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Show DUAL CHARACTER TO THIS MAN PRESTIN. "Preston," the man who was accused accus-ed of complicity in the murder of Deputy Sheriff Seymour Clark, has been released from jail without standing stand-ing trial. When ho was Imprisoned four months ago in Salt Lake City, he made a statement to the shrievalty force to the effect that he was a party t it,. -1 . II. .V. iv iuu vi nut?, iic uirstiiucu uie sccno at Uintah 60 graphically that the officers of-ficers found in tho accuracy of his detailed de-tailed account proof of his guilty knowledge. It is said that tho confession con-fession wag forced, that the accused was threatened with hanging, that a. deputy sheriff said he would brain him with a chair, and that In other ways the helpless fellow was frightened fright-ened into relating the story of tho homicide which he now repudiates. There seemingly was enough circumstantial cir-cumstantial eIdence to warrant a public pub-lic hearing, but for some reason not fully disclosed the officers decided not to bring the man to trial. His name Is Prestin Herbert Prcs-tin, Prcs-tin, and not James Preston and ho called on the editor of the Standard this morning to air a grievance. Ho had not spoken half a dozen words when the writer, noting that he was no coarse criminal, inquired as to his past. He was plainly but neatly dressed, dress-ed, his features are regular and the impression he made was that of a man who had not entirely lost the refining influence of a good homo or the polish pol-ish of an' education. Ho said he had been trained for the priesthood, under the guidance of the Jesuits In New York state; that at 20, at the time of his mother's death, he made his first misstep and left the uplifting power of his teachers; that later ho drifted west, going' to California, where his departure from the path of rectitude brought him sorrow. He" said he knew "Burns" in California, and met him and renewed the earlier associations, in Salt Lake City. He admitted using morphine as a medicine, medi-cine, but denied he is a morphino fiend; confessed to being possessed at times by a weakness which caused him to yield to the persuasions of the scheming. "But," ho said, "I have never intentionally harmed any one and never deliberately planned to do anybody Injury." And there was that tone and emphasis to his words which carried conviction that tho man, when at himself, is deserving and is in Eplred by high resolves. He may be but the creature of a bad environment environ-ment who, struggling to do right, too often falls, In fact he said no ono had worthier ambitions than he and none suffered more the pangs of remorse when ho viewed the wreckage of misdirected mis-directed effort. Here is a study in dual character worthy of the writer of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Herbert Prestin undoubtedly has a good side to him, whatever be the staining secrets deep hidden In the labyrinth of his soul. |