The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1904-10-22
The Trial.

Dupuy, Mayor of New Iberia
Capt. Haley NJ. Garter, Chief OF
Police, and Special Officer Alex
Chargois, were tried before his
Honor, 7. Don Foster, Judge OF
the 10th Dist. Court, on af1ida
Wits charging "MlsdemeanOr in
Office on the part of the Mayor,
and "Extortion in office" on the
part of the police officers. The
court room was filled with specta
tors all day during the trial, which
consumed the day.
These cases developed in the
Grand Jury room during the late
sessions of that body and "true
bill" were returned.
At the trial DIST. Attorney Ed
win Broussard represented the
state, and Messrs. Burke and
Burke and A. N. Muller represent.
ed the defendants.
Chargois was first placed on
trial, and the facts brought out
were briefly these: Some five
years ago, or more, the City Coun-
Gil adopted and enforced an ordi.
nance closing disreputable houses
in the "tender loln" district. AT
ter a time the inmates of these
institutions returned and opened
their houses. The Council, by
its inaction, scquiest. Either the
expelling Councillor the next
succeeding Gt was not made per-
fectly clear adopted a system
of drawing a revenue from the es-
Establishments of the district, suffi-
cient to pay the necessary polio
Ing of that section. 1t was made
clear, however, that this system
prevailed through the Fisher ad-
When the Dupuy Council as
sumed charge of the city govern
ment, it took cognizance of the
situation in these special matters,
employed and commissioned Alex
ChaIgois as a special officer for
the district, fixed as the City's
part of his salary $40 per month,
with the understanding that po
liced establishments must pay the
balance, and instructed the Mayor
to put the system into operation.
The Mayor, in company with the
Chief of Police, visited the dens
and notified the proprietors that
they would have to pay for the
policing of their district or else the
city ordinance-adoptod by the
second proceeding council, expell
ing them-would have to be en-
forced. There were no protests
made at the time and the system
in vogue up to the sit
ting Of the present Grand Jury.
Mayor Dupuv, when placed on
the witness stand, candidly ad-
mitted all that he and his council
had done, guided by PRECEDENT
and expediency, and stated that
he did not propose that the towns
funds-needed for streets, bridges,
ETC., should be applied to the
preservation of order in the dis.
district.
Carter's own testimony made it
clear that he had collected for a
time and turned various sums over
to Chargois. That the greatest
sum collected from the district any
one month was $3.50, which
Chargois received together with
the SO from the city's treasury.
That later and )atterly Chargois
was burdened with making his
own collections.
None of the witnesses testified
TO the effect that Chargois had
ever abused his privilege by at.
to collect greater sums
than the schedule fixed.
After the taking of evidence the
attorneys made strong arguments
and submitted the case. By
agreement of the attorneys on
both sides the remaining two
cases were submitted to his Honor
Oh a written statement of the
facts, without argument.
On the following Monday Judge
Foster rendered his decision, find
ing Chargois guilty as charged,
md ovnnorato6 tho Movnr ond