The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-16
taking into any consideration what the
provocation might be-.
Text Of Report.

proVocatlon might be.
Text of Report.
The report in full was as follows:
Salt Lake City. Utah.
~ , June II, 1912,
To the Board OF Commissioners. Salt
Lake City. Utah;
Gentlemen-Pursuant to motion
passed at the regular hoard meeting,
neio Juno 10. 1912. asking the commits
sloncr OF public safety to investigate a
newspaper report" rejecting upon the
ponce department of this city in relation
honor to submit the following report:
There being no charges fled, my at
tehllon was directed to an article print
ed in the Herald Republican OF June 9.
1912. written. so I am advised, by a re-
porter by the name OF Jackson. who
wrote the articles relating TO ]. J. Nor
WE, T1si recently investigated by this board
10 TAKE such reports. obviously written
TO inJure and hamper the police depart
,hi' mhent' as literally, and as seriously as
them taken, the board has seen fit to
make this request and have made every
enort to comply with it,
IN 'front.' page article on the date
mentioned, the paper referred to printed
an alleged Interview with q burglar some
times called ''Dick Merrill" under head
e M Ganos sI,oyy by ne The paper as follows
that police tormented and tortured him
to desperation; adding that he "hed to
T,s De ds sh9[, 1lir, and and that the third degree
mat the police chief promised him light
penalty II he would confess to many
crimes he did not commit
Third Degree Interview.
In the alleged interview the prisoner is
quoted by Jackson as follows:
The third degree" drove me 10
T
lie and take the blame for scores OF
pursiaries, the police tormented and
peal peat me until 1 became desperate. I
could not have been connected with |
the burglarles they attempted to
hang on my shoulders, because I had
Isen Tha n In = salt Lake only since May 80.
nrieop 11e iaSt & nig9t | spent In the city
schemes for ending my life.
AN Impression was given that the chief
OF police inflicted this punishment as |
"ierriil was next quoted as follows:
Don't think for minute that
slipped the chief and ran out into
lhe open street l dashed away en-
tien tnieGting :, to get shot; shot; Every frac,
to set bullet between the Nbou Shout.
ders from the chiefs revolver that
would would end my Iife-just what I was
looking for. /
Claiming that Merrill had courted death
rs an escape from this alleged persecn
ows: He~o a" Aoi
After I had been caught one of
the detectives slapped me on the fsce
SoGging his finger into my right eve
SO that l have not been able to see
cioarly ont of 1t since The crowds
1eered him and 1t made me feel that
sun had few sympathizers-I had
begun to think myself a lost souI IN
the hands of the police.
Merrill was also quoted as saving that
ie was taken before the chief who tried
o make him say he was Responsible for .
'st Oh burglarios yard long" and the
rucie continued, still quoting Merrill:
When I was taken before the chief
several hours after | was arrested
made clean breast of the fact that
proke into Flies hat store and Gala
mans book store. Then they tried to
make mo say I broke into the H. C.
~ l. drug store, and was responsible
Tor list of hurglaries a yard long
which happened weeks back
tried TO explain TO the chief that
" / did take the blame for the bip
list OF burglarles he attempted TO hang
on me. II could be proved that I was
not In Salt Lake or anywhere near the
state when they came off Thet
made no difference with him, He
wanted me TO take the blame for ali
OF them anyhow.
He Offered to Let me off with nye
years or so In the state prison II
would take the blame for all the bur
Slariesi and said would get twenty
years for the Fife and Callahan Jobs
unless l agreed to do as he wanted
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