St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-03
THE Spoilers "FO,LEO. +"
AN IMPORTANT CASE nv THE POLICE
COURT yesterday.
MEssRs. YOUNG AND BRITT.

raigned Before Judge Ma.
honey-A "singer and General
Performer" and Song and
Dance Artist-Lou Than De.
Tended Them.
An interesting case, and one Of i'm
pOrtance SD far as the police department
is concerned, occupied all of the after
noon in the police court yesterday.
Judge Mahoney was on the bench. The
case was that of the two '.Spoiters,"
Young and Britt. against two OF the
female attaches of the Central garden.
Friday night the two Gfficers weht into
the concert hall and attempted to make
arrangements with two of the perform
ers to go to their rooms in the North
Star lodging house at the conclusion of
the performance. When the perform
ance was over and the girls were on
their way to their rooms the spoilers"
gave the signal to Patrolmen Dugan
and Cronin, who arrested them
and took them to the central police
station and locked them up. This Incl
dent was but one of those occurring
every night under the police depart
ment'S s0-called "Spotting" system.
whereby officers in citizens clothing go
about the city and induce unfortunate
women to make lewd bargains with
them and then arrest them. The spot
ters''- have been lucky in securing
convictions, and have more than
once overstepped the bounds of
law and proprety in securing evil
dence" against the women. In the case
tried yesterday afternoon, however,
they ran against snag. Ex-County
Attorney Than represented the women,
and the result was that Judge Mahoney
dismissed the case with look or dis
gust depicted upon his face.
Young and Britt failed to establish
case, and now they will be sued for
damages by the defendants. The mat
ter will be brought into the district
court, and the chances are that the
"spotting" system will be done away
with. The officers testified to having
gone to the Central Garden and worked
themselves into the good graces OF TWO
/ ACTRESSES" They drank lot of beer,
and the women agreed to go to rooms
with them. The testimony was very
shaky, and more than once Mr.. Than
lntmated that he believed they told
anything but the truth.
Mrs. Lee, a gOOd-lOoking and Shapely
| woman of about twenty-five, was the
| first witness for the defense. She was
one of the actresses" arrested. She
stated that she was a widow, and that
| her stage name was "Marguerite." She
| had been in the concert business for
| thirteen years, and earned at the pres
ent time Sl60 month. She received
s25 week from Charley SOdlni, the
proprietor of the Central garden, and
made $50 extra by selling beer between
acts. She is, she said, "a singer and
general performer, and has been en-
ployed in the museum, and the various
concert halls OF the Twin Cities and
Northwest" She denied the allega-
tons of The 'spotters," and stated that
they told an untruth when they said
they had made lewd bargains with
them. She said that the officers were
drunk, and that they drank six bottles
of beer in box at the hall to her
knowledge. The men pallned them
selves off as street car conductors, and
one of them admitted that he had taken
so much beer that he was sick.
Mary Kelly. the other defendant. told
a straig htforward story and impressed
married, and that her husband, Fred
Gard, was out West. She had two chill
dren, both of which were going to
school. She was song and dance
artist, and had been in the business
about seven years. She came here last
November, and up to three weeks ago
had been ill of intiammatory rheumatism
and could do no work. When She got
we'll she secured position at the Gar
den. She received SIS week salary
and made percentage on the beer she
sold. She corroborated everything that
"Marguerite' had testified TO, swearing
positively that she made no bargain
with the officers to 60 to a room.
Officer Britt testified that the song
and dance artist had placed her feet In
his lap and that he had taken improper
liberties with her. This she said was Il
malicious falsehood. marguerite"
bore her out in this. Mr.. Sodlni, his
night clerk at the North Star Lodging
house, and his Waterman, Pat Hurley,
ali testified in favor of the woman.
Sodini said that the girls were straight
forward ladies'" and that he would al
low none other in his place de theatre.
In fact the "spolters' were wOrsted all
around Their testimony did not go.
Judge Mahoney dismissed the case im-
mediately upon the close of the evil
dence. 1t is understood that Mr.. Than
will conduct the cases for damages
against tile officers, and if he does, the
fur will fly.