Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-25
NEAR CLOSE OF LIBEL SUIT
Defense Rests and oonnsll Starts Attack on
News Testimony,
VIC WALKER AND SHERCuFF ON eRleDlE
bartender Of Former Tells About the
DennisOn Checks and Brother
of Latter Impeaches star
Deposition.

The beginning of the end of the Dem
nison-News libel suit came yesterday after
noon shortly before 3 o'clock when the
defense rested with the understanding one
more witness, not in the city yesterday,
might be called today. The plaintiff at
once began an attack in rebuttal on the
evidence offered by the News tending to
reflect on the character and reputation Of
Tom Dennison. The single witness yet to
be examined by the defense is I. ]. Ma
honey of the Civic Federation.
Early in the forenoon w. ]. Broatch was
recalled to the witness stand by the de-
fense to supplement his testimony of the
day before regarding the cancelled checks
given him by Vic Walker in 1903 and de-
stroyed by him. He said the checks were
made payable to Tom Dennison and were
drawn on the Merchants National bank.
The remainder Of the testimony for the de-
fense was purely technical
As soon as the defense had rested At
! torney Connen began an attack on the
witnesses for the defense by means of i'm
peaching testimony. The evidence of Vic
Walker regarding the giving of checks to
Dennson for alleged police protection was
first attacked. viii A. Minor, formerly
Walkers bartender, was the first witness.
He said he remembered of Dennisons cash
ing check for $40 for Walker in October,
1901, on the night he and Walker attended
prize fight together. The contention of
the plaintiff is that this was one Of the
checks given by Walker to Broatch and
destroyed. Minor said Walker frequently
| got Dennson to cash his checks when he
| ran short of ready money
Homer Morris, a brother of Sherman w.
Morris, alias Frank sherclff, the Pollock
| diamond robber, went on the stand to i'm
| peach his brothers. deposition. He said his
| brother told him the case against Dem
| nison in Iowa was put up job made up
| by Elmer Thomas and the Civic Federation.
| He said his brother also told him the claim
| that Dennison dug up the Pollock dia-
] monds at Missouri Valley was incorrect
and the whole thing was a put up Job to
send Dennison to the penitentiary.
Chief Donahue went on the stand and
denied the truth Of a conversation George
Burrier testified he had had with the chief
Objection was made to the introduction OF
dispositions by c. 2. Llewellyn and c. E.
Doyle, contradicting some Of the things in
Shercliffs deposition, and the jury was ex-
cused until morning while the attorneys
argued the law. Judge Estelle reserved his
ruling on the points until morning.
The cross-examination by w. J. Connel
OF Vic Walker occupied the principal part
Of the forenoon session Wednesday
Walker was subjected to close examina.
ton by Mr.. Connell in an effort to brinG
out alleged discrepancies between his tes
timony Tuesday and testimony he had
previously given. -
r. Beecher Howell, J. H. Merchant and
I. W. Carpenter went on the stand and
testified as to Dennison's general reputa
tion prior to the publication of the articl,
In the News They we're also closely ex
amined by Mr. Connell as to the politica
or personal hostility to Dennison or thei
connection with the Civic Federation.
A. A. Bebout a former police officer
testified he had seen Dennison at the po
lice station frequently about 1901 when h,
was desk sergeant.