Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-18

connected with baths and bed rooms?"
ask the police.
| The private dining room feature of
| the restaurant is what Chief Auble
| finds most Objectionable.
| Parties who drink liquor in the sight
of others have no opportunity to in
dulge in orgies that may result as
fatally as the one of February 6.
PubIie> Opinion Aroused
Seldom has there been story that
has aroused public opinion as that Oh
Minnie Blough.
In company with her sister Lillian,
Nellie Courser, Mortimer C. Helmer
and man whose name is not yet fully
determined, a drinking bout in one of
the private dining-rooms of the Del
Monte ended in acrobatic feats by the
! girls. While Lillian Blough and Nellie
| Courser successfully jumped on the
table and leaped gracefully down on
| the other side to merry jig time
played by Mr.. Hemer, poor Minnie
struck her back on the arm of a chair
and precipitated a crisis in her physi-
, cal condition.
Helmer, in a public statement to the
press, has acknowledged his part in
the affair. He refused to give the
name OF the other man.
1t has been claimed that it was
Frank Hardy, a tourist who stops at
the Hotel Eden 552 South Broadway.
Mr.. Hardy admits knowing the Blough
girls and that he sent a costly wreath
to be placed on Minnie's caSket. But
he denies that he was of the party
that night, although his description
tallies remarkably with all that could
be learned of the "other man in the
case"
EIood Daniee
Yesterday young woman, supposed
to be Miss Courser, gave out the in
formation that Frank l.. Flood, man
ager of the Mckee restaurant, $40
South Spring street, was the uniden-
titled member of the party.
Mr.. Flood Indignantly denies the
story and says that he can prove
complete alibi.
Il admit that / knew the girls he
said last evening to The Herald. Il
had met them here several times and
Miss Courser worked here for a time.
But say positively that l do not know
Mr.. Helmer and that 1 was not out
with the party, nor did l meet them
on the night of February g.
A mysterious Mrs. Fisher told
private detective yesterday that Mr..
Flood was the unnamed man. She
said she lived at the Hotel Lockwood,
where Mime Blough formerly worked
in the dining room.
There has never been anyone here
of that NAME" said the manager of
the lockwood dining room.
An inquiry at the cashiers desk
brought out the same reply, and it was
stated that Miss Nellie Courser, also
waitress there, had been discharged
that morning.
AS a matter of fact the name of the
other man is not important.
According to Helmer this man only
met the girls that night. He did not
accompany Miss Blough or witness her
sudden death. He can know but little
of the tragedy.
After the orgy in the Del Monte pr-
vate room Helmer took Minnie Blough
to his room at the Hotel Cane, Sec
ond and Olive streets, According to his
story she became Immediately ill. DR..
r. C. Myers was summoned and the
girls sister, who with the other man
were reported at the Hotel Venice, was
telephoned for.
After the physician had been sum-
moned a second time and after it was
seen that Miss Blough was in crit-
cal condition an ambulance was sent
for and the dying girl was conveyed
to the Sisters hospital. She died as
she was taken from the ambulance.
The body was shipped back to the
old home aud Helmer. who had the
dying girl at his apartments. gave the
sister SITS towards the funeral ex-
penses. He spared no expense. he said,
and felt very badly over the tragic
ending of the girl who had been such
jolly friend to him.
So far there has been nothing for
the police to take hold of and there
has been no one who could be said to
be directly responsible for the death
of the deluded girl.
To prevent a repetition of such mid
night orgies at the Del Monte and
other "hotels" run on a similar plan
Is what the better element in the COM
munity Is striving after.
Mayor McAleer, Commissioners John
son and Mason and Chief of Police,
Auble will see what can be done at
the meeting of police commissioners to-
abolish private rooms, booths, stalls
and suites, where young girls can be
lured to ruin and be drugged with
wine until their moral sense Is per-
verted and scenes take place which do
not always end In death. but nearly
always In disgrace