The Saint Paul globe., 1902-06-03
Ingenuity of 'Bilr' Erwin
Could Not 0yerturn Any
of His Testimony
TOOK RAP AT NORBECK
"Big Mitt" Man Had scant Re-
spect for DIR. Ames' Plain Clothes
Detective, and Made His Po-
sitiOn Very Clear.

If Billy Edwards is lying he certainly
has one of the most remarkable memories
on record. The 'big mitt' man was on the
stand the entire day and gave detail ed
accounts ofs.his aPsculations, not even
emitting dates and hours. He cited cOa-
Versations that occurred. gave the places
In which such conY YersatiOns were mad,
and was atsal times able to tell who
was present.
All the minor details of the schemes
that had been employed in the big mltt
operations were graphically pictured TO
the jury, who were all interested listeners
to the tale that is creating an almost na-
tionaI interest The entire forenoon was
taken up in direct examination, and when
court recOnvened at 2 o'clock everybody
was anxious to find out just what Attor-
ney Erwin would do with the principal
witness for the state.
Many expected that the "big mitter"
would be tangled up and forced to take
to the cover before the Tall Pine would
get very far with him. They were, how
ever, doomed to disappointment. If any
thing Edwards was better on cross-eX-
animation than he was on the direct. 80
far as was gone into yesterday afternoon
not an iota of testimony was contradict
ed. Every statement that had been made
on direct was clinched, SO to speak, on
discrimination.
The defense tried to show through Ed
wards that he had been promised i'm
munity. If he would go before the grand
jury and tell all he knew, but with all
the cunning of Mr.. Erwin, and his part
ner, Mr.. Mead, he certainly set at rest the
idea that any intimation of immunity
had even been broached, if he would tell
the truth regarding the matter
After he had been hard pressed by Mr.
Erwin to give a motive for his ac-
tlons in giving up everything, he said, 1t
was honest instinct" He said he knew
the condition at the time, and it was an
outrage on the community, and also that
the people from whom he expected to get
protection in his crooked work were more
dishonorable than he was, and under
those conditions he thought it was high
time that the truth be known, and that
he proposed to tell it, no matter who it
affected. The time had come when he was
going to wash his hands OF the whole
thing.
He denied in toto all the allegations set
up by defendants, Gardner and Norbeck,
in their answer to the Indictment Nor
beck had said that Edwards acted as
Stool-pigeOn for the police and assisted in
locating criminals who visited the city
in part payment of the protection he was
granted This he said, was a lie and II
there was any stOOl-pigeOn mixed up in
the deal NOrbeck was stool-pigeon for
the big mitt' gang.
Hard Rap at NOrbeck.
When pressed as to certain informa-
ton NOrbeck is claimed to have received
from Edwards regarding two criminals
" hich he NOTbeck, wanted to catch Ed
wards said: Tell that fellow about
crooks in order for him to catch them?
Why, he even couldn eaten cold.
Attorney Erwin also tried to show up
Edwards criminal record and asked if
he had not been arrested at certain
places and under certain conditions. Ed
wards in nearly each instance denied that
he had been arrested, and finally he said
TO Mr. Erwin: I'm tell you just how
many times 1 have been under arrest
The attorney: "All right, let us have it,
Edwards then said: Il was arrested once
in st. Paul. charged with picking pock-
cts; once in Barron, Wis, charged with a
misdemeanor which was running gam
bling devices, for this 1 paid a fine of
S25, and the last time l was arrested was
in Minneapolis for SWindling a farmer
out of $50, and am now in jail awaiting
sentence for that crime.
THE time I was arrested in st. Paul
was brought into court and was not
found guilty" Mr.. Erwin asked the
witness if he had not served a term in
Waupun state prison. Edwards prompt
ly replied: mo, sir, / never WAS in Wau-
pun in my life, and don't know where it
is only that it is in Wisconsin some
place"
He also related a time that he was
brought before Chief of Police Anes, by
Norman King, but he said: THAT was
not for any crime he had committed, it
was merely a Tuse of Kings to make
himself strong with the chief and to