OCR Text |
Show STATEMENT Of JOSEPH NELSON ON UTAH NATIONAL BANK ROBBERY Joseph kelson, former cashier of tho Utah National bank, was- asked Friday night for an expression of opinion concerning con-cerning the statement of W. F. Adams, former vice-president of the institution, institu-tion, contained in Friday morning's Tribune. Mr. Nelson said candidly that The Tribune had been manifestly unfair in its treatment of him. "I don't think," he said, "that you or anyone conuected with the paper desires de-sires to do me a personal injury, but in the treatment of this unfortunate affair, af-fair, the stories have been influenced bv the polic' of the paper. Of course, all of this publicity is unpleasant, but L am willing to bear a little hurt for something I think a great deal of. C wouldn't be a man if' I didn't' do that." What Mr. Nelson implied wa3 that Tho Tribune had accepted the Utah bank robbery as another opportunity to attack the chief hierarch of the Mormon Mor-mon church. "It you were to .send me a man whom I know would be absolutely fair with ine." continued Mr. Nelson Friday Fri-day night,, "and T could be assured that he" would go over my side of this matter, mat-ter, r would give you a .statement. It would, of course, be thu opposite of all you have printed. I dou't. care to discuss the statement of Mr. Adams. Jf you had approached me before it was" published, I might have said something concerning one or lwo parts of it, but T decline to saj anything now." hi order that Mr". Nelson might have the opportunity to enjoy cverV courtesy The Tribune can grant, an effort was made Friday night lo roach Mr. Nelson, Nel-son, but ho had forgotten the worried ol business long cuough to enjoy a few hours of respite indulging the art of terpaichore at Saltair. Saturday afternoon Mr. Nelson was seen at the Utah National bank and ho was offered as much space as he desired de-sired in tho columns of Tho Tribune- "If you will say what you said this morning," snid Mr. Nelson, "that will be satisfactory to me." "You want us to say. 'When interviewed in-terviewed MiNelson said,' "I have nothing noth-ing to say". ' ' ' " "Yes. That's it." Mr. Nelson wns reminded of his avowed willingness to present, his views concerning the bank robbery. "You have chnrged The Tribune with being unfair to you. You expressed a wish to be treated fairly and 3'ou are now offered a much space as you think necessarv in which to present j'our side of the case. Take up the proposition in any manner your judgment dictates. You might consult with your friends and then dictate a statement which The Tribune will print." " think," said Mr. Nelson, "that I had not better say anything. - I am afraid of what may follow.' "What do von mean by that?" "1 mean this I used to teach school. I .sometimes roasted a student ami then asked him what ho had to say. "He, of course, had nothing to say, because no student can answer a teacher. Nciriier can .1 answer a nows-papor. nows-papor. I believo it is the intention of' the paper lo learn my views nnd then pick them to pieces" in the editorial columns. I cannot fight a nowspnper." "Why do you impugn the motives of tho paper?"' "1 know whai you are trying to do. You think that because I am J.he son-in-law of Joseph F. Sniith 3'.ou can strike him throiiL'h me.'" "You aro laboring under a misapprehension. misap-prehension. Tho Tribune has demanded that this mystery be ventilated. Tfc will continue so to demand. In thin instauce the paper is dealing with tho robbing of this bank. The public demands de-mands to know about it and The Tribune Trib-une proposes to accede to that do-mand." do-mand." "You don't know President Smith. You ought to. because you would love him. 1 have never had anything to do with polygamy myself, but it has come close to me through 1113- family. There is not a finer living man, or a finer and more aftoctionatc husband aud father than President Smith." "He must havo an inexhaustible fount of affection," was suggested. "Yes. And as 3'ou dislike polygamy, polyga-my, E dislike people who go into saloons sa-loons and smoke. Mr. Karri man asked 111c into his privato car to smoke and 1 told him 1. didn't smoke. He thought 1 was a 'funiry' man. have never smoked and 1 hnve never been in a saloon." sa-loon." "Admitting that sniokiug and drinking drink-ing are almost as bad habits as po-U'gamy. po-U'gamy. it is useless to here discuss Mormons and Gentiles. You could talk intcrmiuably and we would arrive ar-rive at no conclusion as you believe ono thing and your questioner another. The one question is, do you care to make this statement?" "I" am content to permit things tp rest; as they arc. I. am afraid of what may follow." "The Tribune has 110 intention to induce in-duce you to bite aud then cook 3-011 In the editorial columns. It is your own proposition, and 3011 can be assured as-sured that the paper is acting fairbv" "Have you acted fairly t You have said' in effect that T stole this 11101103-. You have led the public to believe that." "If the paper linn dono you an injustice, in-justice, win don't 3'ou sue it for libel?" li-bel?" "Oh, papers don't come out and say things. They Insinuate and seek protection pro-tection behind innuendo. "You are mistaken. If the paper has permitted the public to learn l3' inference that you took this $10(5,250 and it cannot substantiate what it sa3s, 3'ou can sue it for libel and make mone". The Supreme Court of the Unitod States has so ruled." "Would you permit me to libel an3' one as I wns libeled in Mr. Adams's statement ?" "Tf 3'ou call it -libel, 3'es. You can go that far, but no further." "But what will you do afterward?" "Nothing. Will 3'ou dictate a statement state-ment to a stenographer and have it in the office b3' 9 o'clock tonight?" "L really don't think it would do any good for me to say an3'thiug. I, personally, do not care how often you roast me. You can do me no harm with 1113" friends. They have confidence int me and I suppose Mr. Adams's friends stand b3' him. But this constant con-stant publicity " is hurting the bank. What we want the reporters to do is to stop." "Some of them have, but The Trib-un Trib-un won't: 3011 can depend on that." "No, you probabb won't; but why shouldn't yoitf" "Why should it 7 The paper was misled "in the beginning. It was induced in-duced to make a misstatement concerning concern-ing the amount of 11101103 taken.' "Put $4:,000 wa3 the actual loss to the bank." "That makes no difference; $106,250 was taken." "Yes, that's true 1 "And when The Tribune said so, other papers were induced to say The Tribune had lied. Yet Mr. Ohipman substantiated the paper. Is that fair treatment?" "I don't suppose it was. But if you were in 1113' position and a paper persistently, per-sistently, led the public to think that vou had taken mono3 that didn 't belong to you, it wouldn't be pleasant. You wouldn 't like il. " "No, T wouldn't, and if the paper libeled li-beled mo I would raise hell, as voii should, if you can." "I can't fight a newspapor. S.13. let's 3011 and I go out to Saltair arid have an afternoon's fun. We can forget for-get about this." "That is out of tho question." "Woll, I'll telephone for my machine and we'll go for a long ride.' We cau talk about tho flowers and the weather weath-er " "And the ideal pink tints which suffuse suf-fuse the pinnacled slopes of the Wasatch Wa-satch " "Yes. You can sa that better than 1. I'll telephone for the machine?" "Will 3'ou talk about, this robben'7" "I might even do that if I kncwVou better. You look like a nice man." I believo there's some good iu evcr3'oue, even in Mr. Badger here. What I meant was. I wish lo find some man of repute in Salt Lake City, someone who is not connected with the paner. Then J would like to talk over this matter frankly, of course not for publication. I 8impl3 want someone to understand this thing as 1 see it." "Well, The Tribune has offered to do all it can for 3'ou. You have had ever3 opportunity to present 3'our side, and 3'ou cannot repeat that the paper has been unfair." So ended the quiet game. Mr. Nelson Nel-son 's bluff was called. |