Iowa Old Press
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 2, 1922
ENGINE RUNS BETTER AFTER CAR UPSETS
Mt. Pleasant Men Escape with Bruises in Auto Accident
Special to the Democrat
Mt. Pleasant, Oct. 2- Oliver Lane, Charles Detrick and a
brother of Charley who is here from Nebraska visiting Charley, tried to turn the
corner at the southwest corner of the square Saturday evening and they could not
do it at 30 miles an hour. It can't be done, especially not when the paving is
wet. The result was that the flivver in which they were tolled over and Oliver
was pinned under it. When they rolled the car off him, he was taken to the
county hospital badly bruised, but with no bones broken. The other two were
thrown out of the car, but aside from being skinned up, they were able to take
care of themselves. Bystanders put the car back on its wheel, a friend of
Charley's cranked it, and drove it away with the four fenders scraping the
wheels, but the engine was working better than it did before it rolled over.
Yes, it was a Ford. Oliver Lane had been standing around waiting to go to work a
few minutes later and got into the car to ride to the East Side restaurant,
where he cooks at night.
Attend Encampment
W.P. Young, H.T. Birds, E.N. Kitchen, G.W. Laird, T.F.
Campbell are old soldiers who attended the national encampment at Des Moines.
Mrs. Campbell accompanied Mr. Campbell and they were guests at the Erwin Craford
home in Des Moines. Mr. Young says that it is the biggest national encampment he
has ever attended and he has attended many. That seems strange when you realize
that it is 56 years after the war and that the average age of the veterans is 80
years.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 13, 1922
CONDITION OF WILLIAM OTT REMAINS SAME
Young Lady Over Whom Shooting Occurred Almost Prostrated.
Special to the Democrat
Fairfield, Ia., Oct. 13 - The
condition of William Ott, who was shot Tuesday night by William Miller at Linby,
remains critical. He is being cared for at the home of Dr. J.K. Stepp, whither
he managed to walk after the shooting occurred in front of the Linby hotel about
a block away.
Miller has not yet been located, although his Ford car
was found late Wednesday afternoon near the river and also near the Milwaukee
tracks at Sigourney. The Keokuk county sheriff organized a posse who hunted for
him until a darkness overtook them. From his threat to end his own life it is
thought that he may have carried out his words and thrown himself into the
river. On the other hand he may have boarded a train and thus is seeking safety.
Miss Keasling, over whom the shooting occurred, is
almost prostrated and has been unable to furnish any clues that the officers
might work upon. She had been keeping company with young Miller, who was known
as an industrious and hard working young man, as was also the youth he attempted
to kill. It is said that save for Miller's ungovernable temper he was a model
young man.
Jury List.
Upon the order of Judge Francis M. Hunter of Ottumwa,
who will preside at the November term of court opening on Nov. 6 the following
persons were drawn Wednesday to serve as jurors during the term:
Lester Clarke, Birmingham, Ia., RR No 1; John F.
Watson, Fairfield, No. 5; J.C. Duttweiler, Lockridge; W.A. Nott, First Ward,
Fairfield; A.W. Blakeway, Fourth Ward, Fairfield; C.R. Jones, Fairfield, Route
2; Andrew F. Wolf, Pleasant Plain; Clarence Dana, Fairfield, Route 1; O.S.
Johnson, Lockridge; W.F. Bevering, Second Ward, Fairfield; Edward Rosequest,
Fairfield; L.J. Wilson, Batavia; E.M. Metzler, Second Ward, Fairfield; Wayne
Crawford, Libertyville; Don C. Greeson, First Ward, Fairfield; Louis Bruey,
Fairfield, Route 6; R.E. Lepper, Third Ward, Fairfield; Jason Faber, Lockridge;
A.G. Fisher, Third Ward, Fairfield; J.A. Grove, Fairfield, Route 6; H.B. Gentry,
Third Ward, Fairfield; A.J. Hayden, Eldon, Route 1; Wiliam B. Helfenstine,
Lockridge; Jesse Linder, Abingdon; L. Earnest, Fairfield, Route 5; F.M. Gantz,
Brookville; Earl Litton, Fairfield, Route 5; Elizabeth Larson, Fourth Ward; Mrs.
S.A. Copeland, Fairfield; J.C. Droz, Fairfield, Route 6; Ida Allender,
Fairfield; John Harrison, Abingdon; D.C. Macy, Fairfield, Route 2; Merle DeGood,
Batavia; D.M. Root, Fairfield, Route 2; Ed Menfort, Fairfield, Route 5; Roll
Stansberry, Fairfield, Route 7; Clarence Slattery, Third Ward, Fairfield; Mrs.
Irene Ringelspach, Fairfield; H.O. Orms, Fairfield, Route 2; Mary Hood Batavia;
George Neal, East Pleasant Plain; Allison Lemming, Packwood; Lee Gallup,
Birmingham, Route 2; James Henderson, Batavia; Harry Ramsey, Fairfield, Route 1;
Nora Bradfield, Brookville.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 24, 1922
WOMAN DIES AS RESULT OF STRIKING HEAD
Death of Mrs. Bernice Billingsley Results from Necrosis
Special to the Democrat
Mt. Pleasant, Ia., Oct. 24 - Mr. and Mrs. Fred Fairchild
attended the funeral of of Mrs. Bernice Billingsley at Glasgow, Jefferson
county, Saturday morning. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott Taylor of
Glasgow and a cousin of Mr. Glasgow. Mrs. Billingsley and her husband had lived
in Mt. Pleasant and about a year ago he deserted her. In July of this year she
had her head injured when she struck a bow in the top of an automobile as she
attempted to enter the car. A lump formed on top of her head and eventually
developed into necrosis. She had neglected to give it medical attention until it
was too late. She is survived by her parents and a son 12-years-old. She was
only 40 years old. The funeral services were in charge of Rev. Otto Wilson
of Mt. Pleasant.
Daniel Graber, a son of Rev. Daniel Graber of Mobile, has been ordained a minister of the gospel at the church known as Sugar Creek, southeast of Wayland. Special services were held last Sunday afternoon at which time Bishop Bender of Kansas was present and performed the rites of ordination. The new minister has attended the college of the Amish church at Heston, Kans., for three years and did work for the relief of Armenians in the last days of the war. He was over there 18 months. His congregation think he is unusually well equipped for the work. He has a year for further study before he will be expected to preach, but may enter on his work at once. He is farming north of Noble in Washington county. Ministers in that church do not draw regular salaries, but the members of the congregation see to it that a man who preaches for them is never in want. If he is called away from home in busy season or any time when help is needed on the farm they see to it that nothing is neglected. Rev. Sebastian Gerig of Wayland now 84 years old, preached for his church for 55 years and he recently said that he never suffered for lack of enough to make him comfortable and he raised a large family besides. In many ways the system is better than that of denominations where the minister's salary is so small that the family of the minister actually is deprived of the necessities of life.
Orville Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harley Smith, was taken to Iowa City Friday for examination by specialists. It is feared that he cannot live. He has been in poor health for a year. He is about 15 years old.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 27, 1922
MT. PLEASANT MAYOR IS NOW A BENEDICT
Mt. Pleasant, Ia., Oct 27 - Mayor Charles A. Whittaker was
married last night to Miss Lillian Maynard, Rev. F.E. Weston performing the
ceremony. The mayor was compelled unexpectedly to call a special session of the
city council and had to be married afterwards so let us hope it was not a dull
session, as it would naturally seem a long session to a man about to be married.
The bride is a daughter of B.F. Maynard and has been keeping house for him. The
married couple will live with him as he is advanced in years and needs his
daughter. They have gone on a short wedding trip.
J.W. Thompson is back from a four months' visit in England where he was born 73 years ago. He had a wonderful visit and is a great admirer of Lloyd George. Of course he was for him before he went to England, but there he had an opportunity to tell the natives what a good man he is for England and as Mr. Thompson has been one of Henry county's fighting Democrats for years, he was not slow to tell the fellows over there what they were doing when they refuse to back a man like Lloyd George.
Orville Smith, the 13 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Harley Smith, who has been ill a long time, was operated on at Iowa City a few days ago and seems to be getting along slowly. They found he is suffering from tuberculosis of the bowels.
Mrs. Alice Warhurst Hunter died this morning after a long illness with dropsy. She was past 70 years of age and in her younger years was a famous soprano singer locally. She died at the home of her son Clarence.
George Rusk was taken to the county hospital Sunday for treatment. He fell and hurt a hernia from which he has suffered for some years.
There are three candidates for secretary of the Henry county fair, to succeed C.H. Tribby, Henry Traut, Frank Prices and R.P. Hobbs, the last named being a clerk in the railway mail service. The job now requires nearly all a man's time.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 2, 1922
FEDERAL COURT STARTS ON OVERLOADED DOCKET AT 10 O'CLOCK TUESDAY
Tomorrow morning, promptly
at 10 o'clock, the gavel in the hand of Federal Judge Martin J. Wade will
resound thru the erstwhile deserted court room in the Federal building like
a terrific peal of thunder on a storm tossed sea, and the monstrous wheels
of the grist mill of justice will start their semi-annual grind of the
more than two hundred cases on the federal docket.
They are here, or due in the city this evening,
those court officials and attaches, in whose hands rest the responsibility
of punishing those who run afoul of the United States laws.
Judge Wade and United States Attorney Ralph Pringle
are due to arrive in the city this evening. N.F. Reed, clerk of the United
States court; John C .DeMar and William P. Gregory, assistants to Mr.
Pringle, and Roscoe Jones, deputy clerk, arrived last evening and this
morning.
Tomorrow morning the court room, the scene of many
sighs, the silent listener of many pathetic tales, yielding its last breath
of freedom, for terms of years to many and yet withal the cause of many a
young miscreant turning on to the straight and narrow, will take on the
bustling air of ponderous activity.
The docket, probably the heaviest of any that has
been presented to the court for many years, contains 78 cases left over for
the spring term and 108 new cases bound over by United States Commissioner
A.G. Bush. Of these 108 there are 91 alleged violation of the Volstead act,
said Prohibition Officer Roy E. Muhs, this morning.
Many of these defendants are repeaters, persons who
have faced the Federal Judge from one to four times before.
At 10 o'clock tomorrow morning the Grand jury will
be impaneled. That august body will take the massive pile of evidence and
after carefully weighing it will present indictments or dismissals.
The day will be broken up in the hearing or motions
and the regular legal procedure preparatory to the presenting of criminal
cases.
Then the petit jury, the pleadings of defense
attorney, the sobs and sighs of those dear to those on trial, then the long
anxious suspense of the dragging moments while the jury, retired, is
weighing the evidence and then the verdict which means either happiness for
some, a fresh start for the defendant or a blasting life with years behind
the bleak, dark walls of the penitentiary.
Some of the most prominent cases to come before the
Federal court starting tomorrow are: Mary Olsen, an alleged brewer in the
West end of the City of Davenport; Charlie Noel, charged with being a
brewer, Dick Knautz, alleged bootlegger who faces the judge for the third
time; J.F. Devlins, charged with being one of the leaders in the bootlegging
industry; Mr. and Mrs. George Kettnich, said to be the proprietors of
Linwood; John Brown, on two booze charges; W.C. Murray, Jack Wall, Thomas
Clark and Chas. Neiswander, all local men who face two or more charges of
selling intoxicating liquor; Albert Roehlk, alleged proprietor of the
Maysville road house; Donald Sievert faces the judge this time as a booze
defendant, but has a record of running afoul of the United States laws
several times prior to this; Jess Follett, alleged bootlegger; Jake Mounts,
charged with being the proprietor of a soft drink bar at Buffalo; James and
Olnych Hedryck, Bettendorf alleged bootleggers; Harry Neil, also of
Bettendorf; Jack Oster and C.J. Shallberg, charged with operating a place at
120 East Third street; John Looney, junior, and Louis Pedigo, alleged
bootleggers; Alfred Koell, charged with operating an immense still; Harry
Koehler and George Faye said to be the proprietors of the Palmer house on
the Nahant road; J.K. Burns and Roy Robertson, Clinton, who were apprehended
with an immense quantity of alcohol, transporting it from Duluth in two
automobiles; Joe Johnston and Skimmer Hines, charged with being waiter and
proprietor of the Hollywood Inn, across the road from the Palmer house; Carl
Ashauer and George Getzinger, charged with operating a place at 329 and 331
East Third street; Ora Shea and Charlie Calnan, nabbed in the second raid on
the place known as Jack Wall bar; John and Henry Jensen, charged with
selling booze in the Antlers bar; George Pennington and Theodore Badger, 120
East Third street; Mr .and Mrs. A.T. Lee, proprietors of an alleged joint at
1??7 Harrison street; J.F. Donnelly and Harry Pohlman, 1609 Harrison street;
Jerry Louck and Mack Spittler, proprietors of a soft drink parlor at Third
and Pershing streets; George Jones and William Zabel, alleged bootleggers of
Eldridge and Fred Royster, Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Green and David Burzell,
proprietors and bartender of an alleged notorious blind pig in Muscatine.
Those who are to face charges of violation of the
drug act are: Wm. McCallahan, charged with being a habitual dope peddler;
Harry Carry faces two charges of dope selling; Bill Stark, who attempted to
lay all of the blame on his "lady friend"; Louis Tofts, charged
with being a habitual peddler; Mose Meyer, colored; and Onez Gorman, charged
with being an addict.
Two face charges of violation of the Mann act. They
are Roy Francis, who is alleged to have transported a young girl from Rock
Island to Clinton and George Stoddard.
The grand jurors summoned to appear at ten o'clock
tomorrow morning are: Charles Arthur, Dewitt; Gustav Broders, Stockton;
Charles Caldwell, Washington; R.E. Cressy, Lost Nation; John Crooke,
Clinton; Jerry Corren, Washington; George Demory, Tiffin; W.J. Dunker, Grand
Mound; Henry Durst, Iowa City; Henry Gunther, Wheatland; Albert H. Hartwig,
Muscatine; Thom. Large, DeWitt; E.K. Linkhart, Oxford; W.W. Mercer, Iowa
City; Henry Nitz, Stockton; C.O. Pame, Iowa City; Marion Parmelee,
Fruitland; L.F. Rittenmyer, Iowa City; M.C. Robert, Oxford, Route No. 2;
Everett Shearer, Ainsworth: James Singleton, Conesville; J.B. St. John,
Calamus; James Sullivan, Iowa City; Gus Swanson, 734 Center avenue, Ottumwa
and T.L. Wales, Centerville.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 4, 1922
JUDGE WADE SAYS ROADHOUSE PROPRIETORS ARE THE WORST EVIL
AS HE SENTENCES VIOLATORS
Declaring that the present day
roadhouse or picnic grounds are the worst sort of bootlegging
establishments, Federal Judge Martin J. Wade continued to dish out jail
sentences to proprietors and employes of such places.
Time seemed to be no object. Jail sentences run
from 30 days to six months. Every jail sentence was accompanied with a fine
from $500 to $1,000.
He said that it was these so-called temperance
picnic grounds that was corrupting the morals of the younger set in the
rural communities. "Things have reached such a state of affairs that
the young farmer boy does not think of going to a dance without this
hooch. It is the fault of you fellows who are such cowards that you will not
do your bootlegging in the city, but go out into the country, then
proceed to sell promiscuously." This and other statements of a like
nature constituted the severe lectures which accompanied the sentences of
the defendants.
Pleas of hard times, of families with no means of
support and the scarcity of work were of no avail.
"Considering your case and the plea of
yourself and the counsel I will be lenient with you," he would say,
then follow with six months in jail and fines as high as $1,000.
The first one to be so disappointed was Joe
Johnston, said to be a waiter at the Hollywood Inn on the Nahant road. He
was charged with the sale of liquor on September 4 and the possession of 74
pints of beer on September 9.
A.J. "Skimmer" Hines, who was arraigned
with him, was said to have had no connection with the place. The charge
against him was dismissed.
Johnston pleaded guilty, but contended that he had
just started to work there. He said that he had been employed as a kitchen
helper, and that a man by the name of Brady who lives in Rock Island was the
proprietor.
He was Fined $500 and Costs.
George Faye, alleged proprietor and Harry Koehler,
said to be a waiter at the Palmer House, another of the rural picnic
grounds, were dealt with the severest of any of the "roadhouse
magnates". This resort is located across the road from Hollywood Inn.
The two were charged with the sale of liquor on
September 4 and with the possession of 132 pints of beer, five quarts of
wine, a quantity of gin and whiskey on Sept. 9.
Faye drew a sentence of three months in jail and a
fine of $1,000, none of which was suspended and Koehler was awarded a fine
of $1,000, $800 of which is held suspended for thirty days pending a more
thoro investigation.
The contention of the defendants was that they had
just taken the place over and that they were preparing to establish an
eating house there.
Ed Thiel, charged with running the same sort of a
resort at Stockton was fined $500 and costs. He was arrested on July 15 when
he had in his possession one quart of whiskey, one pint of gin and a pint of
wine.
LIMIT GIVEN TO DISTILLERS AT FEDERAL COURT
Jail Sentences are Feature of Morning Session; Many Arraigned.
"You
fellows must remember that the Volstead act has not been repealed and that
it carries a penalty of a jail sentence, a penitentiary sentence and a fine
and some of you fellows are going to go to Fort Leavenworth," Federal
Judge Wade told the first defendant charged with the manufacture of hooch
that faced him this morning.
John H. Rystraffer was the man addressed. He was
arrested on July 19 when the prohibition agents found him with two tents on
the river bottoms near Buffalo. In the two tents were two 40-gallon stills,
700 gallons of mash and six gallons of whisky.
In the center of one of the tents was a fireplace over
which was one of the immense stills. The mash was in 18 50-gallon barrels
around the tent.
"Six months in jail and a fine of
$1,000." echoed the voice of the judge after the defendant had told his
story.
Rystraffer contended that he was a bricklayer and
that he had been engaged to build two fireplaces for which he was to receive
$5 per day.
Joe Hollock was apprehended on the street on July
14 carrying a two-gallon keg of liquor on his shoulder. His place was
searched and a 26-gallon still was found with 100 gallons of mash and one
gallon of whisky.
In view of the fact that he had resisted arrest,
broke away from the city police and ran and later was recaptured he was
fined $500 and sent to jail until the fine is paid.
Alfred Koell, a farmer residing three miles south
of the city of Davenport, was charged with the manufacture of
"poison." This was the term used by the judge instead of hooch or
whisky.
Prohibition Officer Roy E. Muhs found his car in
front of the federal building. In it was a two-gallon jug of liquor. The man
was questioned and told where his still was located.
It was found to be a 25-gallon still. Sixteen
gallons of whisky was found as was 450 gallons of mash.
The defendant told the court that he had operated
the still since June and had sold his product to the soft drink bars in the
city for $5 per gallon. He was sentenced to two months in jail and fined
$1,000. The sentence was suspended until Nov. 15 to allow him time to
harvest his crop.
WM. GOLDERMAN WAS NOT GIVEN JAIL SENTENCE
William Golderman was fined
$100 and costs in Judge Wade's court Tuesday afternoon but was not given a
jail sentence in addition, as was erroneously reported in the city papers.
Mr. Golderman states the liquor found in his
possession at the time of his arrest he had secured for his own personal
use.
KETTNICH IS LET OFF WITH $300 AND COSTS
Linwood Proprietor Says Guests Brought Their Own Liquor.
After an eloquent plea on
the part of the counsel for the owners of the property on which Linwood Inn
is located, George Kettnich was fined $300 costs by Judge Wade in Federal
Court when he claimed that he did not have the liquor there for sale, but
that the patrons of the place had brought it with them.
The arresting officer testified that when the
raid on the inn was made, July 10, the defendant tried to break the bottles
of liquor on the ice in the ice box.
Eight pints of whiskey, four pints of gin, and ten
quarts of home brew were confiscated.
Kettnich was first arraigned this morning and pleaded not
guilty. Then the prosecuting attorney threatened to change the information
to include his wife as co-defendant. This afternoon the plea was changed to
guilty.
He and the owners of the property promised to do
everything in their power in the hereafter to keep the place as clean as a
recreation resort as possible.
Jake Mounts charged with operating a soft drink
parlor in which he sold hooch pleaded not guilty and his trial was set for
Thursday morning.
BIG FINES FOR TRANSPORTING ARE ASSESSED.
Victim of Circumstances Is Sent to Jail with Heavy Penalty.
A victim of circumstances,
yet he must pay. This is the predicament that Richard Eshen found himself in
this morning when he faced Federal Judge Martin J. Wade in the United States
district court.
Eshen claims to be an ironworker and is employed on the
new Parker building.
He says that on July 10 he was sitting in the LeClaire
park when two men with whom he was acquainted walked up to him. They had
just arrived in the city and were carrying a suit case apiece. One of them,
Grover Haines, was carrying a traveling bag besides the case. Haines asked
Eshen to carry the bag for him.
He did, not knowing what it contained and the three
started up the street. They had gone only a short way when Haines saw two
policemen coming toward them and he told Eshen to duck across the street. He
says he did, but that the police beat him across and do he dropped the bag
and ran. He was caught and taken taken to the station for investigation. It
was then he says that he learned what was in the bag.
He was fined $500, $400 of which was held suspended
to give him a chance to prove his story, but he must serve ?? days in the
Scott county jail in the meantime.
Homer McCullough, driving a truck belonging to
Posateri brothers of Rock Island was fined $500 and costs on a charge of
transportation of 152 pints of home brew. The fine is suspended pending the
time when analysis of the brew is returned. If it proves to have more than
one-half of 1 per cent alcohol the fine must be paid or he must go to jail.
If not the fine will be withdrawn.
He was arrested on Aug. 1 when he told the
officials that he was an extra for Possateri brothers and that he had gotten
the brew at ??17 First avenue, Rock Island.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 22, 1922
HUBBY CAUSES RAID ON HOME OF HIS WIFE
Separated Spouse Claims He "Framed" Her with Whisky
That her husband, from whom
she is separated, placed a gallon of moonshine whisky in her home and then
notified police that she was acting as hostess to a "hooch party"
is expected to be the defense of Mrs. Roy Fischer, 625 West Second street,
arrested with four of her friends in a police raid Sunday.
Mrs. Fischer, charged with keeping a disorderly
house, and the four inmates, John Alexander, W.H. Keagle, Irene Banks and
George Cheek, will appear for trial in police court Tuesday afternoon. They
were arraigned before acting police magistrate Merle F. Wells this morning
and a continuance was granted upon motion of their attorney, C.P. Hanley of
Muscatine.
According to Mrs. Fischer's attorney, the woman's
husband visited her home before the raid and asked permission to leave the
liquor there. This permission was granted and then, it is alleged, Mr.
Fischer filed information against his wife.
Police who made the raid, however, assert that when
they entered the Fischer home the occupants made a wild scramble to escape,
one of them, George Cheek, actually getting away. It is asserted that Mrs.
Fischer destroyed a pitcher containing liquor and thus attempts were made to
break a number of whisky glasses, which, together with the jug of moonshine,
are being held as evidence.
Mrs. Fischer and all of her guests except Cheek
were arrested by Officers Dietz and Lodge while Cheek was later picked up by
Captain Homeyer and Officer Kuehl.
The Fischers now have divorce action pending in
district court. Attorney Hanley is representing the woman in the disorderly
house case as both she and her husband are former residents of Muscatine.
Mrs. Fischer's 11-year-old daughter, Louise, who
was found when the raid was made, has been sent to the Juvenile home. The
mother is making an attempt to effect her daughter's release.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 25, 1922
DISMISSED IN POLICE COURT, HELD TO JURY
Hubby's Tip Causes Wife's Arraignment on a Booze Charge
After she and her friends
had been exonerated of disorderly house charges in police court late
yesterday, Mrs. Roy Fischer, 625 West Second street, was arraigned on a
liquor possession charge before US Commissioner A.G. Bush, this morning and
was bound over under $200 bond.
Information charging Mrs. Fischer with the unlawful
possession of a gallon jug of moonshine whisky was filed against the woman
by Police Officer Pat Dietz, who assisted in a raid on her home Saturday.
Officer Dietz testified in police court yesterday that when he and Officer
Pat Lodge went to her residence she smashed a pitcher, believed to have
contained liquor and a number of whisky glasses.
In view of this testimony, Mrs. Fischer has been
bound over.
Says Hubby to Blame.
Attorney C.P. Hanley, of Muscatine, appearing for
Mrs. Fischer, W.H. Green, George Cheek, Irene Banks and John Alexander, the
latter four persons charged with being inmates of a disorderly house, based
his police court defense on the fact that Roy Fischer, the woman's husband,
had filed information against her, causing the raid. He attempted to prove
that Fischer, himself, had "planted" the liquor in her home and
then notified the police.
These charges were vigorously denied by
Fischer, who testified that he arrived in town Sunday night, and then
visited his wife's home in order to get his trunk. He said that his wife
ordered him to leave and that he then went to the police station and asked
for aid in getting his trunk. He knew nothing of the jug and of moonshine
until he visited the house a second time, he declared.
Was Told to Break Glasses.
On the witness stand, Mrs. Fischer asserted that
she broke the glasses at the instigation of her husband, who, she said, told
her to perform this action if officers should ever enter the house. She said
that she did not own the jug of moonshine, and that it must have been
placed in her kitchen by her husband, against whom she has instituted
divorce proceedings. She claimed that Mr. Fischer was jealous of her, and
that he therefore attempted to work her harm.
In dismissing charges against Mrs. Fischer and
others, Police Magistrate Harold Metcalf said that there was not enough
evidence to warrant their being punished for keeping and being inmates of a
disorderly house. He ruled that there was small evidence that any of the
persons were intoxicated and that ambiguous circumstances concerning the
finding of the jug of whisky were not sufficient to secure conviction.
Two Known Leggers.
George Cheek and W.H. Green, police assert, are known as
former bootleggers and appear to be good friends of Mrs. Fischer. Officer
George Rogers alleges that the woman was seen in company of these two in
Cheek's saloon at Front street and Pershing avenue.
Both Police Magistrate Metcalf and Commissioner
Bush stated today that the woman his hitherto had a good reputation.
Submitted by C.J.L., Mar & Oct, 2006