The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-02-27
ABANDONED THE BUSINESS.
Turned Over Keys to Officers Selling
Furniture-End Of 1.-THE Club"

letic Club is out of business. It
has in fact, been onthe ragged edge
of despair for several weeks. The
raid made by Sheriff Burnett, Dis
trict Attorney Bryson and other OF.
6cers about six weeks ago and the
evidence that resulted therefrom,
placed the concern in bad shape.
Since that time. the affairs of the
establishment have been in demon
allied condition. The final climax
came, a week or ten days ago,
when the keys were turned over to
District Attorney Bryson and the
building deserted by its former oc-
cupants. Ever since, negotiations
have been pending for sale of the
furniture, and for closing an n
terprise that, from the FIRST found
Jordan a rocky road to travel.
Furniture dealers who were re-
quested by Mike Kline to make
bids on the furniture, had to 60 to
the district attorney to get keys
with which to enter the building.
No statement as to what led to
the abandonment of fhe business
is of course, available, but it has
all along been known that the trial
of the case in the circuit court Dec
ember 18th and the verdict brought
in by the jury thereat. really broke
the back of "the club" That trial
was the sixth in which the club
officers participated. That jury
was the sixth that convicted Kline
and condemned his place of bust
ness. Five juries in the justice
court found without a dissenting
voice, against the establishment,
each arriving at a verdict on the
first ballot and without delay.
In the trial In the circuit court
the rulings of Judge Harris follow
ed exactly the lines laid down by
Justice Holgate in the lower court.
In passing sentence at the end of
the trial Judge Harris said: "Your
so-called club or saloon as the testi-
mony shows, is a studied attempt
to evade the provisions of the local
option law. There is nothing in
your conduct to appeal to the SYM
pathy of the court in passing this
sentence. 1t is the judgment Of
this court that you serve a term of
80 days in the Benton county Jail,
and that you pay a fine of $500 and
the costs of this trial"
The costs included the costs OF
the trial of the same case in the
justice court an aggregate estimated
at 5000. making a total including
the $500 fine. Of 5000, besides the
Jail sentence. This, with the uni
versal opinion of lawyers that the
supreme court will be certain to at.
firm the decisions of the lowe,
courts was adiscouraging condition
for an establishment devoted, as
was, ''the CLUB to the "moral wei
l fare," the protection of game
t and to ''athletics, land it is moi
. surprising that the fight was al
last given up. The total of the
! fines against the officers of the con
Germ is about $1,000.
All of the cases against Kline
and his associates are under appeal
the circuit court cases to the su
preme court, and the justice court
to the circuit court. Of the latter
there are five, of which one ha:
: been heard in the circuit court. I
: is not likely that the other justice
: court cases will not be tried in thu
circuit court until after a decision
in the supreme court. If the de
cision be adverse to Kline, it is pro
bable that he will ask for a dismis
: sal of the appeals of justice case:
to the circuit court, for it has beer
demonstrated that on the evidence
: in the hands of the district attorney
: convictions are certain to result,
| whenever and wherever there is {
trial. District Attorney Bryson is
now waiting for the defense to file
its brief in the appeal to the su
: p10u1G GUILT 4AS1C was uCldt IL
l filing of the evidence, which il
turn caused the attorney for the de.
Tense to over run the time for FL
ing the brief, which is expected ane
!, due at any time. The case ought
to reach the supreme court in time
for a decision to be returned in the
early summer, the court of last re-
| sort being about four months il
f arrears with its business.
The Club" was founded by
Mike Kline. He was. as testimony
at the various trials have shown,
its proprietor and manager. Liz.
uors were sold at the usual saloo1
prices, and as the traffic was IN
licensed, the profits in the begin
: ming, were considerable. 1t was a!
Judge Harris said incourt, "a stud
led attempt to evade the provis'
io,,e of tho 1ooo1 option 1awb T