St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-07
IT WAS MERELY FUNNY.
No Sensation In the Way It Was
Done.
FORREST WINS HIS SUIT,
The Defendant Quintette Merely Makes
It Matter of Amount Witnesses
Shielded.

Tho crowd, with expectant smiles and
rampant curiosity, that went to the mu-
nicipal court yesterday morning was
disappointed of anything either sensa-
tional or spicy, though the develop
ments were sufficiently interesting
When Judge Bailey called the case of
r. B. Forrest against Messrs. Sullivan
Flanagan, Shaw, Tanner and Blake
the alleged owners of the tiger den over
3OS Nicollet avenue. the interested
parties were all within the rail-
ing. Forrest looked calm. easy
and unembarrassed, while his attor-
ney, C. n. Benton, carried cynical
smile and an apparent ignorance OF all
gambling phrases. The faces OF the five
sporting gentlemen were as immovable
as so many statues, while that of their
attorney and counselor, j. G. Worra!l,
was as bland and serene as morning In
May. Mr.. Forrest took the stand. He
is good talker, and his description of
the game of faro WIS graphic and thrill
ing. He pictured the resort on Nicollet
avenue so that the very details OF
chairs and tables. layout and chips:
and even the musical ''riff1e" OF
the cards as they came from the
dealing box, were as viva as
though the scene was then and there
enacted. This was Interesting but not
sensational, and while the .court! room
enjoyed it, the faces OF the qulntette
were as expressi0nless as country PIE.
Forrest said he went quite often to the
Elite and tried his luck against the re-
morseless tiger, and in so doing pic
tured either Sullivan or Flannlgan
dealing and Col. Tanner occupying the
seat of the lookout. Shaw, he said, was
there with a managerial air, and once
said to him:
''They will deal for you any time, Mr..
Forrest, whether you have little money
or big money!"
In his testimony, the witness said he
had lost about 500 in the game, and In
definitely fixed times at which various
amounts had been swallowed up. lie
lost $50 betweed March 1 and May Is.
Along in the summer the place had
been closed, but in the fall he had re-
turned and dropped more money. Tan
ner had given him back 500, as loan,
Flanagan $40 and Blake $40. All OF
this money had been lost at faro, as,
while he had lost money at poker at the
same place, it was money he had just
before won at faro. When he concluded,
Mr.. Benton's boss announced:
"That's our case"
This was terrible disappointment to
the crowd. 1t was known that several
prominent citizens had been SubpRnaed
as witnesses, and it was scarcely likely
that they would be called in rebuttal.
None of them were about the court
room, and for that matter-if the crowd
could only have known it-abOut the
city, as pressing business had called
them every one away. The defense was
very short, and, as Col. Benton said,
every cute" The five defendants,
one after the other, took the
stand, and swore that from March /
to May Is they had no interest in nor
connection with the gaming house IN
question. No other defense was at
tempted, and the plaintiff offered moth
ing in rebuttal. When the argument
began, the fine hand of the defense was
exposed. There was no evident DISPOSE
ton to win the case, the only plan being
to reduce the amount by the $3.50 For
rest said he lost between the dates
named. Mr.. Worrall claimed that If the
total amount was 5000, of which
$13O had been refunded and $3.50 lost to
parties having no connection with the
defendants. then $3.50 was all the plalnt-
itf could ask. Col. Benton figured out
iury got at it they figured out $293.33,
and brought in verdict for that sum.
Telegrams were Immediately sent to
st. Paul, Anoka and WayZata and the
lurking witnesses came back, all i'm
pressed with the belief that the de-
PENDANT quintette had paid out money
tn shield Them