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Show CARNIVAL OF CRIME. For the past month Salt Lako has experienced an outbreak of hold-ups, burglaries and other robberies In many cases with violence. Wo have In tho past experienced many similar reigns of terror, espoclnlly In tho win-tor win-tor time, which havo taxed tho police force to tho utmost. Salt Lako Is not different from most other cities in that respect. Denver, Omnha, Portland Port-land and Butto havo had their reigns of terror much moro sovero than anything any-thing of tho kind the people of Salt Lako havo experienced. When a car-nlvnl car-nlvnl of crlmo breaks looso It Is customary cus-tomary to Inveigh tho pollco forco, blame them for Inefficiency, want of vfgllanco nnd so forth. In tho case of Salt Lake, this Is unjust. Tho pollco forco hero was never so offlclcnt or so alert and never worked In greater harmony than during tho past two yqars, since Chief Lynch was placed at tho head of tho department. Thoro are only about thirty-three patrolmen for tho entire city and these must bo divided up Into thrco shifts, making an average of only eleven men on duty at ono time. For eleven officers to Cover a city liko this, spread over so much territory, is an utter Impossibility. Impossi-bility. In the daytlmo tho number of patrolmen on duty Is reduced to six or seven, so that a few more cm bo put on tho night shifts, but oven fourteen four-teen or fifteen men Is not half enough to guard tho city properly. The pollco havo no enviable task, especially at a time llko this. They dosorvo great credit for tho clover capturo of tho colored desperado, Ross, who, during only three or four days' residence in tho city, is known to havo committed half a dozen burglaries nnl nobody knows how mnny hoi l-uns nro chargeable to him. Tho capture of Ross Included the recovery of practically prac-tically all tho goods ho had stolon, which In money valuo amounted to several hundred dollars, for tho restoration res-toration of which tho owners are grateful to Chlof Lynch nnd his men. Tho pollco of this town aro doing their utmost to protect tho citizens and considering- tho unusual disadvantages disadvan-tages under which they Inbor aro doing do-ing wonderfully well. For Instance, on Monday night thoro wero something some-thing liko soventy-flvo prisoners in tho city jail when thoro was accommodation accommoda-tion for only about llfty. Tho jailor had to "double thorn up" and even keep somo prisoners who ought to havo been In colls In rooms and corridors. cor-ridors. That does not glvo tho ofll-cors ofll-cors a fair show. Tho chances of os-caro os-caro nro Increased and tho safe-keep-lug of criminals made moro difficult. Instead of "cussing" tho pollco forco something should bo done to aid and oncourngo them in their work. In largo cities llko Now York and Chicago Chi-cago and oven in smaller places the pollco forco Is often permeated with graft In nil imaglnnblo ways. In Salt Lako thoro Is little, If any, or that sort of thing. Tho forco, from tho chief down, Is composed of straight, honest men, who should bo helped and oncourngod rather than made tho subjects sub-jects of capclous criticism. |