The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-14


Marshal James II. Anderson, in
the Herald-Republican yesterday, is
sued a pronupciamento inviting the
attention of the public to his ability
to improve" the confessions of pris-
oners. Quotes Mr.. Anderson modostly.
Base envy withers at another's
JOY,
And hates that excellence it can
not reach
The quotation is doubtless true.
None can deny the Joy Of Mr. Ander
son at writing a fake story and GER
| talnly none can deny the nonchalant
disregard of all essential facts that
charncterIzcs the efforts of this demon
police reporter of the Herald Repub
lican.
Mr.. Anderson distinguished himself
as yellow journalist by 'fimprov-
ing upon a confession made by M.
II. Lee, federal prisoner who is
awaiting the action of the United
States grand jury on charge of coun.
| tertelting- The statement made by
Lee was so distorted by Anderson in
| rewriting il for the Herald Republican
as to call forth a sharp protest from
the aged prisoner, who insisted that
he had made no such statements as
| those accredited to him. Lee s denial
of the marshal's masterpiece of dime
novel fiction called forth the amusing
bluff of the marshal as printed in yes
terday's Herald Republican.
Is Sometimes Marshal.
With astounding assurance Mr.. An
derson in yesterdays Herald -Repub
lican calls attention to the fact that
written statement signed by Lee is
in the possession OF the department of
justice, and in the same paragraph
declares that this statement, duly
signed and attested, was the state
printed in the paper by which he is
employed. The reporter who works at
odd times as United States marshal
wrote thus in the d-Republican of
yesterday:
This office possesses a copy of
Lee s statement signed by him and
attested by two witnesses, one of
whom is an officer under the state
government. One copy is in the
tice of the United States. The
confession was interesting news,
and we followed our usual custom
of publishing it exclusively.
Mr.. Anderson also suggests in his
article that other papers should seek
to attain the high standard reached by
the Herald Republican.
Certainly 1T would be impossible for
any other paper in the city to diverge
so far from the truth as to descend to
the Herald Republican standard.
A Generous Offer.
Continuing, Mr. Anderson generous
~ says that representatives Of the
press may go TO the Herald Republican
office and ''peruse the Lee confes-
sion, properly signed and attested, and
twin TO that which reposes in the
files of the, department of justice.
copy of 1T, from which an etched re-
production has been made for publ |
cation in case il seems desirable.''
Mr.. Anderson might make a good
poker player, but occasionally he must |
expect to have his bluff called The
Tribune yesterday obtained a COPY of
the statement "reposing in the files
is sublolncd this morning copied exact
y from the official original on file in
the office Of the United States district |
attorney
II the copy on file at the office of the |
Herald~RepublicaB Is identical with the |
statement purported to have been made |
by Lee and as published by Anderson,
then the twins have no resemblance.
: II the statement published in the Her !
the possession of the United States dis. |
trict attorney, then the Herald Repub- |
licaD convicts itself and its best repor- |
ter, Marshal Anderson, of gross taking. |
Where Anderson Faxed.
In the fear that the Herald. .Repub
lican will not make good its promise to
publish the Photographic reproduction
thai thai will confess its wrongdoing The
Il I'll rub 1,-h -hac III
the copy of the statement OF Lee on |
file with the department Of justice and |
the improved - confession which sp. |
pcared IN the Herald Ropublican. The |
two differ III many ways
Attention need be called only to A |
few of the more glaring Improve
ments' which arc set out in bold face
type in the Herald Republican state
ment. There are several other differ |
ences where Marshal Anderson attcmpt-
sd to "improve' on the language of the |
prisoner.
All Of the sections Of the Herald-Re- |
publican article appearing in bold face |
type were boldly interpoleted into the |
statement of Lee in order to make it |
the more thrilling. Portions of the
genuine statement Of Lee which con-
hicted with these interpretations were
conveniently omitted.
1t would be interesting to have the |
Herald Republican print Photographic |
reproduction of that portion of the Lee |
confession in which Lee styles himself |
the Itgentleman bandit OF the Yose-
mite or that in which he confesses 12O |
stage robberies and speaks Of his "reign |
OF terror
These dime novel expressions of the |
United States marshal cannot be found |
IN the official copy possessed by the de- |
partment Of Justice and il would be in
teresting to learn how they found their |
way into the copy printed by the Her
aid Republican.
Evidence of Veracity.
As an evidence of his veracity Mr.. |
Anderson yesterday in the Herald Re |
publican declares that no representative
of The Tribune ever saw Lee at the |
state penitentlary. Apparently Mr.. An
dersoD doesn Z keep good track of his |
prisoners rerrasentatiye nc Tba