Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-08
Former Mayor of Minneapolis
Convicted of Accepting a
Bride of $500
JURY OUT TwENTY-FoUR HOURS
Verdict Came as Severe Shock to
Ames and His FamIy-History of
The Ames Trial and the Mass of
Corruption in Municipal Affairs
Which it Uncovered.

4AlonZo Ames formerly mayor of Min
neapolis, has been found guilty of ac-
cepting a bride of $500 while chief
executive. After being out twenty
four hours the jury in the case return
ed a verdict of guilty late yesterday
afternoon.
The usual motions were made for Il
stay and an arrest of execution OF
judgment, and now will come the long
fight on appeal.
The defendant was on hand early this
morning with his wife and all the at
torneys in the case were in attendance.
For two hours DR.. Ames paced the
hallway. smoking big, black cigars.
Mrs. Ames waited in the reception
room. The verdict of the jury came
as a severe shock to both the defend
ant and his wife
| Mayor AlonZo A. Ames was indicted
| by the Minneapolis grand jury on June
| IL, 1902, some days after the jury had
progressed we'll into the hearing of
the bribery and corruption of the city
administration.
There was an enormous mass of de-
| tail developed by the grand jury, the
| substance of which was that Mayor
| Ames and his brother, Chief of Police
Fred Ames, had organized a perfect
| system of blackmail whereby gamblers
and Illegal resorts were allowed TO
| carry on their affairs for the payment
of regular sums at stated intervals TO
the agents of the mayor and the chief.
The principal collecting agents were
Irwin A. Gardner and c. c. Norbeck.
Gardner was medical student in the
office of Mayor Ames. who prior to his
entering politics was a practicing ply
stefan. Gardner was known to be the
confidential man of the mayor. He
was on the pay roll as a special officer.
Norbeck was a special detective, and
occupied a most peculiar role in the
combination. 1t was his duty to watch
the gambling houses. but not to arrest
the gamblers. He was to lead the vic
Tins away and pacify or even intimi-
date them if they objected too strenu
ously. Norbeck got $50 a week from
the gamblers for this work.
bling ring, testified that the entire com
bine had been arranged before Ames
had been in the mayors chair a week
after his first election in 1900 and it
was no time at all before the big
Mitt' men knew just how they stood
The blackmail from gamblers, sal
oons, and illegal resorts paid the Ames
administration between $4,000 and
$4,000 a week This sum had to be
divided among a number of persons,
and it is alleged that the mayer and
his brother Fred, the chief of police, Sc
cured the greatest share Of it.
The first indictment of Mayor Ames
was for attempting to bribe the county
commissioners. 1t was evident that
Gov. Van SAINT was about to remove
the sheriff, and it would then devolve
upon the county commissioners to APP
point. The office paid $4,000 q year,
and Ames is said to have told the
commissioners they could have two
thirds of that sum If they would APP
point his secretary, Tom Brown an eX-
reporter to the vacancy.
Ames was at first defiant and indig-
nant, but the evidence was too over
whelming. Then his health failed and
he went to West Baden, Ind. to re-
cuperate.
He eventually returned to Minneapo
lis to face his trial on the first batch
of indictments. His defense was in.
cipient paresis and mental irreSponsi-
bility.
DIR. Ames was four times mayor of
Minneapolis, once as republican and
thraa ti,nec a c q democrat and was once
democratic nominee for governor of
Minnesota. He was born in Garden
Prairie, H., Jan. IS, 1912.