Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-07-17

s.. Paul, Mimi, July b. Since the
DAYS of Boss" Tweed there has prob.
ably been no greater municipal scandal
than that which has involved Mime
apolis and which is likely TO put
majority of her police officials in the
penitentiary. OF course, it was not a
graft that would bring out any
where near the amount of money that
Tammauy has developed in a single
year, but, as one Official remarked,
1--WE are working it for all the traffic
will stand. y
The disclosures first came from re-
porter who had listened to the tales Of
victims of confidence men, and who
could never learn Of a prosecution. This
led the reporter to investigate, and the
revelations he made to his superiors so
staggered them that they dared not
print it, fearing that a bare statement
Of the facts they had obtained might
prejudice the public against the paper.
Alonzo A. Ames, four times mayor OF
| Minneapolis, is accused OF offering
| bride and receiving bride in money.
! He was indicted by the grand Jury.
| Frederick w. Ames, chief OF police,
is brother of Mayor Ames. and MS
appointee Chief Ames was indicted
| for receiving a hribe. On Tuesday ne
| was acquitted by the jury.
| Irwin a. Gardner, a go-between Tor
city officials and gamblers, confidence
men ind disorderly women, was con
| yioted and sentenced to the penitentiary
for three years.
/ Chris &. Norheck, detective Of the
city force, was indicted and tried for
receiving brihe money from gamblers
and helping thieves rob strangers IN
the city. He escaped while his trial
was going on, and it was postponed.
He was recaptured and turned inforner.
Norman w. King captain Of police,
is convicted of being accessory. to
felony and Lifting diamond that
had been stolen. He was sentenced to
the penitentiary for three and ne-hali
years,
Police Captain John Fritchette, for
merly Of Chicago, owner OF ono OF the
big restaurants Of Minneapolis, was or
trial last week on an indictment charg
, ing him with trafticking in politica
( Jobs.
, dicted for burglary, which he is alleget
to have committed with professional
! thieves.
Detectives Harvey, Howard anC
i Malone are also held on crimina
charges. As fast as the cases can b.
n taken IN they will be disposed of.
! Ten men. including the mayor, chic
Z of notice and detectives of the Mime
Z apolis city administration. are unde
a indictment and all but one-Fredericl
4 Ames-have either been convicted o
G are awaiting trial.
a The disclosures came about in thi
n way: In 1900 the Republicans wer
. anxious for big majority in Mime
4 apolis to hrlp out the State ticket
. which actually went against the Re
q pubIicans. However, they did not kno'
a that defeat was certain, and the
!, looked to Ames to carry them throug
n hy putting him on the mayoralt
X ticket. He vas elected, and the Re
a publicans have been sorry ever since
y He was hardly installed before II
4 present scandal began. Billy
a Edwards, notorious gambler, say
a 'tWhy, Mayor Ames was not Unstable
n when the programme was made out Il
O. mulcting the disoFderly places. ! kno
II it. | am one Of the principal witness
"A against the combine, and it com
/. about because | paid 81, as 4 IL
q. | instalment. and then ono Of the victim
h whom the police had brought TO n
az sauealed and my game was broken u
M asked the return of the money for q
~ time | was shut out. Mayor Am
IL laughed at me. Then | went after the'
| went before the grand jury and ha
ID told the truth, and two men ma
4 already been convicted on my eridenc
n. which was corroborated by two Of t
III victims y
ia The methods adopted by the poll
Ii we're bold to q degree. Plain cloth
Tia detectives we're detailed to guide pr
pective victims to the confidence m
IA and aid the latter in fleeing tn
rer victims. When an cutlery was mad
ii uniformed policeman would be call
IA in and he would do the ''scare' q
~ He would secure confession from
i've victim that he had been gambling a
under threats of arresting him
violating the law would genera
brighten the man into leaving the CT
always closing with the injunction
to give it to the papers.
y Among the gamblers who sought
oy take advantage of the situation "
ner BILLY" Edwards, Lincoln Crossn
GA, and "Charlie" Howard. Edwards
sed regarded as one OF the sharpest c
fidence men and diamond nippers in
VINO country, sauve, mild hammered m
who. Judge Harrington says,
"proved the best witness for prose
ton | have ever KNOWN Edws
has and his gang learned that by the /
hen ment OF certain sum weekly I
n 40 could prey upon the unsuspecting W
isel, out the least fear of molestation.
fact, absolute protection was guai
teed to them.
Pre- Detective Norbeck told me,
over Edwards on the stand, THAT | sht
ntly furnish Chief of Police Ames wi
ent, list Of names Of all the steerers for
own big mitt' places, and if any ste
sgan was then arrested he would give
,ome name according to the list and bt
S in free. -
be Edwards had place at No. 30 S
imp street. When a victim was rol
to lie there it was the duty OF Detet
con Norbeck to follow MN ana see
com kicked or il he suspected Una
have had been robbed. a man named \
They from Minot, n. D., was !ieeced o.
this q draft for SITS by Edwards ant
o bid party, and in recounting this traI
sadly tian Edwards said:
i tie "We received 1915 as our shs
.rong this draft. Two days after Dete
ound Norbeck asked me why we had
Dis about tho amount of the draft, a
and mayor was not satisfied with his {
dis and had started an investigation
rrans told MIN that on several occasion
alth, had been swindled out of the y
Kind, amount by the mayor and his {
ated, and we did not propose to tell q
nate transactions. The mayor must
every our word and our division of the 81
,dical made $500 payment, a 5000 pay