OCR Text |
Show tP FACTS , FUNNY AND OTHERWISE "y I m About Western Men I've METiSf' I (Tlio stories nppenrlnK uniler tills licndlnpr are actual occurrences with which the author Is familiar.) It is refreshing in these strenuous days where the muckraker and reformer is continuously confronting us with evidence of corruption, hribery, graft and thievery on the part of public officials to relate a story that shows the other side of the picture. The fault with many of our publications today is that they arc looking for the sensational, or extraordinary happenings, the criminal acts or violations of the laws of society and kindred things. The fact that a man performs a good, conscientious, honorable day's deeds passes by unobserved on 'T the part of public chroniclers. Many heroic acts and noble deeds are consummated daily that would prove inspiring and elevating if only they were known. We have in mind an incident that occurred some time ago. Everyone Ev-eryone remembers when the state was mulcted out of thousands of dollars by a gang of shrewd bounty swindlers who operated in this state a few years ago. By forming a conspiracy with minor officials in some of the departments of state they succeeded in successfully ' carrying on their nefarious work through an extended period and final ly escaped with their booty from the state. The sheriff's office and the officers of the law conducted a diligent search for the criminals but they were shrewd, crafty offenders and had evidently succeeded in covering their tracks almost perfectly, but by eternal vigilance and watchfulness a clue was finally obtained that h;d to Denver. Deputy Sheriff Jos. C. Sharp was sent to the Colorado capital on the case. On reaching there he learned that the man most H wanted, one Gorman by name, was in Europe but had communicated H with some one living in a certain isolated house in Denver that he H would soon reach there. The deputy planned a waiting game and one H night he was rewarded for his search by seeing his man cautiously H enter the house. The deputy also entered, went to the room occupied H by Gorman, confronted him with his pistol, arrested and handcuffed H him. The criminal was cool and collected and complied with each re- quest of the official but when they were about to leave the building H for the jail the bounty swindler cooly and deliberately said : "Now H you have the drop on me all right. You have got me, you have won, H but before you take me out of here and lock me in jail I want to make this proposition to you. You arc just an officer working for a salary, H you won't get very much credit for what you do and you don't get H very much money. Now there is no one but you and me present and no one knows you have arrested me, no one necessarily needs to. I have some money with me now and have $10,000 in a safety deposit H vault. You can keep me covered and in your power and go to that H safety deposit box with me and I will turn over to you the $10,000 H and vou simply fail to find me." H Further details are unnecessary. The record of Utah's courts I show that Gorman and his fellow-conspirators were brought to trial, I convicted and served their sentences. H |