Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-29
4 MoUNrEBANK REFoRMER.

a AOURTEBANK RETO3NER.
Acting Deputy County Attorney Dunn
is still frothing at the mouth, but there
is a good deal Of method in his madness.
His furious onslaught on the machine
and the frenzied but hypocritical howl
Of the s~elf-confessed poker expert about
alleged immortality, brazen. degrading
and n~auseating," which he declares is
Haunted in the very faces Of the people
of this city day and night, is simply
part of the political fireworks that pre-
coded the supreme court somersault
about the police commission and is de-
signed to have its effect on the appoint
ment Of the new commission. II Is i'm
portant Just now that things should be
horrible in Omaha.
People who have lived in Omaha for
the past FIVE years can institute COM
PARSONS between the conditions prevail
ing during the regime of the great fu-
sion reform commission, when forced
contributions were levied upon vice and
crime in Omaha without a word Of pro-
test from the mountebank county attor-
ney, and conditions that have prevailed
In this city for the past three years.
Lest we forget, W. will recall some Of
the testimony given by County Attorney
Shields in a case pending before the dis
trict court not more than a year ago:
When asked what he had done to sup
press gambling in Omaha and South
Omaha, Mr.. Shields answered hat he
had written to Tom Foley and Cliff Cole
to close their gambling houses, but he
did not explain why he did not file com
plants against these parties instead of
playing the role of belled cat to suppress
gambling. To make a showing in his
sham campaign Shields testified that he
wrote a letter to Mayor Ensor of South
Omaha politely requesting him to stop
gambling, but DR.. Ensor in the same
case testified, and that testimony was
supported by his stenographer, that
County Attorney Shields called on him
to negotiate for the support of the South
Omaha gamblers for his reelection as
county attorney.
In the progress of the c-ross-examina-
ton MI. Shields admitted that he had
also prepared complaints against slot
machine gamblers at the instance of
Chief Of Police Donahue, but asserted
that he wat unable to discover any slot
machines in South Omaha, because
former Postmaster Mcmillan had as
sured him that there were no slot ma
oAG-oa IN Anaro ff0n In 0Arafh Omaha
Within two hours after Shields had be-
come confident that there were no slot
machines in South Omaha Chief Dona-
hue furnished him the location Of
twenty-seven slot machines in operation
in South Omaha, whereat Shields
claimed to-be very indignant and rolled
his fist in his pocket.
More entertaining, If not instructive,
was the testimony of Mr.. Shields in the
same case when he declared that at the
outset of his sham crusade against gam
bling he called on Metcalf to ascertain
what was his duty with regard to the
slot machines and South Omaha gam
blers. What instructions he received
from Mr.. Metcalf did not transpire, but
in view Of the intimate relations hen
subsisting between the salvation ex-
horter and the gang that had its head
quarters at the resort of Walter Noise
and its headquarters In the office of the
World-H Herald, we can readily compre-
bend why all the batteries of the county
attorneys Office were directed at one
l. Apo,nlxn orornH1ar uyhflo fhoU uyor0
spiked when aimed at the favored gam
blers.
The community at large, which takes
no interest in any class Of gamblers and
has no sympathy with imposters and
frauds, is yet to be enlightened as to
the motive that impels the county attor-
ney and his self-constituted guardian of
law and order to direct all of his pro-
nuneiamentoes at the republican Omaha
and South Omaha chiefs OF police. while
he positively refuses to issue instruc-
lions to the democratic sheriff and his
deputies.
1t is passing strange that with all the
rant and can't not a line is produced
from the statutes that would justify the
county attorney in assuming the func-
lions Of the chief magistrate of the city!
His duty is plain and specific to file
complaints against known violators of
the criminal code and to prosecute them.
The plea that the late grand jury, which
returned a score OF indictments against
gamblers and keepers OF gambling de
vices. was not legally constituted, is too
gauzy to fool anybody. The county at.
torney personally heard the testimony
before the grand jury and does not pre-
tend that a solitary Indictment was
brought wr%ongfully. II the indictments
failed for technical reasons, it was his
duty to file complaints against every
v~iolator Of the law, but he did not wish
to hit the calf and miss the COW. He
would like to have punished our or five
gamblers and Shielded all others.
With a record Of incompetency and i'm
becility unparalleled in this, or any Other
state, the great county attorney and his
rantankerous chief deputy are cutting
a rather sorry figure in this community