The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-25

of the eleven, were the witnesses ex-
amined yesterday.
1t is reported that the grand jury is
going to the bottom or the question of
the location of these resorts A num-
Der of years ago a similar investiga-
ton was held, but the outcome of it
was that a few members of the jury
insisted that if any indictments were
brought the owners of the houses, as
we'll as the lessees of them, should be
indicted. Then they began to look I'D
the owners and found there were some
men whom they did not want to in
dict and the result was that nothing
came of the investigation.
Things have changed since, however,
and now some of the women whose
cases were referred to the grand Jury
are themselves the owners of the prop
erty they occupy, while there are
others who perhaps would not care to
have it known that they We're renting
their property or the property of which
they are agents for the purposes which
it is supposed some of these houses are
being used for. Whether it has been
consideration for some of these people
or some other cause that has held the
city authorities in check when the de-
mand for some action in the matter
was made is a matter of opinion. But
it is understood to be a fact that the
present grand jury is going back to the
scandal of the Doran administration,
which resulted when Mayor Doran
ordered a number of women off Of
jackson street to West Third street
1t was about that time story be-
came current that a purse had been
collected to be used IN forcing all the
houses under the HILL" but the pub
LEGATION of the story, it was, said at
the time, resulted in the return of the
money. Nina Clifford figured conspic-
uously in that movement. and it is sig-
nificant that among the witnesses sub
poenaed before the present grand jury
were Nina Clifford, former Mayor Do
ran and his first private secretary; Mes
senger Miller, who knew more about
that particular branch of the business
than any other attache of the admin
istration. and others. They were ex-
amined last week.
The grand jury may have questioned
Miller about the system which he adj
mitted that he followed in collecting
fines from the women. The municipal
court records showed that there was
more or less irregularity about the pay
ment of those fines.
The grand jury has not yet summon
ed Aid. Stutzman who caused an in
VeStigation of the scandal to be start
ed in the council. Stutzman found so
much opposition that it fizzled, but he
doubtless remembers all the testimony
he had accumulated in the cases and
may yet be called to tell the grand jury
what at the time was regarded as too
hot or too tame for the council to sift
to the bottom. Stutzman paid for his
effort to investigate the administration
by being turned down for denomination
In connection. too, with that famous
act of Mayor Doran in causing a lot of
women to leave houses on Jackson
street and fill up lot of, previous to
that time, vacant houses on Third
street drew vigorous protest from
the West Publishing company and still
better a suit, which for some reason or
other is still pending in the district
court. This is the case brought by
the John Hancock Mutual Life Insur-
ance Company of Boston against the
owners of the Rogers building. Just
west of Bridge square, asking for an
injunction and damages. The case was
begun after Mayor Doran's famous
.'herding." 1t was begun in April, 1897.
A stipulation was filed extending the
time for the filing of the answer to
May, 1897. The complaint itself was
filed with the clerk of the district court
OH June s, 1897, and was ordered placed
Or the June calendar. For some reason
the case was omitted from the calendar
and is still pending in the district court.
The complaint alleges:
During the fall of 1896 these defendants
have wrongfully and unlawfully demised and
leased unto various persons known to them
to be public and notorious prostitutes and
lewd women the second and other floors or
stories of their said building, which is stu
ated directly across the street from the plain
tins building. Such leases having been
made from month to month to said persons.
We're made by the defendants with the full
knowledge that the rooms and floors so let
should be used by each and all Of the sew
erai .essees thereof as houses of Ill fame and
asSignation
Said apartments. before the same were
leased by said defendants to said persons.
were especially reftted by said defendants
for the express purpose of such use and
occupation aforesaid
No answer was ever filed in the case.
If. as is suspected from the witnesses
that are being called, the grand Jury is
going back over the present and for
Iner city administrations actions to-
wards keepers of resorts in st. Paul.
the investigating body is apt to yet dis
cover to the public some interesting