The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-06-05

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shows Pains Taken by Police to
Avoid Arresting Crooks.
Officer Long, on the stand yesterday
afternoon, was unable to say whether or
not Billy Edwards had been arrested
the day his place was raided He 4ex-
planned that Zalusky and. himself had
taken Edwards to the chiefs office, but
he couldn't or wouldn't explain why the
man was not locked up instead of being
permitted to go free. Edwards, he said,
was on Zalusky's beat and consequently
the case was Zalusky's, not his.
George A. Harvey, one Of the plain
clothes men, was the next witness. His
testimony was important. Harvey had
been assigned to the Martin case, Martin
being a farmer who had been heeced, out
OF check by the gang. The detective
| had gone: to ST. Paul and had brought
Martin back with him to Minneapolis.
Joint" the exact location of which the
victim did not know, and in the course
of their walk met Chris Norbeck. Wit
ness had asked Norbeck to accompany
them.
What did you do that for?'' queried
Mr.. Smith suddenly.
We'll, I thought he would know some
thing about the case" explained the wit
ness sheepishly.
Thestrio had walked up Nicollet avenue
to Sixth street, toward Hennepin. Har-
vey went into Alexander's saloon and
took drink with a couple of labor agi-
tators." Norbeck, he said, had gone into
| the Joint at 80 Sixth street and had talked
with man who was Identified as Lincoln
Crossman. Somebody, the witness
wouldn't say it was Crossman, had told
them that the check had been taken to
St. Paul to be cashed. 1t was on the
Second National bank of that city. Pay
ment had been stopped by telephone. This
is the check that was afterwards recov-
to Edwards estimony, having said that
he would get it cashed and "divvy."
| @:-e~ To Avoid Arrests.
Harvey's testimony is important in that
1t goes to show that the police went to
considerable trouble in order to settle
! the case without being compelled to make
any arrests. The failure to arrest any
one was explained by the witness with the
statement that Martin did not want to
! prosecute, but only wanted to get hf
money back. Harvey testified that &c
never knew where Norbeck got the check
and had never asked him. He had never
| received orders not to arrest tbig mitt'
| men, but never had arrested them.
Carrie Emerson, in whose place on Sec
ond street S, Edwards testified he had
| paid Norbeck some money, admitted or
| the stand that she knew Norbeck, Dc
Laittre and Gardner, but said she ha6
never seen Edwards pay them any money
Her testimony was brief and Of no partic-
| ular value. $50,
Robert Hill, reporter on the Tribune
testified that he had asked Chief FREQ
w. Ames about the MEX case, and tha
the chief had told him the detectives as.
signed to it had made no report and thai
he knew nothing about the matter.
Ben Holmberg, one of the big nit
"steerers," admitted that he had beef
I employed by Edwards and Crossman IL
that capacity, but wouldn't say whethe
or not he had taken part in the carr
games, on the ground that to do so nigh
incriminate himself. He, said the gan,
made their living by playing cards, an
testified that the game was not con tn
square" Victims, he> said, were some
times permitted to win at first, but neve
got out of the game with any money.
| The last witness of the day was Free
Miller, another steerer, who said he live
in St.. Paul. He "played poker for
4 living, but had only begun his testimon,
when court adjourned for the day.