE TRYING
TO DEFEND CHIEF
Its Denial of the Facts in Murtie
Case Only Makes Case
Stronger.
ADMITS LABORATORY VISIT.
But the Organ OF the Administration
Tries TO Say Barlow Doesn't Know
Whose Skull lie Has.

In its wild efforts to defend Chief OF
Police Barlow from the outraged
friends of poor old Ed Murtle, whose
skull he put up in his office at the
police station for Joke" The Tribune
has turned turtle in a most amazing
manner within the last three days.
Thursday morning. The Tribune
said. THE story is not only unfounded
but a most wilful and deliberate false
hood"
This morning, The Tribune modGes
this and makes long, tortuous "ex-
planation" which does not explain any
thing. but puts CHIEF BARLOW further
into the hole. The Tribune In its lat
est denial merely corroborates the
story printed in The News On Thurs
day night Although Chief Barlow
stated through The Tribune on Thurs
day morning that the story was false
he backs clear down in the story print
ed this morning, and admits every
statement regarding this case by The
News Chief of Police Barlow and The
Tribune jumped into another pot of
boiling hot water In this case. just as
they did in the Whatcott diamond
scandal. by claiming that stories in The
News were false and then being com
PEELED to face absolute refutations of
their statements by numerous disln-
terested persons acquainted with all of
the details
Chief of Police Barlow admitted in
The Tribune this morning just exactly
what The News stated I'm an inter-
view with Professor John Sundwall,
who occupies the chair of anatomy
at the University OF Utah.
DID VISIT SCHOOL.
Chief Barlow. after saying two days
ago that the story In The News was
not only unfounded but a most will
ful and deliberate falsehood" admit
ted in The Tribune this morning that
he had gone to the medical department
of the University of Utah; that he was
accompanied on that occasion by
Detective Harry Curran; that he did
visit the laboratory; that he did stand
by dissecting table on which Ed
Murties cadayer lay; that DR.. H. p.
Kirtley, assistant county physician,
ana member of the faculty Of the
University of Utah. was present, and
that he talked to the other men about
Ed Murtie. 81 u. y
Professor Sundwall stated oxpllcitly
In The News. Thursday night, that
Chief OF Police Barlow had asked for
Murtie's bones; that Barlow, accom-
panied by Detective Curran, visited the
laboratory; that DR.. Kirtley was pres
ent: that Chief Barlow looked at a
corpse OH the dissectinR table and
recognized it as Murties body; that
dissection had just been started, but
that the features were easily recogniz-
able by any person who had known
Murtie; that few days ago, after
Murtle's skull had been prepared"
1t was taken to Chief Barlow, and that
the records showed that Murtie's body
had been received and 'pickled" in a
vat In the laboratory. and then dis
sected, after it had been held for 60 days
in accordance with the statute in such
cases made and provided.
The case Is only humorous because
of Barlow's predicament, but the other
side OF tie matter Is n grsly "joke."
A storm OF indignation has greeted this
latest outrage. Before the incident is
closed, Murtie's friends may demand
that Justice of the Peace and Acting
Coroner Stanley A. Hanks order an
investigation. Chief Barlow now claims
that Murtie's body was buried in the
unimproved section of Calvary ceme-
terry. The coroner can easily ascertain
the truth of this claim by having the
body exhumed from the grave in which |
Murtie is claimed to have been buried !
IN KEEPING WITH POLICY.
The Tribune says In it's top headline |
this morning: News comes forward |
with foolish story" This Is in keeping |
with The Tribune's policy in defending |
Barlow and Sheets in the scandalous |
Whatcott diamond swindle But The
Tribune was quickly and effectively ST.
lenced then by sworn affidayits. made
by the victims, proving that Barlow and
The Tribune had lied about the matter
from start to finish.
The Tribune this morning had the ef-
frOntery to Sly "If Chief EarIotv hoe
Murtic's skull. he doesn't know any
thing about IT.
Murtie's skull is In Barlow's office.
Barlow himself admits he has u skull
Prof Sundwall's positive statements.
and the corroborating admissions OF
Barlow regarding his asking for Muir
ties bones, his visit to the University of
Utah's medical department his see
ing MurtIe's cadaver and recognizing
this body, backed by the indisputable
fact that DR. Kirtley. Detective Curran,
Prof Sundwall and numerous medical
were present at that time and
that the skull was turned over to Bar
low by the medical department after Il
had dlssected Murtie's body, all go to
make the case q strong one.
Barlow thought 1t 'joke" to stick
poor old Murtie's skull up for the edifl
cation OF visitors TO his office. but since
the storm of anger at this desecratlon
OF the dead broke out, the chief of
police is trying to get from UNDER
with explanations and denIals.