Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-07-18
THE "LAsT CHANCE"
Investigating tho Robbery Which Took
Place Sunday Night.

Investigating tho Robbery Which Took
Place Sunday Night.
The preliminary hearing Of the case Of
John X. Cook, charged with burglarizing
the premises of the Last Chance saloon on
the Lake Como road, Sunday evening last,
took place at the municipal court yesterday
forenoon. The case was called at 10 o'clock
and occupied three hours in the hearing, and
to paraphrase an old saw much of the owl
dence was "linked," stupidity ''long drawn
out" owing to the obtuse nature and in
tense apacity of some of the witnesses.
The prosecution was Conducted by State
Attorney Rogers, Mr.. @. D. O'Brien appear
ing in the interests of the defense.
Nichols Weller was first summoned
testifying to the visit of the defendant in
c,mpany with two women, men named
Demorset, and Albert Brown, the hackman,
the party having arrived at the saloon about
10 O'Clock and departed about midnight.
The testimony of this witness was mainly
irrelevant, owing to the fact of the party
having been entertained by Mrs.
Weller, the wife of the witness.
Mrs. Weller was next sworn, and for volu
bility and irrepressible glibness the testimo-
ny of this witness almost resulted to reve-
lation, while the salaciOus character of much
of the evidence afforded as rich a treat for
the vulgar auditors as would have done the
quips of clown or pantaloon at the circus.
Aside from the material points adduced, the
manner in which midnight orgies are con-
Quoted at the Last Chance mansion was
pretty thoroughly ventilated.
1t was shown that the party arrived at the
saloon shortly after 10 o'clock and that the
succeeding two hours were varied by social
drinks, affectionate caresses, such as slap
ping the fair hostess son the back" and the
bewildering movements of the German,
danced to the mellihuous measures of a
crazy hand-organ, ground out by the &C
comodating mistress, who confined her
bibulations strictly to lemonade.
Witness testified to seeing Cook enter her
room where the money was kept, which oc-
casioned no alarm from the fact that she
supposed he merely intended adjusting his
neoktie by the aid of the mirror.
The door stood slightly ajar, and the fact
of his occupying her apartment slipped her
memory until after he returned, having been
absent about fifteen minutes. The loss was
discovered after the party had started for
town, when it was found that the bureau
drawer had been broken into and the money
distracted from small box, while the
mode of ingress and egress, or both, was in
dicated by an aperture in the wire scree n.
Witness testified to having seen the mo ney
about 10 o'clock and to the absence of many
visitors during the evening.
Several witnesses were examined whose
testimony agreed in stating that the defend
ant had not been absent from the party as
long as claimed, and aside from the testi-
nony of the second witness, no evidence
was forthcoming to establish that point. The
circumstances connected with the arrest
were fully detailed, and the fact of the
prisoner having no money on his person
when locked up was clearly demonstrated.
In abiding to the evidence the court said
that he considered the case one which should
be farther investigated, in accordance with
which the defendent was held to the grand
jury in bonds of $500.