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Show I ACTION BI GOICF 'Investigation Ordered and It H Will Begin at 2 This Afternoon. H FERNSTROM OFFERS AN INSULT TO THE CHIEF .His Uncalled for Remark Is Resented Most Vigorously . By Councilman Murrey, I The following communication from 'Chief o Police "Georgo A. Sheets to the u Mayor and City Council was road before tbo Council at the 'meeting Tuesday oiight: To tbo Mayor and Couucil of Salt Lake Hl City; Two newspapers In Salt Lake, the Sail iLako Herald and the Interniouutain Itopul)- H lic&n, make pravo accusations against me as rliler of police, and (be jiollco department of Salt Lake City. Personally, I denounce ibo accusations as malicious and untrue, a wil 1-Jul 1-Jul and dellbcrato falscbod, and I defy tho H newspapers ineutloiiod to prove the truth of Hj their assertions. - In view of tho published statements, I ro- Ht hpcctfully ask and demand that you order a Qnost rigid Inquiry Into tho charges alleged. k I am contldont that such inquiry will ebon Hho nbsoluto falsity of tno charges alleged, 'ns J aleo believe that H will dlecloso that Hl .political anlmuc is hohlud tbo allegation:;. This Inquiry I demand nt onco. and ask B :you to demand of tho papers mentioned (bat 'they produco what they regard as tbo proof j of their chargo. Very truly, GEORGE A. SHEETS. Chiof of Tollcc. BV j Salt Lake City, Utah, October 1, 1S(W. On motion of Mr. Crab free, secouded "by Mr. Hobday, tbo coramuiiicaliou was received and "tiled, and it was decided that the Council will meet at 2 o'clock this afternoon in tho Council chamber, us a committee of tho whole, for (ho purpose of holding an investigation into tho charges that havo been inndo against tho Chief. This motion was not passed, however, until after a very heat-cd heat-cd discussion of the matter, in which Hj amendments wero mauo from tho church Democratic side of tho liouso that Chief Sheets bo suspended from office pending the investigation aud .nlso to postpone tho timo for starting the investigation, some of tho church Democratic members claiming that a pressure of personal business would pre-vent pre-vent thorn from being present this attor- Orabtrco Moves Investigation. When the communication from Chief Sheets had been read. Mr. Crabtreo made tho motion for the investigation to begin this afternoon. He stated that -when he had heard some of the charges that wore being raado u gainst Chief Sheets, and had seen tho articles printed in two of tho morning papers, ho de-cided de-cided to call a meeting of tho Commit-tee Commit-tee on Police, of which he is chairman, and to request Mayor Thompson to bo present. Tho meeting was held in tho office of Chief Sheets Tuesday ufter-aioon, ufter-aioon, Mr. Crabtreo stated, and tho mat-tcr mat-tcr was discussed at considerable length,, and tho committee found that nothing could bo accomplished by tho eommil-tee eommil-tee without having somo charges pre-ferred pre-ferred against the Chief or baying some of the newspaper representatives pros-ent pros-ent to offer what they consider tho proof of the published statements. It -was thereforo decided b' the Committee on Police to recommend to tho Council the meeting of the committee of tbo "whole for Wednesday afternoon. H Mr. Crabtree also embodied in his mo- lion that tbo .Recorder extend to tho Herald and Inter-Mountain Republican and to the McWhirtcr brothers special fl invitations to be present at tho mves- ligation and tell what they know of the affair which has resulted in the stale--orients that have been printed about tho Chief of Police. Mr. Fernstrom secured the floor after Mr. Crabtreo had stated liis motion. Ho said that he was in favor of an investigation, but was opposed to hav-ing hav-ing it Wednesday afternoon, urging as his objection that it would intorforo with his private business. Mr. Fcrn-strom Fcrn-strom then made tho declaration, that the only way in which a fair and impartial investigation could be se-cured se-cured would bo by suspending Chief Sheets pending the investigation. He stated that tho men of tho polico department, who would no doubt bo Hj important witnesses in the investiga- tion, would bo under the orders of the Chief, and would bo afraid to say any-thing any-thing against him or which would not be- in his favor, and that tho Chief tvould suppress and control much of the evidence wanted. Fcrnstrom also sug-nested sug-nested that Sheriff Emery and the County Attorney Ijc requested to be present at the investigation. No Charges Yet Preferred. Mr. Crabtree secured the floor again, SV snd stated that he wished to impress upon the members of tho Council the fact that no charges havo been prc- SVJ ferrcd against tho Chief of Police, and that therefore there in no reason for suspending him. The investigation, M'r. Crabtreo said, would be at tho Chief's own request because of the re ports that havo been printed about him. Mr. Mulvey stated that when he first Baw his picture published in tbo Re- publican, and ho was represented no tho backer of Jim Donaldson, it was tho first timo that ho had been awaro that ho was tho backer of anyone, but that ho wanted to say ono thing, and that was, that ho Avau proud to have his picture published alongside of that of tho Chief of Police. Mr. Mulvey also stated that he was in favor of a. thorough investigation, and that if any wrong had becu done, it should bo righted at any cost. Mr. Wells announced himself in favor fa-vor of tho suspension of lhoi Chief from office. lie taid: "In viow of tho communication from tho Chief, tho Couucil should tnko official cognizance of tho roport3 circulated. Tho Chief of Police ih tho custodian of tho public peace, and very naturo of the charges made demands his suspension. Tho taxpayers should bo inndo to feel that tho Council will not, for ono moment, mo-ment, allow ono to remain in oflico whoso integrity has been questioned. Tho officers under him should not bo mado to foci uudor restraint in testi-Jying testi-Jying as to what they kuow of tho matter." Mr. Terry Takes Proper Viow. Mr. Ferry aroso after Mr, Wells had finished and said: "Tho charges aro in the naturo of irresponsible nowspaper reports and bear about as much Avoiglit as thoso recently mado in regard to gambling being carried on in tho city. 1 take it; that every citizen or official is presumed to be innocent until bis guilt has boon established and tho Hits-pension Hits-pension of tho Chiof would bo a norious intlei'tiou upon him. Tf tho Chief should bo found guilty he should not only bo suspended but action should bo takon against him, but whatover wo do. let us try to put politics asido in a matter as serious as this ono is." Mr. Fornstroni Bccured the iloor for a second timo and commenced a tirade on the iniustico of retaining tho Chief in office during tho investigation, lie said that as an example ho wanted the members of tho Council to supposo that; tho Chief wero rotained in office and somo telegrams should bo sent to police headquarters, informing tho department de-partment ot tho whereabouts of tho crooks that bad been mixed up in tho steal. You know, aaid Fcrnstrom, what tho Chief would do with thoso tolo-grams. tolo-grams. llo wants thoso crooks kept out of sight. When Fornslrom offered this high insult, in-sult, to tho Chief. Mr. Mulvey mado a point of order. He said that ho would not permit such slurs on tho integrity of the Chief to bo jnado on tho floor of tho Council. Mr. Hobday stated that ho did not believe it fair for tbo papers to bo printing such articles about Chief Sheets and not givo tho Chief au opportunity op-portunity to present his sido of tho .case. llo said that if tho reports are confirmed that imprisonment for life would be none too bad for Sheets but that ho thought that it would bo unfair to suspend him from office until some charges had been filed with tho Council or tho Mayor. Mr. Hobday donicd an-intentiou an-intentiou "on tho part of any of tho members of tho Council to whitewash tho affair. Tie also asked Mr. Fcrnstrom Fcrn-strom why he was afraid to havo tho inve5tication started Wednesday afternoon. after-noon. "Mr. Fernstroni replied that the opposition would not bo ready at that tunc. Mr. Prcoce then moved 1o amend tho motion of Mr. Crabtreo to road that tho meeting should be called for S o'clock Wednesday evening. This amendment' was seconded, by Mr. Holley. Mr. Wells moved "an amendment Jo the amendment to tho offect that Chief Sheets be suspended from office pending pend-ing the investigation. Mr. Black, who was in 1ho chair in the absence of President Davis, announced an-nounced that tho Council had not the power to suspend the Chief. Objection to this announcement was made by the church Democratic members of tho house, and it was finally agreed to let the decision of tho City "Attornoy settle tho matter. City Attorney Dininny wa3 present and stated that tho statutes of tho State aro silent upon the subject of the suspension from office of any cit3' official except tho Treasurer. Ho stated that the statutes provide that tho Chief can bo removed from office, but that the Council has no authority to suspend him. Mr. Wells then amended his amendment amend-ment to read that tho chief bo temporarily tempo-rarily .removed from office. A roll call vote was taken first on the amendment to tho amendment, which provided for tho removal of the Chief from office. ' Tho vote was: Ayes Barnes, Fernslrom. Holley, Preece, Tuddcnhara, Wells. Nays Black, Carter, Car-ter, Crabtree, Ferry, Hobday, Muh'03'. Three members wero absent, and the vote being a tie, the motion was declared de-clared lost. A vote was then taken on the amendment amend-ment of Precco to call tho mooting for S o'clock in tho ovening. Tho voto on this amendment was cxacll' tho same as that on the previous one, and it was also declared lost. On tho motion made by Mr. Crabtreo to call tho investigation for 2 o'clock this afternoon the vote was as follows: Ayes Carter, Crabtree, Ferry, Hobdaj', Mulvey, Preece, Tuddcnhani, Wells. Nays Barnes. Fcrnstrom, Holley. Tho motion "was declared carried and the investigation will commenco at 2 o'clock this afternoon in tho Council chamber. |