The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-01
SOMETHING ROTTEN
\ Nv SAWDT ASSERTS
ONE ABEL JOHNSON
Wheeupon Herald Reporter Makes Digent Inquiry the
Metropolis Of'the District Lying to the South
of Murray

Sandy is located from Murray ira
ditionaily lust a little way up the
state road" According to various in
1ormants at Murray, when asked by a
IMPORTER for The Herald yesterday,
SANDY is all the way from three to SIX
miles, and one who was questioned vol
unteered the information that you can
see the town over to the left side of the
road when you get pretty near to it.
The reporter got a horse and buggy
at a Murray livery barn ana was In
formed there that it was "a hard day
for horses" they being in much demand
on SuLndays. Afterward the reporter
deducted that a hard day for horses"
meant a hard day for reporters who
didn't come early: also that by horse
and buggy-that particular horse ana
buggy. anyway-it is much further
from Murray to Sandy than by foot.
But the horse and the buggy and the
reporter finally wandered into Sandy.
The reporter was sent to Sandy to
make some inquiries regarding charges
made in a letter to The Herald from
an old-time citizen of the town, and IN
which an impression was conveyed that
Sandy was suffering from worse evils
than high license and in which hints
were given of unlawful conspiracies
and municipal rottenness. The writer
of the letter was Abel johnson. The
letter was addressed from the rotten
town of Sandy, I'm w W. Wilson s
CITY," and was prefaced by complaint
that the justice court in that town had
not melted out justice in the case OF
Sandy councilman who had pleaded
guilty to a charge Of assault and bat
terry upon an old fellow citizen, 90 years
of age. The letter runs:
A Dark Conspiracy.
There seems to have existed a con-
spiracy between the church and the
city officials in sending this young Of
ficer to batter this old man into pulp
There are hints made which may prove
a conspiracy
The letter was rather rambling and
quite iIlegible, but from it was gathered
that the old man was having a rather
hard row to hoe in Sandy and that he
was of the opinion that corTuptlonS OF
many and various natures were Hour
jshing in that municipality like cane~
brake on Tennessee bottom lands;
The reporter was greeted warmly al
the Abel Johnson home by a large flock
of white chickens and a big yellow cat;
Thev gathered about him and appeared
very sOlicitouS. but declined 70 Ten WleLs
the man of the house could De Iouiu-
Mr.. Johnson was not at home The neigh
bors said they had seen him drive away
from home some time previously, lie
of night had gathered around the prem
ises and the chickens had gone to roost.
That the reporter found out Tor himselI
bv waiting He waited until the chick
ems were soundly asleep and until the
cat had used up all her conversation ana
had left the premises in disgust, and
the johnson family were not yet nome
when he left.
Puts 1t Up 20 Mayor.
hut the reporter. reasoned that if there
was Sc, much iniquity in the town some
body besides Mr.. johnson ought to have
an inkling of it. He reasoned that the
MAYOR could probably throw little nght
on the municipal conspiracy limited at IN
the letter The reporter sat on Mr. John-
sons back steps and read the letter over
again Then he hunted up the mayor.
If the mayor is engaged in deep con-
spiracy he wasn't working at II yester-
DAY. His name is ". W. Wilson. lie
didn't appear to be COnscience-S stricken,
and he wasn't in hiding, he was SOFT
ing out letters and putting them in pa
Srons' boxes at the postoffice, for he is
Westminster also The reporter introduced
himself and explained that he was there
10 investigate some serious charges that
had been made against city Officials
The mayor laughed and said:
What is the principal charge against
me?''
The first specific. charge is that you
own this town." replied the reporter, with
firm set jaws and piercing eyes.
"It's a slanderous faIsehood"' Kissed
the mavoT Then he smiled and added:
But 1 wish 1 did. Sandy is a fine lit
tie town, and it's growing say, within
twenty years from now. if we don't have
any setbacks, our population will increase
to
But the reporter had his fingers in his
ears He knew he hadn't been sent &c
Sandy to get advertising copy about the
town and its prospects he asked the