Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-22
SPIRITED BOUT IN COURT
Gambling Case stirs Up Bad Blood Between
Witness and Attorney,
cox INVITES RlTcHlE TO ENTER THE RING
Dennison Policy shop Hearing Con-
tinues to Drag Along Before
Judge BaNtcr in the
County Court.

| NVu"aN
The taking Of evidence in the preliminary
examination OF Thomas Dennison and Will
| liam Nestlehouse before County Judge Bax
! ter Tuesday developed a little friction be-
! tween ex-Poice Captain w. w. Cox and
| A. s. Richie, the attorney defending the
| accused men. This occurred when Cox was
being examined. He had stated that
he had seen both defendants at 109 and III
| South Thirteenth street in December last
and testified that some signs hung about
the room, bearing as a signature to them
the name of John r. Crowder." He had
purchased a policy ticket" which Was put
| in evidence, and he said he had seen Denni-
son at the telephone calling off the num-
bers as the report of a drawing which had
Just taken place. Nestlehouse told him,
witness stated, that the crap" tables were
studded with nails to make the dice roll
better.
Witness said he paid 20 cents of his own
money for ticket for the purpose OF find
ing out what man was doing behind a
screen. He admitted he communicated with
County Attorney Shields before being sub
roenaed and told that official just what he
! expected to testify to.
! why were you dropped from the police
| force?" Rtchie asked.
THAT is a matter of opinion" Cox re-
piled; IL believed l was discharged for
political reasons
you were discharged for cowardice, were
you not?" continued the lawyer.
Now, your honor" Cox said pleadingly,
as he turned to Judge Baxter, eff my
/ bravery is to be tested / want to do it right
here with this attorney"
You can test it IL you want to-" Ritchie
I
Judge Baxter broke in at this point with
the observations: "Oh, it is a matter of
common knowledge and the witness might
| Just as we'll answer"
well, your honor, l came here in good
faith and not to be bulldozed by petit
! Jogging lawyer"
You ought not to call Mr.. Ritchie that"
! the court demonstrated.
| Cox eventually quieted down and admitted
! there had been several charges against him,
but whether cowardce was one of them he
did not exactly know.
Halter Makes n Proposition.
Ex-Police Captain H. P. Haze and ex-Ser-
geant Nicholas V. Halter were also put on
the stand for the state. Haze said he once
saw Tom Dennison giving some instructions
to a carpenter and telephone man about
| the Thirteenth street place. Halter stated
| tlat he saw DOtl DennlSOn anu -Ntslle-
| house there and that in January last he
asked Dennison "if Shields would let him
| run" and that the answer of Dennison was
II don't know. He'll have to get enough
evidence and then it will only be fine and
! I'll pay that" On another visit he noticed
Dennison calling off numbers at the tele-
phone, he said, and saw some policy
tickets sold
| Halter admitted on his cross-examination
that he had talked with Dennison about get
| ting himself put back on the police force;
that Dennison had told him he would not
help him and he had then informed Denni-
son he (Halter) might have to appear
| against him in some case.
! The greater part Of the day was occupied
with the examination of Charles Coleman,
negro keeper of Douglas street rooming
l. house. He was the first witness for the
| state, but all he was permitted TO tes-
| tify to, at first, was his acquaintance for
several years with both the defendants. He
! then had to give way to General Manager
/ H. V. Lane of the Nebraska Telephone COM
! pany who was called to show that the tele-
phone wire between the Thirteenth street
| place and the South Omaha establishment
| was a private one. Mr.. Lane did not seem
to have any personal knowledge of con-
tract with Dennson for a private wire. A.
] ~.
company, testified that Dennison made
contract with the company and signed the
name John R. Crowder" TO it. The con-
tract was put in evidence.
| Coleman was recalled to explain the uses
of the wheel on exhibition in the courtroom.
1t was used for a policy wheel" he said,
and he gave his knowledge Of how the So
called policy" game is played, going into
details. Coleman appeared to be an expert
from the knowledge he communicated. He
was also asked to describe the game of
"craps." Coleman was quite at home in this
and the court was very much enlightened.
Mr.. Richie, representing the defendants,
was willing to admit that ''craps" is game
of chance. The witness identified one of the
table tops in the courtroom, the one covered
with canvass and studded with round
headed nails, as one he had seen in January,
six years ago, to which Ritchle objected for
| the reason that six years was a long time.
| The court said it was not necessary to
demonstrate that craps" is game of
i chance. Coleman was kept on the stand all
! the rest of the forenoon as an expert on
! gambling.
| Coleman Explains His Motive.
The end of Coleman's testimony was not
reached until late in the afternoon and the
/
through with Coleman informed the court
that he had been employed about gambling
| houses great deal for the last twelve or
! fifteen years Recently he had visited the
| resort which Dennison is alleged to have
conducted at 1O9 and Ill South Thirteenth
| street he stated, and had seen money taken
| in through three windows in screen, Rob-
ert Alton writing the tickets. Several times,
/ he continued, he observed Tom Dennison
calling off the numbers at a telephone to a
man who was chalking them down on a
! blackboard. He testified to the notices about
the place being in the name OF John r.
Crowder." supposed policy ticket" pur-
! porting on its face to be Mutual Benefit
Association" agreement OF some kind and
signed by "Crowder," was handed TO the
| witness and he identified it. There were
some numbers stamped on its back He
swore that he had seen Nestlehouse appear
on one occasion with a bag OF slved coin
and invite the boys" to risk their money.
At the time OF his last visit. the night of