The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-11
THE ECCLES CASE.

| sunday morning ME uuty rests
upon Weber county to effect the cap
ture of the ruthless blackhand assas.
sins, yet the State Of Utah must
be back OF each county in preserving
law and order and in securing justice
Weber county is confronted by prob
lem that has baffled not only the police
of Ogden, the sheriff and tho United
States postal authorities, but also the
detective agencies that have been en-
ployed to run down the blackmailers.
While it is better to encourage the
guardians of the law In crisis Of this
kind, yet it cannot have escaped gen
eral notice that several regrettable
blunders have been made. In an inter
view yesterday Postoffice Inspector
McGce said: FfWe did the best we
could and we failed. The reason that
we did not let the police and sheriff
in on our plans was to prevent leaks, y
This indicates a distrust Of the police
department and the sheriff's men that
| does not seem to be warranted. The
plain implication is that the police and
some of the subordinates in the sher
ifs Office are in league with the black
hand band. This is inconceivable,
certain amount Of friction be-
tween the guardians of the law is thus
revealed. When all of them should be
| cooperating TO one end they display
unfortunate discord and rivalry They
are dealing with men Of great shrewd-
ness and daring and cannot expect to
win unless they drop their petty diff
fercnces and cooperate in every move.
It may seem presumptuous for those
who are not acquainted with all the
details Of the case to criticise the plan
that was adopted Sunday. David Ed
wards, a Westerner of surprising cour-
age, was permitted to 90 out alone to
battle with the bandits. He went will
lingly and without fear, but it was the
madness Of q brave man. Those back
of him should not have allowed him to
carry on single-handed fight with the
blackhanders.
These criticisms are not offered in
captious spirit, but in the hope that in
telllgent cooperation will be secured
in the quest for the bandits. Every
one who has been conspicuous in the
attempts to effect the capture of the
blackhanders has displayed great cour-
age. Nothing could be more admir-
able than the stand taken by young Mr..
Leroy Eccles, who undoubtedly has
spent much more than the bandits de.
mand in his effort to run them to earth.
If to protect the members OF his fam
lily he should conclude to paw over the
ransom required by the blackmailcrs
he could not now be censurcd, in view
of the fact that all the resources of
the authorities have been tried and
found wanting.
1t is to be noted that the bandits e1-
hibited considerable mechanical knowl-
edge. In their last campaign they were
supplied with the telephone apparatus
necessary to tap the wires and com
municate with the Eccles family. They
have shown much knowledge of ex-
plosives and firearms Indeed, when
they came to load their shotguns YES
terday they used ball-bearings instead
of shot.
1t is also somewhat significant that
the bandits threw the bomb that dam.
aged the house Of Leroy EccIes and at.
tackled Detective Edwards on Sunday,
1t is not unlikely therefore, that the
three or four men in the band are me-
chanics, machinists or linemen and
that they work every week day and
find sufficient leisure TO carry on their
principal blackhand operations only on
Sunday 1t is probable that if they
were idlers they would have betrayed
themselves by this time. If thew did
no work and made certain place
their rendezvous with arms and ammu-
milton, IL is natural to believe that
they would have aroused suspicion, un-
less they were operating from their
own homes.
While tho letters are not written by
man of high education, thev Indicate
a knowledge of the English language
which is not often possessed by for.
eigners, and this might be taken to in.
dicate that ut least the leader of the
gang is an American.
Undoubtedly all these deductions and
many moro have been made by the de-
tectives assigned to the case, but as
yet they have been unable to make
practical use Of their clews But the
guardians Of the law have not been
acting in harmony aud clews probably
viii be unavailing until perfect 60.
operation is obtained
Nan Xnrl. Lnn L. l