The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-03


Q--Who is the president of the board?
AIR. Megrew.
o.-who are the other members? AIR.
Q.-Appointed to that Office by whom?
AIR. Bookwalter.
.o.-what Office does he hold? Ale is
the mayor Of the city of Indianapolis.
Q.-Has been since how long? A.-Since
the 10th day of October year ago.
y Q.-Now. Mr.. Logsdon. are you acquaint-
ed with the defendant in this case? A.
Q-Arthur stahI? Al am.
Q.-You know who he is? Al know
who he says he is.
Q.-Do you know anything about his past
except as he has told you it? A.-No, sir.
THE FIRST MEETING.
Q.-When was the first time that you
met him, IL you have a recollection of 1t;
not so much the date as the occasion.
What was the first occasion you met him?
Ale called me over the telephone one
evening, 1 think it was, perhaps, the 18th
of May.
Q.-Where were you at the time he called
you by telephone? Al was at home.
Q.-At the new or old? A.-The new
phone.
Q.-Your name is in the book, is it? A.
Yes. sir.
Q.-Now, did you know at the time when
he called you up who 1t was calling you?
A.-No, 1 didn't know who was calling me;
he told me
Q.-Was there any previous arrangement?
A.-No.
Q.-An you knew of the man talking to
you over the phone was what he said him.
self? A.-That was ALL
Q.-What telephone message did he give
you? Al understood him to say he was
representing-he gave me the name Of the
firm in New York city-a road machine
company, the Hamilton & Woodford Com
pany, / think he gave me. l understood
him to say he was representing road ma
chine company
GAS a member of the Board of Works
had you had any dealings with road ma
chine company? Ave had last year. We
bought some road sweepers from some New
York firm. and. as remember IL. the agent
of that firm was named Smith. However,
am not real positive OF that, but think
that is true.
Q.-What kind of dealings were they wi h
that company? A.-They sold us four OF
those little hand sweeping machines, the
kind that man pushes along the street
and sweeps up the dirt into pan. They
sent them over here and we tried them for
some little time. but we could not use them
very satisfactorily, and sent them back to
the man. Their agent was through here
some week or ten days or two weeks before
MIR. Smith called me up. and said the ma
chimes were here in freight house or stor-
age house; that he had no use for them In
this part of the country, and wanted to
know IL he could not prevail upon US TO use
them In some way. l told him they were
not satisfactory TO us, and we could not use
them.
Q.-Anyhow, there had been dispute or
controversy between the city and a COM
pany that furnished road machines from
New York? Ayes, sir.
Q.-The name of that agent you think was
Smith? A.-That was my recollection.
Q.-This man that talked with you over
the phone, who afterward turned out to
be Stahl, gave his name as what? A,-As
Smith.
Q.-You understood him to say what?
A.-That he was representing the Hamil-
ton & Woodford Road Machine Company.
WANTED TO SEE LOGSDON.
Q.-Then what else occurred between you
two over the telephone? Ale wanted to
see me that evening. He said he was here
and in hurry and had some difficulty in
placing his machines. L said 1 was busy
that evening and if he would call at my
office in the morning, telling him the COM
mittee room. would talk with him.
Ole wanted to see you that night? A.
He wanted to see me that night; yes, sir.
Q.-You were busy and gave him your
committee Office room number and asked
him to meet you there when? A.-The next
morning at o'clock.
Q.-That would be the 18th? Ayes, sir.
Odd you understand him in that tele-
| phone message to you that eevning to say
| anything to you about slot machines! A.
| did not.
/
and you got the impression as you have
stated? Ayes, sir; exactly so.
Q.-Was there any more occurred between
you that night except to make the appoint
ment for you next morning? A.-No; that
was the extent Of our conversation over the
| telephone.
Q.-Now the road machine business fell
within the line of your duties. did it? A.
| Yes, sir.
Q.-As member of the Board of Pub
lie Works? Ayes. sir:
Il n fbn inc Of fha
may state whether or not you met him?
| Ayes, sir, Mr.. Smith came to my office
on the morning of the 18th.
Q.-Up to that time, and until this mans
arrest, you knew him as Smith? Ayes,
| sir, as Smith.
| Q-Never knew what his name was until
| after his arrest? A.-Never knew what his
name was until he told me himself.
| Ole came to see you at what place?
| A.-The committee room In the De Soto
| O-Now briefly and comprehensively
| and fully give what occurred between you.
| What he said to you, and what you said.
| my office / was not in. / came in little
| later, perhaps a few minutes after 3.
| and he and two or three other parties were
in the office waiting for me and he waited
/ until L got through with the other parties,
| whoever they were-I don't know that I
| remember now who they We're. Then he
| came and introduced himself to me and
| said his name was Mr.. Smith, that he was
| the gentleman who talked to me the night
before over the telephone and that he was
| representing the Hamilton & Woodford
| Slot Machine Company. / called his at
| tention to the fact that when he called me
| up the night before he said he represent
| ed road machine company. He said he
| was not representing road machine COM
| pany, he was representing a company that
| dealt in slot machines and gambling de-
/ vices. told him perhaps he had come to
| the wrong place; that | did not belong to
| the police department or the Board of
| Safety. He said no, a great many of the
people had referred him to me; that he had
| had considerable trouble with his ma
| chimes, not only in Indianapolis but in
| other cities he mentioned in placing his
! machines, and he had learned from past
| experience that the way to do that bust
| ness was to pick out some man who had
| influence with the administration and work
| through him. The inference was, or he
| said he didn't care to do business with
| more than one man, and whoever ii was
| necessary to see, that man might attend
| to il.
THE WRONG FELLOW.
Q.-well, now, what did you say to him ?
Al told him 1 thought perhaps he was
seeing the wrong fellow. and cautioned him
| again, and told him 1 had nothing to do
with the slot machines. nor with saloons
| or with things of that kind, and he again
told me that he had been referred to me
by several people. that 1 was the proper
| fellow and could fix this matter up for
him, he had no doubt, very satisfactorily.
Then he went on TO state his proposition
| to me.
a. hot hfc