The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-16
THIRD DEGREE TALE
HELD TO Be FAKE

ULLu W Ul ] hNE
Continued From Preceding Paee1
can't blame me for trying To ce, away
! would kill an officer to get away IL Il
was necessary" whereupon the officer
slapped him with his open hand.
Attempt at Suicide.
After three hours alone I'm q coll ,bo
prisoner called to patroman and asked
! Tor MS pocket knife The matter was
| reported to Captain Hempel, who investi-
wrist with a rusty file. On the eighth
day OF the month he was removed to the
county Jail and the next morning the in
III oggdV5ew B py jackson appeared in the Her
Sheriff Sharp told me that jackson. the
reporter, obtained his interview with
Merrill through misrepresentation that
ne made false statements to tho Sheriff
and that Merrill said nothing TO jackson
ABOUT any third degree or other per-
seeution by or under the direction OF the
chief OF police, such as appeared in the
published interview
The sheriff also told me that he had
protested against the publication of what
llttle the prisoner did say during the
-FOUR or five minutes conversation with
Jackson. and that Jackson said he did
not think It worth using.
THE sheriff also said: L was nat
urally surprised to see that trash In
print
No Third Degree.
Merrill also told me. in the sheriffs
private office In the presence OF the
sheriff, that he made no statements to
jackson about the third degree or the
police driving him to desperation. and
to me, at the same time and place. that
ChieI Grant had treated him like a
gentlemen and had talked to him like
Cleveland had abused him the night Of
MS capture and had mlstreated him
when he was being searched and placed
in his CELL
land was not then on duty. nor at the
police station until about 10 o'clock the
following morning. when he was ad-
vised at the desk that the man who did
confessed.
He went back to see Merrill to verify
this statement, when Merrill took vio-
lent exception TO the questions and denied
stated that Detective Cleveland slapped
him at the time of his recapture.
Merrilrs signed statement, witnessed
uty sheriff, n voluntary contribution to
the controversy which Is making him
famous. is as follows:
Salt Lake County jail,
June 10, 1912.
1 ever expressed In any way that 1
was done any harm, either bodily,
mentally or otherwise. during the
time l was in the hands of the Salt
ing all the time that talked to
Chief Grant I was treated as u gem
tleman In every sense OF the word.
He did not try to get me TO confess
IN ,J,ar crir f1,a
from me against Robert Stone. who
ne thought was my pal
Witnesses: John S. Corless, NJ. ].
Grindle.
A facsimile OF this was published in
three daily papers Of this city Monday,
June 10.
Resented Probing.
During my interview with Merrill in
the 1heriIs Office he appeared to be ir
tadicting himself and using vile and
sacriiegious expressions He resented
the questions We put to him and claimed
that he was then being prosecuted, when,
as a matter of fact. the tenor and d.
rectIon OF these questions was as to
whether or not he was correctly reported
in the newspaper interview written by
He said that he was not correctly
quoted. During the Interview the sheriff
sa1d to me: ''From my knowledge OF
men and my observation Of Merrill,
consider him a weak minded individual
who is liable to say anything"
Detective Cleveland does not deny that
he slapped Morrill, with his open hand at
the time of his recapture when Merrill
called him vile name and said he would
kill him II necessary. and ne says he was
rebulsed at the time by the chief, who
had given positive instructions that pris-
oners should never be abused nor ham
died with unnecessary force when they
are vicious or unruly.
During tho ffty-six hours that Merrill
remained in the city jail he was visited
once by Detective Cleveland, who had
been working on the T., c. NJ, L case, for
the purpose OF questioning Merrill about
1t, but the detective was not alone with
the prisoner, did not touch him In any
manner and remained only few min
utes.
Merrill was photographed for local
but this was not permitted
until his consent was asked and obtained.
He was taken to the office OF the chief
three times, whore he was treated like
gentleman" and talked to as q father
would talk 10 his son.
Never Prosecuted.
At no time was he disturbed In his
slumbers or called after midnight and out
OF the fifty-siX hours he spent In the city
los W hours altogether was