Show i A H Hitchhiker Confesses Murder THE HE brutal murder of a Salt Lake City salesman sal salesman sales sales- s- s man near Cedar City allegedly by a hitchhiker hitchhiker hitchhiker hitch hitch- hiker whom the salesman had picked up is a shocking crime This is far from being the first time that a hitchhiker has turned on his benefactor Not always do does s murder result but it does happen happen hap hap- pen often enough to make it a distinct possibility possibility in n every case Even i if such attacks by a a. a hitchhiker on a friendly motorist do not hot result in murder murd r they do result in robbery car theft and vicious Not so long ago there was a case in the east in which a hitchhiker hitchhiker hitchhiker hitch hitch- hiker didn't attack the friendly motorists at all but instead wormed out of them information about their homes and families which enabled the hitchhiker later to gain entrance to the themen's themen's themen's mens men's homes where he committed robberies sometimes attacked the mens men's wives and in one case which finally led to his arrest committed murder Salesmen and others driving alone on the highways would do well to remember these robberies attacks and murders by hitchhikers and be extremely careful about giving rIdes Brides to strangers Theres There's another point about this crime The Theman Theman Theman man was an ex Although only 24 y years years ars old he has a police record that goes back back eight years He has served two terms one in a California Call Cal fornia reformatory and one in a jail for auto theft He was also convicted on three first de gree robbery charges they charges they involved service station station sta tion holdups holdups and and sentenced to three terms o ol oj from five years to l life e in San Quentin penitentiary penitentiary to run concurrently But he was released released re re- released leased after only two and a half hall years H HE worked for tor a few months in Los Angeles lost his job and started east just looking around Just what he was looking for lor isn't clear but he bought an automatic a pistol before belore he started out to help him in his search One wonders just how far a proven criminal has to go before authorities will admit that hes he's too dangerous to be at liberty Is it necessary to have him commit murder murder to to sacrifice the life of some innocent citIzen before citizen before he can be properly dealt with Theres There's something wrong with a penal system that doesn't reform but rather keeps sending back to prey on society criminals who have been merely graduated to higher and more vicious levels of of- crime We cannot conclude this editorial without a word word o of praise for the two South Salt Lake deputy marshals Walter marshals Walter B. B Fox and Harold Thomas who Thomas who chased and captured the confessed confessed con con- lessed murderer murder r. r Had it not been for their al alertness the the accused man might nev never have been caught and this vicious crime might have remained a mysterious disappearance case or oran oran oran an unsolved murder |