Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-06-25
DAVIS COUNTY WAR
Another Chapter in the Liquor
Prosecutions.
AN ALLEGED DETECTIVE TESTIFlES
Was Finally Proven That He Gave
Liquor to Boys-Judse Echeberger
Issues Writ of Temporary Injunction
Abrams Name Not Mentioned.

Bloomfield, June 21.-(Special.)-
The prosecution of tho whiskey cases
began in Eichelberger's court on We'd
nesday and continued in full swing
on Thursday. Considerable interest
is taken in the matter and our
citizens are pretty evenly divided in
10 two sections containing two minds
with each a single thought,--how to
successfully prosecute the liquor deal
ers and on the other hand, how to sue
cessfully evade such conviction. The
first case tried Wednesday morning
was that of WA. Williams, charged
with selling liquor contrary to law.
The case was defended by H. 9. Fay
lor and ]. F. Scarborough The mat
ter was settled by a temporary in.
junction preventing Williams from
further sale of liquors until the Sep
TENDER term of court and compelling
him to ship back to the dealers all
liquor now on hand in the drug store.
The cases are all being prosecuted
by Attorney Rainey, of Fairfield.
The case of Fred Lowenberg, who
conducts a restaurant in the east side,
was next called, the case being de-
Tended y G. T. Sewers, assisted by
H. G. Taylor. A great deal of time
was consumed in the examination of
the detective who calls himself Clyde
Allsoop and who testified that he Wis
tied this place May "a for the purpose
of testing the defective liquor law and
in SO doing purchased one-half pint of
whiskey of Fred Lowenberg. In
pleading the case both Sewers and
Taylor made strong defense Tor
Lowenberg and exposed the character
of Allsoop the "star" witness of the
prosecution. Allsoop testified that he
purchased the liquor of Lowenberg,
who in turn testified that he did not
sell it to him and it seemed to be the
opinion of the defense that Allsoop
was mistaken and that he brought the
liquor with him. For this reason they
asked the Judge to decide between the
veracity of Lowenberg, who is well
known in the community, and that of
an fnterloper who did not deny having
while in this city given liquor to three
boys, all of them sons of highly re-
spected parents and all of them min
ors. 1t was also brought out that he
had furnished liquor for A. T. Mccain
to whom he finally stated that he
could not get any more because the
Temperance people were onto it." 1t
was found to be somewhat difficult
matter to obtain convicting evidence
in some of the cases for while many
witnesses know that certain condi-
tons do exist in the city, to prove the
fact is quite another matter since the
law does not receive as evidence what
the witness believes but what he
knows.
The plea OF the prosecution was bes-
ed principally on the fact that Lowen-
berg held government license and
upon this fact they founded the opin-
ion that he must be engaged in the
sale of liquors and 1t was also urged
that one pint of whiskey and a bottle
of blackberry wine had been seized on
a search warrant some time ago. In
conclusion Judge Eichelberger decid-
ed that temporary injunction must
be made against him until the next
term Of court He further said that
he did not like Al1soop's testimony
and believed that he had violated the
law more previously than Lowenberg
by having given liquor to the boys
who were minors; that his testimony
bore no weight with him and that he
would give more credit to that of Low
enberg, but that his testimony against
the latter was corroborated by the
fact that Lowenberg possessed an In
ternal revenue stamp from which the
law presumes that he held it to pro-
tect himself aginst the violation of
the law.
In the case of Willis Kennedy tenn
porary Injunction was also issued. The
case OF John Haslach, the north side
druggist, was taken up latein the after
noon and will probably be determined
on today.
Charlton.
Charlton, June 21.-There will be an
ice cream supper at Central church in
English township this evening and If
the weather and roads are favorable q