Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-14
DIXON REVEALS
PROTECTEDWCE
WAS RECORDED
CAPTAIN OF POLICE TELLS OF
OLD REPORTS
CRoSS-ExAMINATION DAMAGING
TO RRoADHEAD
duced In Court Room-Papers Con-
tain information About Women
OF the Underworld

Oswald came to see Captain Broad.
head so often, sometimes two or three
times week, that 1 began to wonder
what he was there for" testified
CHARLES e. Dixon, captain of police
yesterday in the trial of Thomas H
Broadhead, former chief Of police
charged with acceptance of a bribe
from Nick Oswald for protection of the
redlight district.
The testimony of Captain Dixon, who
was a lieutenant of police during the
time that Broadhead was captain and
then, for brief period, chief was moi
particularly startling on direct exam.
ination, but on cross examination by
Attorney Appel much that was damag-
ing to the defense was brought out.
Appel asked the witness II he had
tried to get Oswald to help him secure
the captaincy which he now holds.
No" responded the witness; "ht
offered to help me. Broadhead, fol
some reason / never could discover
was opposing the advancement tC
which l was entitled under the civl
service rules. Oswald came to me anc
said he had pull with Broadhead ant
would use his influence to call hin
off,"
Answers NettIe Appel
"And now you feel very angry al
Broadhead, l suppose?" queried MI
Appel.
mo" answered the witness slowly
mot now l did while he was oppos-
ing the advancement to which 1 con-
sidered myself entitled"
"Oh, you feel just the same toward
him as before he worked against you
do you?" sneered Appel.
mo" replied Captain Dixon gravely;
"Broadhead and 1 were very close
friends for long time. and 1t is not
in human nature to feel the same"
Dixon's answers nettled Appel. The
attorney suddenly raped out the
question: Didn't Belle Ryan name the
Dixie, house of i'll fame, for you
Dixon?"
The witness for an instant seemed
dumfounded at the question, and then
he laughed, frankly boyishly, with per-
feet good humor, revealing the full ex-
panse of his cleaning white teeth.
The question was objected to, and
the objection sustained.
Vice Recorded
Dixon testified to the existence of re-
ports of every inmate of houses of II
fame in the city on file in the Office 81
the captain of police, formerly Broad
heads office now occupied by Dixon
The reports were sent for and brought
to the courtroom, several thousand OF
them. They were printed blanks with
spaces filled in with ink giving the
name under which each woman lived
on the line below appearing her al
legged real name and on the next the
name of the house, with town and
state of which she last had been an
inmate, and then the name of her male
agent.
On some of the report blanks the
third line was filled in with the word
None" or mo house." tell badly OF
the beginning of the last act of one life
tragedy with the rising of the curtain
on the bright light and moral dark
ness of the underworld.
There they had been, the reports
bearing dates in 1905, 1906, 1907. 1905
and 1909, formal records in the office
of the captain of police of vice per-
mitted II not protected, existing in vio-
lation OF the statutes of the state OF
California.
The Arlington Closed
Captain Dixon testified he had given
very few orders regarding the redlight
district controlled by Nicholas Oswald
though 1t was In the district which was
under his supervision as lieutenant OF
police.
Captain Broadhead told me we
would leave those matters to be at
tended to by Sergeants Redmond and
Mcdowell, they being on duty there
afternoon and night, and so leave time
for the lieutenants to attend to other
business" he said. "I did not give the
orders under which the district was
operated"
He did receive instructions regard
ing the Arlington, one OF Tom Savage's
houses, however
Captain Broadhead told me, some
time In the fall of 1907, to serve notice
on the persons in charge of the Arling-
ton, and every one of the woman in
mates of the place, that they would be
arrested If they were found there the
following evening. Broadhead told me
the women were to be driven from that
district into another, away from among
the business houses in Commercial
street west of Alameda. The order
was rescinded, but finally was executed
two or three weeks afterward, and the
Arlington closed This was about six
weeks or two months before the place
was closed for good"
Obeyed His Superors
On cross-examination the witness
was asked searching questions regard
ing houses of ill fame in other parts OF
the city, at different periods of his
service as lieutenant OF ponce, ana OF
his reasons for not arresting the per-
sens whom, he admitted, he found vio-
lating the laws of the state. In some
confusion he took refuge in the state
ment that his duty was to obey the
orders of his superiors.
The direct examination of Tom Saw
age was completed at the morning ses-
sion and the cross examination begun
His entire testimony was plant. He
was always the man with a grievance
but feebly expressed. When he was
asked If he had been friends with Os-
wald his answer, mo, sir!" was ejacu-
lated more loudly than his other an
swers, but the tone was one of mere i'll
feeling and not of sturdy anger at the
man who had displaced him as dictator
of the redlight district in Los Angeles
On cross-examination Savage, asked
what he had meant Thursday on direct
examination when he testified he had
told Samuel Schenck what he thought
of him." answered whiningly: 81 called
him a bloody stiff"
The feebleness of the condemnation
of the police commissioner who would
not help him with the redlight district
which Oswald was taking away from
him was characteristic of Savage, the
sorriest spectacle that so far has ap-
Feared in this stew of vice and graft