Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-05-20

White Cloud hotel have been turned
down by the committee on petitions
and circumstances and rejected by
Council, yesterday secured a hotel
license from City Clerk Thos. O'Brien,
Jr.
Mr.. Landmesser made application to
the City Clerk, who consulted City So
licitor S. o. Boyce before granting the
license. The city ordinances were ex-
amined and it was the opinion of the
Solicitor that the clerk would have to
grant the license. Landmesser & Co. S
application before was for an ordinary
license, which is for a hotel with bar
connected. Ordinary licenses and hotel
licenses are governed by different ordi-
nances.
The custom heretofore has been for
the City Clerk to grant hotel license
without action by Council, just as IL
censes are granted to transfers, etc.
This has been done by all of Clerk
O'Brien's predecessors in Office. The
opinion of Solicitor Boyce was that
the Clerk could not do otherwise under
the ordinance, as Mr.. Landmesser sim
ply applied for license to conduct a
hotel.
Applications withdrawn.
There was another development in
the license fight through the Office Of
the City Clerk yesterday. Jos. Barum,
Valentine Leibold, PAUL Biery and Jas.
H. Robinson withdrew their applica-
lions for license. Leibold and Biery
have been in business on Market
square, and Robinson applied for Ii
cense for the Goldstrohm place on
Water street.
Heavy Fines Imposed.
The proceedings in Police Court yes
terday morning, resulting from the
police raids on Muldoon Bros. and
Joseph Barum's Imperial" were very
interesting.
George and Robert Muldoon were
first arraigned. The specific charges
against them were that on May 18th
they permitted Edith Clark to loiter on
their premises, and on May 10th Ida
Riley, both known to be women of
easy virtue. The defendants appeared
with Col. w. w. Arnett.
Chief of Police w. M. Clemans testi-
fed as to the raid on the place, and
fictitious names. Maud Wilson, Ella
Debula, Edith Clark. Kate Snyder and
Dolly Johnson, all testified that they
were in the place and had taken drinks
there with men, but could not say
whether the bartender knew them. Ida
Riley, of 2155 Main street, admitted
that she had been an inmate of houses
on Eoff street and elsewhere, and testi-
fed that she had taken drinks in the
place and had known the bartender
since childhood. Katie Jones also
knew the bartender.
Robert Muldoon took the stand and
said he had given the Chief permits
sion to go over the house. He had a
hotel license, which included the en-
tire building from 1918 to 1922 Main
street. He did not know the character
of the women who testified. George
Muldoon testified that drinks were
served from the barroom the same as
in any hotel in the United States.
Col. Arnett attacked the validity of
the ordinance, but even granting it to
be all right he said there was no evil
dence that the women were of bad
character or that the proprietors or
bartenders knew them to be of i'll re-
pute. Solicitor Boyce replied. saying
the evidence was strong enough to con-
Wet proprietors of the most reputable
hotel in the city. The only difference
between an Eoff street house of prosti-
tuition and such a place as the Null
doons conducted was that the latter
had a bar in connection,
The Mayor said he could not under
take to decide legal questions, but could
only act from a standpoint OF common
sense. Applications for liquor license
know the restrictions placed upon
them by the city ordinances. He there
fore did not consider 1t a good defense
to question the legality of the law
which licensees were apparently will
ing to abide by when they made appli-
cation. 1t appeared incredible to him
that the defendants did not know the
character of the women who had testi-
fed. He imposed a fine of $50 and
costs in each case, making the alter
native sixty days in the workhouse.
An appeal was taken and bond was
fixed at 500.
Joseph Barum was next arranged on
a charge of conducting a house of i'll
fame at the Imperial, No. zoos Main
street. His attorney stated that as the
evidence would probably be similar to
that in the Muldoon cases, he was
willing to accept the judgment of the
court without going into the evidence.
The Mayor fined Barum $40 and costs
and an appeal was taken.
The lettering cases against the wo-
men who testified were not pushed.
Police are Determined.
It is understood that the police are
determined to break up the fake
hotel business in Wheeling by arrest
ing the proprietors for conducting
houses of i'll fame, whether the hotels
are licensed or not.
The police claim TO have had knowl-
edge that women were f~requenting tho
Muldoon place and it is alleged that
the proprietors were notified that the
practice must be discontinued. The