The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-20
DICK HURST ARRESTED
Is Charged With Helping a
Topeka Man
GET MONEY BY BLACKMAIL
How Two Men Got a Bottle
of Beer

Dick Hurst a gambler, well known about
Wichita, has got into serious trouble at
Topeka and has been arrested on the
charge of obtaining money by blackmail.
The Topeka Capita! says:
Ex-Cny Detective James Kesson and
Dick Hurst, sport, have been arrested
by the police on charge OF obtaining
money by blackmail from H. H. Keith
the druggist at 428 Kansas avenue.
Hurst was arrested late Friday night
while sleeping at May Defoy's disorderly
house on lower Kansas avenue.
Kesson was arrested yesterday morn
ing. Both men gave bond Of 5000 before
Justice Of the peace, and were not locked
up.
II the charges against the men can pc
substantiated, about che least tney can
hope for is a term in the penitentlary.
Hurst admits that he was a party TO the
transaction, but Kesson denies that ne
had anything TO do with the extortion OF
money.
Kesson and Hurst went 90 Keith'E drug
store Thursday night about midnight and
wanted to buy a bottle of beer, OF Al
Smith. a clerk, VINO was in charge OF me
store. He insisted that che men sign for
the liquor They objected to doing this,
hut finally Hurst put his name on the
book. Then they demanded that they be
allowed to drink the liquor in the back
part Of the store. This was refused. The
L -nT9E
book of blank oaths for liquor sales winch
was lying on the counter and said:
I'll fix you people. I'll turn up on you'
and make you sorry for this.
He stuck the book in his pocket ana
started off.
What right have you to take that
book?" demanded Smith.
I'm a deputy sheriff and am going to
prosecute you. I'll make you sorry that
YOU refused to let US drink here"
Kesson left the store with the book.
From this point, the stories told by Kes-
son and by Keith differ widely. The fol-
| lowing Is what Keith told a reporter for
| the Capital:
'As soon as Kesson left, my clerk, Al
! Smith, came down to my home and woke
| me up. 1t was about midnight. came
| up to the store. Dick Hurst was sitting
! infront Of the store 1 asked him what
was the trouble and while he was telling
me, Kesson came up. Hurst walked down
| the street with Kesson and 1 followed
! them. i overlook them at Fourth street
! I saw that they wanted Doodle, and l
| asked them how much 1t would take to
get my book back. Kesson said it would
take lot of stuff. ! returned to my
store and soon after Hurst came to the
store. asked him If fifty dollars would
buy off Kesson. He said he thought it
would. He went down Fourth and the
avenue where Kesson was waiting for
him I stood in the door and watched
them They talked a while and then Kes-
son gave Hurst the book
Hurst came back to the store and said
that Kesson wanted sixty dollars. Kes-
son meantime stayed outside the store.
I said 1 would give sixty dollars, and took
| Hurst back in the rear part Of the store.
and with my clerk for a witness, paid
him a twenty dollar gold piece, ten dol
lar gold piece and three ten dollar bills.
| Then I said:
Now, this squares US up, does H?' he
answered: Yes, but this money is for
! Kesson. not me. 1 am just doing as l
agreed to-getting your book back for
you I said all right. and he left the
store carrying the money all in his right
hand I watched him and Kesson go down
the street, and saw him hand the money
to Kesson. OF course I was too far away
to see the cash change hands, but I saw
Hurst go through the motion of putting
the handful Of gold and bills into Kes-
sons hand
These are the absolute facts, and
will swear TO them on the witness stand
| Kesson denies all this discriminating tes-
timony, and explains his conduct as fol
lows:
Hurst is a Wichita man, and is a crook
and a gambler 1 saw him on Kansas
avenue last Thursday night, and knew
him. am detective, and it IS a part OF
my business to get acquainted with this
kind of men. SO I went around with him,
when we went into Keith's to get .
bottle Of beer. I was afraid they would
not sell it to me. as the report mas beer
circulated by my enemies that am spot
ting the drug stores for the police. But
when I got in there, I saw five or six
friends of mine in the back part of the
/ store drinking peer / wanted 10 60 DacE
with them and it made me mad that The
clerk would not let US drink there, and
took his book.
II know I made mistake in taking thu
book. but it was all for a bluff. I wen
down 20 the police station with the boob
and showed IL TO Jailor Hopkins. He vii
testify as 20 that. I told him how hap
pe7ed to have It. and he said I had bette
take it back. I said intended 70 do 50
AMI had no desire 10 keep Il or prosecut
Keith.
80 7 started up toward Keith's store
and thought I would find Il shut. I in
tended to stick the book under the door
SO they would find It IN the morning.
When I got there, Hurst was sitting Their
with keith. He came out and wake
down 10 the corner with me. He ashe
me If I intended to prosecute Keith
said no that it was all 2 joke Then
gave him the book TO take back % keith
place. and I went OF home. I don't kno'
ANYTHING about what Hurst got out Q