Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, September 29, 1919, Page 1

gt MEMBER UNITED PRESS The Pjoneer is a member of the United Press. Today’s world’s news today. VOLUME XII. NO. 230 /' \ , BEMIDJI, MINN., MONDAY EVENING, SEPT. 29, 1919 “LIGUOR VI JAIL SENTENCE | AND FINES FOR. LAWVIOLATION Heavy Penalties Imposed Upon Gamblers and Illegal Booze' Sellers by Stanton UNLESS FINES PAID LONGER TERMS ADDED - COUNTY ATTORNEY AND DISTRICT COURT JUDGE Convictions Secured Agal .'il - Lawleu Element, Permitted - to Run Wide Open The following is a brief summary of the district court criminal convic- tions and pleas of ‘“guilty” under prosecution of County Attorney Tors rance, and what they ‘‘drew” from District Court Judge Stanton. The fines and costs in the entire list of convictions amounted to $4,- 546.51. . While the grand jury was in ges- sion and before indictment Mr. &nd Mrs. Joseph Miller pleaded “guifty’”’ to the charge of selling liquor and each was fined $100 and 30 dayg in- jail, and if fine not paid 60 [ays more. Charles Gentile, found guilty of -assault in the second degree of stab- birg 2 man on July Fourth. Sen- -“temce, from one to five years-in the penitentiary. Frank Dewey, found guilty of keeping a place whére liquor was kept for sale. Sentence, 90 days in county jail, $100 fine and costs of $57.60. John Slow, found guilty of keeping a gambling outfit and: under another charge of selling intoxicating liquor at the Park hotel building. For the first offense he drew 6 months in jail, $200 fine, costs of $116 and in de- fault of paying the cash, an extra 60 days. For the second offense he drew 60 days, $100 fine, costs of $50.90, and in default 30 additional days. The latter sentence to begin after the 6 months period expires. James Kelly got all that his friend John Slow received, with the excep- tion of the cost item, which was $1.12 cents more. William Young of Baudette, who was found guilty of keeping a “wet” place in the.Baudette hotel, got hig “medicine” of 60 days in jail, a fine .of $100, costs of $204.10 and in de- fault 30 additional days. Joseph Thiebault of Baudette, found guilty of running opposition to William Young in keeping a ‘wet” joint, drew thée same concoction in the same size dose as did Young. Elmer E. Moorhead also of Bau- -dette was found guilty of running in competition to Young and Thiebault a ‘“‘soft wet” place, when in reality the jury found that the place wasn’t so “soft.”” He was given the same prescription to take as his townsman. “Spide” Not Optimistic. E Frank Gagnon, better known as “Spider,” a man quite familiar to most everybody, stated through his attorney that he was waiting for the Fergus Falls term of court to open, when he expected a ‘“package” from that august body. . Judge Stantdn thought he’d investigate the request for stay of sentence and asked ‘‘Spide” to come up and listen to him Tuesday morning at 9 o’clock. Mr. -Gagnon was found guilty of keeping a place where liquor was kept for -sale. Thomas Bowe, who pleaded guilty to keeping a gambling device, was GRAHAM M. TORRANCE. County attorney of Beltrami coun- ty who, alone, prosecuted and secured convictions of a long grist of “booze” sellers and gamblers. PRESIDENT PASSES i RESTLESS NIGHT. Not Able to Attend Any Ses- sions of Conference Set for October 6 By Hugh Bailee. (United Press Correspondent.) Washington, Sept. 29.—*‘President Wilson had a restless night, but is sleeping this morning,” Dr. Grayson, the president’s said today. Only members of the president’s family are permitted to see him and all engagements have been cancelled. In all probability he will not be able to attend any of the sessions of the round table conference set for Oc- Omaha Mayor | Strung By Enraged Mob (By United Press.) (By United Press.) Omaha, Neb., Sept. 29. — Martial South Bethelhem, Pa., Sept. 29.— Wl;lugg:' ?{f:',;:mi‘;m‘scheduled: to|18W_was declared today in Omsaha|Less than 20 per cent of wgrkerg‘ in make the address of the evening and | i.cT & Dight of rioting. Sixteen hun-|the Bethlehem steel mills here were & dred soldiers patrolled the streets,|striking toda li tated there will be several other talks by | ochine guns were mounted in the ¥, police.stated those interested in forming a central|yisinjty of the court house and in the unit of all delegates from the various| popro districts. Mobs have dispersed organizations in the city, to better|,.q the situation appears under con- conditions in every manner possible.{¢.0] of the soldiers. riot rule in Omaha, following the|strike orders, reported the police to- COUNCIL SEB BUSY identlflcgtinn of William Brown,|day. and was lynched and his body burned.| BETHLEHEM REFUSES STRIKE. The regular meeting of the city| Francis Clancey was shot through| Baltimore, Md., Sept. 29.—Over 6.- council will be held this evening and |and killed when the police fired on|000 steel workers at the Bethlehem some matters of much interest are|the mob attacking the county build-|Sparrows Point plant refused to scheduled to come before the session. | ing. Fifty-six others were wounded. | strike today. 1t is broadly hinted that some res-| Mayor Edward P. Smith is in a ignations of high officials may be serious condition at the hospital suf- ket o on thpar o e counl 20 L ol s, (ae | POINTS ‘OTHER WOMAN or refusing to deliver the negro. THEN DRom UFELBS Douglas county’s court house, new- (By United Press.) asked by the court to,be ready for his sentence Tuesday morning at 9 1 % y built at a cost of $1,600,000, is o’clock. FRENCH FARM Sow in ruins from fire. Mayor Smith nar- Milwaukee, Sept. 29.—An unident- ified well dressed woman dropped Mrs. Charles Sears and her hus- rowly escaped the wrath of the FOR SIXTEEN THOUSAND 5.y 5o utented e naers whie dead of heart failure here last night, band pleaded guilty of running the “0Qld Stockholm” in a decidedly thousands were clamoring for the ac- “wet” manner. Charley got 30 days| E. J. Willits, city real estate deal-|cused at the county building doors. just after shy i i the- “Jim” Mayor smith appeared with a re- man athe;; &h:rp:unstbidnguiv;(; awgll):“‘fé with another woman. and $100, and his wife will “get|er, reports the sale of hers” next Wedmnesday. French farm in the western section volvgr and urged the crowd to dis- PUNCH BOARDS ARE ASSOCIATION DIRECTORS WILL MEET TOMORROW Frank North was given a 30-day |of the city for $16,000. The sale was ORDERED OUT! MERCY R. L. Given, president of the Be- personal physician, JUDGE C. W. STANTON and county, from district court bench. | BETHLEHEM WORKERS REFUSE TO ANSWER tober 6. LARGE NUMBER OF DELEGATES PROMISED A great deal of interest is manifest in the meeting of delegates of frater- nal organizations and local unions tomorrow night at the Moose head- quarters.in the rooms of the Bemidji association and indications are there Thousands Remain at Plants, More Return; Thousands Disobey Order HUNDREDS GO BACK T0 WORK. Steelton, Pa., Sept. 29.—Hundreds All summed up, | of steel strikers reported for work in the results of eighteen hours under|the Bethlehem plant here, despite oo SO ek sl S Ol B BT 2B e b S X (Continued on Page Eight) ticket to the county jail, and fine of | made last week to Barnie Willits, a $50, and costs of 55.80. In case of|brother of the real estate dealer. default an additional 30 days. A P P G TR Clarence LaValley was given board and room at the sheriff’s quarters COFVICTED BOOTLEGGERS and ordered to pay a $100 fine, and VENT SPLEEN ON JURORS prcosts of $101. In default of coming across with the cash he gets 30 days According to some of the jurymen, more in the county jail. who sat on the juries of the boot- Punch boards and slot machines | midji Association, has called a meet- John Dewey, whose home is in|leggers and gamblers, are “getting | were all ordered out of business today | ing of the board of directors of the Crookston, and who plead guilty to|theirs” handed to them by some of raround stores of the business dis-|organization for 10 o’clock tomorrow selling booze in his son’s ‘““joint,”|the aggrieved convicted offenders. triet, according to some of the pro- [ morning at the Assciation rooms. was invited to remain in Bemidji for The jurors who rendered their ver-| prietors of stores and business places, [ There are several matters of im- 60 days, pay a fine of $100 and costs dicts of guilt are to be strongly com-|and compliance was willingly met. portance to be hrought before the - '"mended by the decent people of the When the notice was served there ! hoard for corcide-ation and it is (Continued on Page Eight) city of Bemidji and Be'fr~mi county. ~ere reveral quiet smiles. u:~ed that -1 “arg be present. OLATIONS DEPLS GULTY IRAYV |Jurdge Stanton Flays City Aut Who forcibly expressed his opinion of wide-open lawlessness in Bemidji SUMMONS TO STRIKE “PIONEER’S” CIRCULATION Latg st circulation of any paper in Nox"t_ggCB:ntral Minpes L Weather—Hotel Markham: Storm 45¢c PER MON'fi'l brewing in direction of winds. - o~ St e orities SAYSTHEY CONDONE - WIDE OPEN BOOZE SELLING AND WINK ATLAW VIOLATIONS In sentencing the large grist of convicted liquor and gambling violators in the district court Saturday afternoon, Judge C. W. Stanton took the op- portunity to flay the police force and the executive authorities of the city of Bemidji. He asserted that in all the cases no hand of the police was seen in any manner whatsoever, and that city executives condoned the practices for which the accused were convicted. In detail, Judge Stanton thus rendered his views: JUDGE STANTON EXPRESSES SELF. “The Court is very grateful to counsel for such information as has been communicated to the Court. The time of the Court has been occupied for more than a week in the trial of these cases and close attention has been given to the testimony. From that testimony I have formed very definite deas, in some respect, with reference to the duty of the Court now imn imposing sentence. “] believe that the time has arrived in Beltrami county when every resident of the county should be made to understand that prosecutions for vi ns of the liquor law are not mere farces and that a man who wil- fully violates the liquor laws, as well as any other criminal law in this state, should, when convicted, expect to stand adequate punishment. Many re- quests have been made by counsel for leniency which I do not feel inclined to consider favorably. Some of them | am impressed with and will endeavor to give proper consideration when imposing sentence. IMPRESSED DURING TRIALS. 1 have been impressed during the trial of these cases and by the invest ns which I have been able to make on my own account that there n this countv, particularly in the village of Baudette and in this city, a disregard for the law with reference to liquor violations particularly, that is deplorable and 1 believe that it is the duty of one who is presiding as a judge of the district court when it becomes his disagreeable duty to impose sentence upon those violators, to impose sentence that will, perhaps, lead to reformation on the part of the offenders and will tend to deter others from like or similar offenses. POLICE FORCE NO HELP. “] have been unable to escape being impressed during these trials with " the fact that none of these charges have been made by the police authorities of the village or the city in which the offenses took place. Not one of these cases from Baudette and not one of them from the city of Bemidji orig- inated with the police force, nor has their prosecution been aided in any way by those departments, so far as I know. “Th this city there have been twenty-three indictments at this term for violations of the liquor law. There have been ten others, making thirty- three in the county. Those twenty-three indictments from this city were against fifteen separate persons, some of them having drawn more tham one indictment. Three of these defendants stood trial and were convicted; ten of them have entered pleas of guilty; one of them, a woman, has pleaded guilty and sentence has been deferred until next Wednecday. “Anothr one, a woman, is at present, | am advised, in the hospital is \this city and that case has been continued to the next general term of court. “Besides, these indictments, there have been four indictments returned - for gambling in this city. Each of these four persons is confessedly. guilty and has entered pleas accordingly. AUTHORITIES FAVORABLE. “From the testimony which.J have listened to day after day and the inforfnation which 1 have been ‘yhle’ to through other sources, | am convinced that this city, the city of, Bemidj at the present time infested with a very large number of flagrant law violators, not all of whom have been indicted, and that they are being permitted by the authorities of this city to continue in the violations of the law to the great discredit of this eity and community, and I think that it is time that vigorous steps should be taken to stop such law violations and to impress those who are gaining a livelihood by unlawful and vicious methods with the fact that Bemidji will not tolerate such law violations longer. NEED BETTER POLICE. “And | want to say that it is my opinion that if, in order to do this, in order to stop these flagrant law violations, a more adequate, or perhaps more efficient, police force is required it should by all means be insisted that such be provided. This city cannot afford to imperil its reputation by permitting existing conditions to contnue and | want to say now that I believe that those in authority in this city, either the mayor or members of the council or members of the police force, can get information which they should have, if they have not that information already from other sources, from a conference with court officials who know something of what has been revealed by the trials that have taken place here the last few days, and | do not exempt myself from that list and 1 will be pleased to give any such officer all the information that I have, and | believe that it would be valuable information to them if it is their sincere desire to correct conditions in this city. Now, in imposing the sentences which I am required to impose at this time, | want to say that I hope that the sentences that I will impose wild have good reformatory effect and I hope further that they will tend to deter others from now on from such violations of law as we are now dealing with. KELLEY FIRST CALLED. “James Kelley, will you please come up this way. Mr. Kelley, I have listened. to the statements of your counsel and 1 have, of course, listened to the evidence in the trial of the case upon which you stood trial, that of violating the liquor laws of this city. | heard your testimony and that of others. I have sought information, as your counsel has. 1 asked your counsel to advise me of all information he could get with reference to you, which he has done, and has made the statement to me which you have heard in that regard. I have much other information. I must say, though, that | have.not been able to get information through parties whom 1 have bad interview the police department of this city with references to you. I have not been able to get much from that source, but the fact that I have not been able to get it is not convincing to me that the other information I have is not true. CITY CAN'T AFFORD THEM. “I think that this city cannot afford to have such people as John Slow, your partner, and yourself engaged in the business in which you have been engaged here, that it cannot afford to tolerate you at all and in imposing the sentence that | shall impose, I am doing so, for one reason, with the idea that there will be quite a little period from now on when you will not have an opportunity to build another table and continue in your business.” ABLE” A AL RS 1 3 RS i