Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-08
Chief of Detectives and Lieuten-
ant Shannon Accused of
Dirty Conspiracy.
TRYING TO GET DIAMONDS
BroWbeat Woman ard Little Boy
And Advise ProSecu-
ton of Lad.
Friends Say They Will Force Entire
Truth of tbc Deal In Court
Proceedings.

Another scandal similar to the in
famous McWhirter poker swindle has
broken over the Salt Lake police, and
involves Lieut.. Richard L. Shannon and
Chief OF Detectives George Sheets In
charges OF conspiring with J. H. En-
andcr of l50 cast Sixth South street to
compel Mrs. Anna Whatcott, of or
north First West street, to give up a
valuable diamond ring and a diamond
stick-pin. which were found by her lit
tie boy. Lon Whatcott, two days ago
near Second South and Main streets.
Exander claims that the stones belong
to him. but has been unable to give a
satisfactory description of them. and
Mrs. Whatcott charges him with being
an impostor. in league with the police.
Mrs. Whatcott says that she WIS
called down to the police station. and
that the officers bullied and threatened
her unless she would come through"
with the diamonds. The poor woman
was terribly frightened, and is confined
TO her bed with illness as a direct re-
suit of the outrageous treatment which
she received at the hands of the police
George F. Lloyd, a prominent and
We'll known business man and one OF
the heads of the Cache Knitting Works
company, at Al south Main street, was
aroused when Miss Ermina W. What
cot1 the young sister OF little Lon,
Told him the circumstances. and he an
sWered her appeal for help by drop
ping his business affairs Immediately
and engaging Atty. Moses Davis.
Lloyd and Davis called at the police
station Tuesday night and offered to
furnish any amount OF bail for the boy,
who was being held in detinue on a
charge of grand larceny, though no
complaint had been filed against him
Lieut.. Shannon attempted to -browbeat
them, but when they refused to knuckle
under at his bluff, he insulted them,
created a shameful scene and literally
threw them out of the police station
with the aid of his blue coat minions
BOY UNDER THIRD DEGREH
Little Lon Whatcott says that Chief
Sheets tried to intimidate him by tell
Ing him that "his people didn't care
anything for him. and would let him go
10 the peniteEtiary, or they would have
called to see him" All this time the
boy was kept incommunicado, and con-
stantly put through a terrible siege of
the third degree to make him confess
That he had stolen the diamonds. The
boy was steadfast. however, and held
10 his innocence. He vowed all along
tnat he had found the diamonds, and
could not be shaken from his original
position by unmerciful sweating. Not
fahshed with STOPPING to the lowest
depths of cowardly depravity by
threatening and bullying a child, the
police capped the climax by using on
Mrs. Whatcott the harshest methods,
usually reserved for the most hardened
criminals.
CANNOT DESCRIBE DIAMONDS.
Mrs. Whatcott's friends are incensed
by the actions of Lieut. Shannon and
Chief OF Detectives George Sheets. and
are determined to back her up and
compel the police to face n final "show
down" in open court. The police. act
Ing with Exander have been utterly
unable to give a description of the dia-
monds that fits the stones in any de-
tall. The police and Exander can not
even tell where Exandcr got the stones,
which he claims are his, nor can they
tell who the Jeweler was that sold them.
or where they came from. or what the
settings are, or in what style the facets
nave been cut. The only thing that the
police know is that Lon Whatcott
round diamond ring and a diamond
stick pin.
MISS WHATCoTT'S VERSION.
Miss Ermina Whatcott. sister of the
accused boy. gave the following version
OF the case this morning: My brother
came down town from home on Mon
day last, about noon, and brought me
my lunch He seemed to be greatly
excited, and told me that he had found
some diamonds. He said that carly
tnat morning. when he was selling his
newspapers, he and another little news
boy saw box lying across the street.
that they both raced for IT,: that Lon
got there first and secured possession
OF the box Lon said that when he
picked II up. he thought it was har-
monica. as 1t was similar kind of
pox. He opened 1t when he got back
ON tho corner. and to his surprise saw
mat II contained diamonds Another
news vender. an older youth, who sells
papers to the boys. came up just then
and saw the stones He grabbed the
pox out OF my brothers hands and
looked at the diamonds. He almost
went Wild with excitement. and SHOW
ing his hands into his pockets he pulled
out large amount of silver money
saying. Here's $50. I'll give 1t to you
Tor these But Lon refused to take
inc money. Then he offered to give
him $40 IL he would go To the bank with
MIN. Lon still refused and lie got
on street car and rode out home and
showed the diamonds to his mother and
told her how he had found them.
ADVERTISEMENT APPEARS.
That afternoon. Lon discovered an
advertisement in one OF the papers.
saying that diamond stlckpin and
q diamond ring had been lost and
that the Under should return them 10
a certain address. The same afternoon.
the paper-seller came out to our house
with another man. who, we hive
reason to believe. was j. II. Exandcr.
They didn't come into the house at
first. but stood across the street and
sent my little brother in for the din-
inonds Ny mother refused to send
the diamonds out to them. Then at last
they came into the house. The paper
seller told us that he had found the
owner OF the diamonds. and that we
must give them up to him The other