The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-07-18

L
the proprietors and the police be de-
pended upon to keep them out2 Tho
who do not know the proprietors OF
this establishment, and therefore judge
on general principles, and those who
judge the police by the record which
they. are making. will be in doubt as
to whether this is not going to prove
one of the worst resorts in the city, SO
far as our boys are concerned. That
institution needs to be watched. say
so emphatically in view of the state
ment made to me by citizen during
carnival week to the effect that he
had seen boys in there, and in view OF
conversation which I know occurred
between two minors who met the
other evening on the street. One was
on his way to the Tivoli, who had
found out by his own experience that
it was pleasant place to go to. When
reminded of the rule against the ad,
mission of minors, he said, "Oh, they
won't throw Teller out, if he buys
some pop or something" 1 DOM
know how the public can feel sure
that our boys are going to be protect,
ed against decentralization, unless oul
city authorities give more attention tc
this matter than they have been Civ,
ing.
A have noticed that when citizens,
aroused by the lawlessness of the liquor
traffic and the so-called evil, go to the
authorities and make complaint they
are almost invariably told that il
they will furnish evidence that some
one is violating the law they will
cheerfully arrest the. guilty party and
secure his punishment. Why is il
that officials whose business it is to be
posted, and who have all needed facil,
tiles for successful detective work, sc
often profess ignorance and inability
to locate criminal responsible even
when violations of law are 80 common
as to become matter of general and
positive conviction? When appointed
to this work themselves, and paid
their salaries for it, and bound by
their official oaths to perform it. it is
a practical insult to the public to
wink at the criminality which is per-
petually demoralizing the rising gen.
GRAFTON and breeding crime.
At the First Church of Christ last
evening, Pastor Williams, speakig
along the same line as above, took as
his theme, "Who Killed Frank Jones2"
Taking his text from the Mosaic
law regarding the ''ox that is wont to
push with his horn" he first dwelt at
length on the doctrine of moral respon-
sibilitiy for our influence upon those
thrown in contact with us. He cited
the case of young man who killed
man for $40, 900. At the trial the muir
derer's mother pleaded for a lenient
sentence on the ground that she too
was guilty as she had trained him to
steal for her support when he was
small and had encouraged his stealing
even up to the time of the murder.
The law apprehended and punished
her as an abettor in the crime.
The last actor in a crime is not
always the only guilty person, nor al
ways the most guilty sometimes he is
the least guilty and sometimes,
innocent. In the case before us the
question is not simply who knocked
Frank Jones down. Who struck the
fatal blow2 Who played the last act2
The coroner's jury did it's best to
answer that question and failed-fail-
ed because of the significant absence
in secure hiding of the most essential
witness in the case. But there are
some phases of the case that could not
be handled by the coroner's jury.
The pertinent question is, how came
that saloon where Frank Jones was
killed, doing business at three O'Clock
in the morning? The law of Minnesota
says it should have been closed at II
o'clock: The law is very plain and
may. be found in section 2012 of the
laws of 1894. Not only is there such
law, but there is also a law stating
that is the duty of certain officers to
see that the liquor laws are enforced.
This last named law is found in Sec
ton 1904 of the laws of 1894 and reads
as follows:
County attorneys, sheriffs and
constables, having knowledge of any
violations of the provisions of this
chapter 1.-THE chapter on intoxicating
ilquors) shall make complaint thereof
to justice of the peace of the proper
county. The county attorney shall also
prosecute the band given by such APP
plicant for any violation of its condi-
tions.
The law does not say the officers