Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-22
.TAMPER WITH WITNESSES
Two Gases Brought to the Attention Of
Judge Baker
COURT ORDERS PROSECUTIONS INSTITUTED
Lee NestIebouse and Hans Timm to Ne
Brought 20 Account ON the Charge
of Attempting 20 Defeat the
Ends of Justice.

County Attorney BaldriEe sprung a sensa-
tion in Judge Bakers court yesterday morn
ing which is likely to cause scattering
among number OF people who have made
practice Of getting witnesses out Of the
reach OF the county prosecutor in criminal
cases in order to save their friends from
prosecution.
The county attorney informed Judge Baker
tina. ne was prepared to prove that Lee
Neslehouse, who has figured to a consider
able extent in the criminal courts Of this
county for several years, had approached a
most important witness in q criminal case
and had endeavored to induce him to leave
The city and not give his testimony. The
case was one in which James Williams,
Charles Merton and J. stone stand charged
with robbing Thomas Thompson. The main
witness in the case was brought TO the
city from South Dakota the commissioners
Ct Douglas county providing the transporta-
tiOu from lis home to this city, in order to
secure his presence. The county attorney
stated that on Wednesday Of this week Mes
tlenouse approached this witness and ten
tered him $50 and tried TO induce him to
leave the city before the case came up for
trial, saying that if he would leave. the
case could be fixed up" and the prosecution
dropped. The witness however spurned
The offer and at once informed County At
torney Baldrige OF the whole matter.
Mr.. BaldriEe said there had been numer-
Gus instances in which this same thing had
been done and there had been many wit
nesses who had suddenly forgot" all about
the case in which they were to testify or
had disappeared and had gone beyond the
Jurisdiction of the court. but this was the
first time where he had been able to get
positive proof Of what was done by the
meddlers. He asked the court to authorize
contempt proceedings or such other course
as might be best calculated TO put stop TO
the practice.
Judge Baker instructed the county attorney
TO at once file an information against Nestle
house and have him brought before the
court for trial.
Mr.. Baldrige said there was another case
Of much the same nature in which he had
proof of q conspiracy TO defeat the ends OF
Justice. He said it was in the case Of Kitty
Owens, q notorious colored prostitute, who
stands charged with larceny from the per-
SON While the women OF the lower part OF
the city are continually arrested for this
crime IL is rarely that q case is pushed. be
cause the complaining witness. usually a
white man, for obvious reasons refuses 10
appear as a witness. In the case in point,
however, the woman was bound over to the
district court and was released on bonds,
Hans Timm being her surety. The county
attorney said he had positive proof that
Tmm had told Kitty owens that IL she
would give him Chattel mortgage on all o!
her household goods she might leave the
city and he would see that the case was moi
| pushed. Timm also showed the Owens
woman a written agreement, signed by the
complaining witness in the case, in which
| he agreed not to appear as a witness. Itmm
! said If she would give him the chattel mort
| gage he would take the risk Of having 10
forfeit his bond for her non-appearance and
| she could return to the city after the matter
had been dropped
Judge Baker instructed the county al
torney to file an information against Timm
md bring him into court.