Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-13
conspiracy to deprive citizens of the right
of franchise.
journalistic Detective Work.


Feeling a deep sense of responsibility ana
realizing that something should be done to
awaken public sentiment. Richard w.
Knott editor of the Louisville Evening
Post. imported from Chicago last August
a reporter-detective named Hallowell. who
had been doing police work upon some OF
the pa pers there and claimed to have been
one of the chief agents used by District At
torney Folk in exposing similar coma tons
in St Louis. 1t was thought necessary To
have the evidence gathered by some com
petent person unknown to the police. who
had been successful in checking investgi-
tons made by the local reporters. Halloween
furnished the material for a series of sem
sa tional articles exposing the horrible state
of affairs in Louisville, and demonstrated
t:le sympathy and protection of the police
and the indifference of the municipal of
fcials to the criminal classes one of his
articles described a place kept by Patrick
j. Sharkey, two blocks from police head
Quarters. in the immediate neighborhood of
the city hall and the courts. and in the very
heart of the city. Sharkey. with the assist
ance of Aaron kohn and the police Of
ficials. persuaded the grand jury to present
indictments for criminal libel against Rich
ard w Knott the editor of the Post, ana
Hallowell the reporter Sharkey's bar
keeper a man named Meter secured SINH
lar indictments. the charge being that the
Post had called Sharkey's place "a resort
of thieves. prostitutes and crooks.
Both Sharkey and Meter also sued Knott
for s40.00o damages for defamation Of char
acter.
The Sharkey indictment against Knott
was tried a few weeks ago, IN February,
and, although the character of the house
was sufficiently established, the jury
brought in a verdict of guilty and i'm
posed a fine of $500 upon Mr.. Knott. ev,-
IDENTIFY on the principle that 1.-THE greater
the truth the greater the libel Aaron
Kohn assisted the city attorney In prose
cutting the case.
The same day. in the same court. Richard
Roberts was tried for stabbing seven men
in a saloon fight. Aaron Kohn defended him
and he escaped with line of SEQ.
The same day. in tie same court. Charles
sullivan. charged with having murdered
John +. Fitzgerald. was acquitted on the
ground that his confession, which was full
and convincing. was made under comnul-
sion.
Eallowell Changes Sides.
Hallowell, the reporter-detective. pleaded
guilty and was not tried He was fined 500
and is now in Jail in default of money to
pay the fine. Before the suits came to trial
Hallowell went over to the other side. and
Aaron Kohn secured from him a deposition
that the articles published in the Evening
Post exposing the condition of affairs In
Louisville We're prompted by malice and in
tended for political effect but the prosecu-
ton did not place him upon the witness
stand.
The conduct of Hallowel is due to the re-
fusal of Mr.. Knott TO pay him money He
was receiving a regular salary as mem
Der of the staff of reporters, and was al
lowed a vacation, which he spent with an
other reporter in Indiana. The other re-
porter wrote to Mr.. Knott asking for
extension of leave for both and requesting
a remittance. He intimated that a refusal
of this request would be resented by Mr..
HalloweN and would release him from all
further obligations to the Post. The letter
made Mr.. Knott angry, he construed il
to he act
refused no remittance was sent, and both
men were discharged from the paper.
When HallOwell returned TO Louisville he
went straight into the camp of kohn.
Sharkey e Co.. and it was expected that
they would make him their principal wit
ness. But they did not do so, and having
secured from him deposition in which he
retracted all that he had written and ac-
cused his employer of malicious motives,
they threw him overheard, fined him 500
and have left him to rot in jail.
The Community Shocked.
Mr. Knott's trial for criminal libel against
the bartender Meter is set for April II; the
civil suit for defamation of Sharkeys char
acter is set for May ., but no date has been
fixed for the Meter SANDER suit. Aaron
Kofn, the political boss, is attorney for the
prosecution in all of these cases.
Although Mr.. Knott was convicted and
fine imposed upon him, che evidence pro-
duced by him at the trial shocked and
startled the community. The month OF
February, 1865, will always be remembered
as momentous period in the history of the
city. Very little else was talked about eX-
cept the exposures of crime. vice, immoral
ity, municipal corruption, the depravlty OF
the police and other sensational disclosures.
The result has been moral awakening, fol-
lowed by a religious revival and the poliu-
cal movement now on foot, in which repu-
table citizens of all parties have united TO
cleanse the city.
1t is proposed to nominate non-partisan
coalition ticket, composed of men who will
command the confidence of the public, and
offer it to the republican organization for
Endorsement