Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-15
SIMPLY A GRAND STAND PLAY
Shields Attempts to Make Political
CAPITAL Out of the Shukert
Case.

Many facts were brought out during the
hearing of Monahan and Downs, the alleged
Shukert fur robbers, and afterward, indi-
eating pretty clearly the county attorneys
motive for ordering the men arraigned. The
incidents suggested politics, and the
suggestion was strengthened, both by the
presence Of G, NJ. Hitchcock of the World
Herald, who sat at the county attorneys
elbow during the proceedings, and by the
attorneys badgering attitude toward wit
nesses and the purport of his questions.
The hearing presented the spectacle of at
torneys for the state trying to impeach their
own witnesses. The queries were of kind
intended to elicit statements damaging to
the police department. rather than to pro-
duce proof of the suspects completely in the
robbery of Shukerts fur store. Attorney
Shields frequently had recourse to bluffng
and attempting to intimidate the witnesses
into giving the answers he wished them to
make.
When Marie Anderson took the stand and
| testified that she could not identify the men
before her the county attorney was plainly
cbagrined. There a hasty whispered
consultation between him and the deputy
who conducted the examination.
"Do you persist that you are unable to
identify these men?" the deputy asked.
The reply was in the affirmative.
Then tell the court the reason why you
cannot identify them" was the deputy's
| instruction.
The Anderson woman turned to the court
with the remark, Because cant say ever
saw them before"
"I'll have her arrested" mumbled the
county attorney in an undertone, but the
words were audible in all parts or the court
room. and the witness, glancing In his dlrec-
! ton. showed in her look the fear that the
threat would be executed,
Both the women positively declared they
never told Attorney Shields they could iden-
| tIfy the suspects. when Shields and his
assistant same to our room" Marie Ander-
son stated, there was very little said about
the two men under arrest, but ann sure We
made no remarks that can possibly be con
strued to mean we know the men. Most O
the questions asked us referred to the police
department and their work in recovering
the stolen furs. Mr., Shields charged m'
with being a friend Of Tom Dennison, mar
| do not know. He tried several times t
trap me into an admission that am frien'
OF men | have never even heard OF and
no time nave stated 10 anyone ludL Cai
identify these men, because | can't"
Chief White explained this morning VIII!
the furs were sent to Chicago instead o
Omaha. He said he had no idea where thu
garments were. Word was sent to him, h
stated, by friends Of the prisoners that !
ne would go to Chicago he might receive
there certain packages by express. Th
chief said he would have gone to st. Louis
Denver or any other city as quickly, ha'
another place been designated, He hat
nothing to do he said. with naming tn
place where the furs were to be delivered,
Referring to charges that he had neye
searched Princes house in Des Moines 70
the stolen goods, he stated that the dwellin
had been searched by him personally twice
August 27 two of the Des Moines police de
, partment, two detectives of the force OF thi
! city and the chief surrounded Prince
house, acting on information that the rob
bers were inside and that the plunder ais
was there. No trace Of either was fount
Again, when the suspects we're arrested /
Joplin. Mo-, the Des Moines authorize