Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-12
EXPOSES THE HOLD.UP GANG
Inside Operations of the Omaha Gamblers
Clearing House,
PROTECTION AT ALL cowtRs
More Testimony Taken In the Libel
Case Brought by County Attor-
ncy shields TO Repair
Damaged Reputation.

Further interesting testimony relating L
the operations of the hold-up gang that wa
interested in the election OF Mr.. Shields al
county attorney is being brought out in tn,
dispositions in the case brought by Mr.
Shields against The Bee for alleged libel
In a recent deposition the witness, one o.
the barkeepers in the resort run by Waltei
Noise & Co. in the name of Jack Norton, IL
connection with their wholesale business
relates the circumstances by which pro.
lection was sold to sure-thing gambler.
last summer.
After explaining the connection OF Mois,
with the establishment the following answer.
were given:
Question-Do you know anything abou,
this base ball Tivoll game?
Answer-I know II was a Kind of game
they had. They would throw base balls
and they would fall into a series of pegs
and fall into small partitions at the bottom.
Q.-Do you know whether Noise and Nor
ton had an interest in that game?
Ayes, sir. Norton was supposed to be
interested to furnish these people that came
to seek protection to give them protection
so that they could run.
Q.-What kind of protection?
A.-So they could run. To keen the police
off.
Odd you ever see them pay any money
to Norton?
Ayes, sir. They used to come in even
ings about o o'clock, when they closed UP
the game. II Norton was not there they
would wait for him and then go upstairs to
one of the upstairs rooms and divide the
money.
Q.-How often did you see them divide up
the money?
A.-About three times.
Race Horse Game.
Q.-Did you know anything about a race
morse game going on here last summer?
Ayes, sir. There was a man came up
mere from Hot Springs, Ark, by the name
OF Ed Smith, whom l knew when he was a
small boy, and he naturally came to see me.
He asked me: "Is this man Norton the
man who is furnishing protection to these
games?" 1 told him Eyes, thought so"
He asked me when he could see him and
he came in that evening and saw Norton
and he afterward opened up on Sixteenth
street, between Capitol avenue and Dodge.
Q.-State what this race horse game was.
Alt was a gambling game. 1t was run
With don't know how many horses. The
horses were turned around and they would
bet on the winner and the manipulators
S'oP ~ "t my piIlS tuty Wuuleu TO
and make any horse win.
Q.-Do you know what Smith wanted to
see Norton for?
Ale wanted to see Norton about open-
ing up his place.
Q.-Do you know whether or not there
was anything said or done with regard to
protection?
Al know that Ed Smith gave up a GER
tain amount of money so he could run.
Odd you ever see him pay any money?
Al never saw him pay any.
Odd you ever see any one pay any for
him?
Ayes, sir. This man Phillips, who used
to run the gam for him.
Q.-Who did he give the money to?
A.-To Norton. >
Q.-Do you remember any men coming
from Nashville, Tenn, to see Norton. Noise
and these men?
Ayes, sir. don't remember their
They wanted to com here and open
up a base ball Tivoli and wanted to see
Norton about protection. Norton told them
they could and wanted 25 per cent of their
earnings-no, he wanted one-third of their
and they wanted to give him %
per cent of their earnings, but Norton would
not take that as sufficient and they did not
up.
In On n Big Mitt Also.
Q.-Do you know anything about a game
called the big mitt running here in Omaha? |
Al know that it is a sort of gambling
but never saw it played. A man
named o'Neill was running it and some other
party whose name l do not know.
Odd you ever see O'Neill in the Noise |
place?
Ayes, sir. I did.
n Aud JiJ ,,o, o,,ou -. I'll
talking with any of those parties mentioned
or any of those parties?
A.-Norton and Noise both. And I have |
seen him talking to Tanning.
Q.-Do you know about O'Neill going to |
Council Bluffs at one time?
Ale came in one Sunday morning and
asked me where he could find Norton. told
him he could get him by telephone. asked
MIN what was the matter and he said that |
he had just won 500 from SOM fellow and
he thought the police were after him and
that he had better go to Council Bluffs to
get out Of the way, and asked me what to
do in regard to it. / told him that I did not
know, to call Norton. He asked me to call
Norton up by telephone and l did SO and
told me to ask Noise. / asked Noise
and told Noise the circumstances and asked
him if he did not think IL was better for
III " 80 10 COuHCll bIuHS. NOISE answered |
hat he thought it was just as good that he
might.
Odd you know whether or not he went?
Ale went to Council Bluffs.
Noise Place Gangs
The same witness testified as to the
'requenting of members of the gang of
Noises resort and their association with the
.srafters and gamblers who hung out there.
he testified as to Tanning, Herdman, Dunn
md Metcalfe of the World-Herald being
constant visitors. On cross examination
some interesting details were brought out.
Odd you say you saw Metcalfe of the
World Herald at Jack Norton's place?
Ayes, sir.
Q.-Who was with him?
A.-By himself AVID with Mr.. Noise. Saw
lin go through Jack Norton's place and go
through the side door into Mr.. Noises place.
Q.-At other times did you ever see him
n there?
7 .a,, Iin, a., 4bo,o - or.,Ia. "a 49,