The Bessemer indicator., 1894-10-20
POLITICAL POINTERS.
Some Of Which Are Rather Pointed
While all Are Interesting.

Who is Ed Knight: This is the ques-
tion which has been repeatedly asked
| this week.
The INDICATOR very much dislilSes to
say anything of Il mans past record
| when it is So decidedly unfaverable ms
| that OF Ed Knight, but when ii person
obtrudes himself upon the public and
assumes to control political affairs and
TO dictate so important nomination as
that of district judge, the public have II
right to know who he is,
In 1886 Ed Knight was an actor or
bartender or some sort of an employe in
the notorious old variety theater known
as the Bucket of Blood" and which
WINS known in those times as the lowest
and vilest and most infamous den that
ever ran In this city. While so employed
he killed one Lane. The people looked
upon it us cold -blooded murder at the
time and the grand jury so thought also,
for they indicted him for murder in the
first degree, the penalty for which is
death by hanging.
Judge Elwell was then district at
torney here and much to every ones
surprise he allowed Knight to plead
guilty to manslaughter. In his remarks
to Judge feaman on the matter of ac-
cepting the plea and on the length of
the sentence Mr. Elwell spoke of the fact
that bal blood had existed between
Knight and Lane for some time by rea-
son of the fact that both Knight and
Lane we're lovers of the same woman
who was also en- ploye'i .isout the place,
and while the facts ;s da~eloped at the
preliminary hearing showed no extenu-
ating circumstances, there seemed to be
reasons sufficient to Mr.. Elwel's mind
why X night should be let off easily and
he urged them upon the court. The re-
suit was that Knight got but four years
instead of ten the full limit for man
slaughter.
Knight went to the penitentiary and
served his term and then cam sback to
Pueblo and until this fall has always
Dave Sponselier was also one of Mr..
Elwell's lieutenants during the prima-
ries. Dave has always been democrat
and has kept house of low resort of
some kind in Pueblo or elsewhere for the
last fifteen years. Last winter he kept
the Road House up the river ways.
He was arrested and prosecuted for kid
naping and robbing an Italian last
spring. He was tried and acquitted and
felt under obligations to Seaver for ser
vices rendered in the selection of jury.
Both Knight and Sponsliier happened
to be connected with saloons in the
Ninth precinct this fall and happened
to have pull there. Elwel wanted
that precinct to send delegates to the
convention favorable to him. He could
not get the republicans in the precinct
to do So accordingly George Seaver was
sent to appeal to Knight and Spons ilier
on the ground OF past favors, and Ed
and Dave, although democrats, took
hold Of it with will. The republicans
in the precinct were all against them
but that did not matter. They put on
their ticket for one a colored prostitute
named Laura Brooks. She was elected
as delegate to the convention. After
the primaries another man got proxy
from her but this was not as Knight
wanted it 80 he went to her and got her
to give him one and also persuaded her
to sign statement Of some kind in
writing that she had not given any
other. Ed took this proxy and went
into the convention to work for the
judicial ticket that was nominated. and
was appointed by Mr.. Mechem, the
chairman OF the convention, as teller
to count the votes. This is the history
Of the evolution Of Ed Knight; OF how
he escaped what the grand jury thought
was justly merited halter and took
striped suit instead, and how he finally
laid that aside and became boon COM
panion and worthy ~ associate Of
0sorgs Beaver, Dave Sponselisr and
Hsnry nccuy in deciding the Judicial