The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-05-07
sT|Rs UP THE TOWN
THE CHARGE MADE BY MACVICAR
AGAINST HAMERY.
Claim Is That Des Moines Alderman
Was Matrimonial Agent in Lam
bertOn, Mimi, and That He Did
Work" One Randall for a Piece
of Money; Recall May Be the Re-
suit of Awful Upheaval.


the sensational exposure in city coun-
ell meeting of John l.. Hamery's former
elected head of the department of pub
lie safety under the Des Moines plan
of city government, and has posed as
a reformer ever since. One of his most
noticeable acts was the wiping out en-
tirely of the red light section of the
city and the throwing ont of all slot
machines and gambling devices of all
kinds.
That the recall feature of the Des
Moines plan will be attempted is heard
Hamery will not alone he put up for
the people To say whether or not he
viii continue in office. but that Coun-
Gilman Wesley Ash, the labor member,
and John MacVicar, head of the de-
partment of streets and improvements,
will also be put up for vote.
Civic societies recognize that with
MacVicar on one hand and Hamery
and Ash ON the other so bitterly OPP
posed, the Des Moines plan cannot be
given a fair test. They viii ask, there
fore that the people vote whether to
retain any of them, and if so, which.
Charge Made By MacVicar.
The charge made by MacVicar yes
terday that Hamery, as John A. Ham
merry at Lamberton, Mimi, worked a
matrimonial swindle some years ago
after which he disappeared to show up
in Des Moines as John L. Hamery was
the talk of the city last night. 1t was
when Councilman MacVicar interviewed
Senator Stewart of Cottonwood county,
Minnesota, while in st. Paul recently,
that the real history was learned. 1t
was Senator Stewart who told Mac
Vicar of the days when Hammer a
school teacher, mulcted John Randall
out of sums of money by pretending
that he was going to marry his aunt
to Randall.
Hamery denied the story last night
except to say that he played boyhoOd
Joke on Randall He said that he re-
ceived a suit of clothes and carfare
from Lam berton to Mortified, where
his aunt lived, upon pretenee that he
was going to persuade her to return
with him to Randall He said that he
repaid Randall for the suit of clothes
At that time he was teaching school
near by.
Hamery says the story of an at
tempted Indictment in Cottonwood
county is pure fiction.
Cause of the UprOar.
For some time the city council has
been wrangling over the selection of
an architect for the new $350,O00 city
hall. Hamery, Ash and Mayor Mathis
lined up against MacVicar and Schramm
and each side preferred different arch
itect. The other day, MacVicar accused
Architect o. O. Smith of this city of
offering Hamery $500 if he would vote
to give the architects job to Smith.
Hamery admitted this, but said he had
laid a trap for Smith and that he had a
man under the table taking notes when
Smith made the offer.
Some years ago Hamery played a
similar game on General Manager Hip
pee of the Des Moines City Railway
company, when he had three men in
rooms at his home and accepted
bride of $500 from Hippee in the bath
room at his house in sight of the
spectators. The grand jury was asked
to indict Hippee, but never did.
Hamery charges that the Minnesota
exposure was trumpet up by the street
car company and by friends of Hallet
& Rawson, the architects whom Mae
Vicar is backing for the city hall job
and whom Hamery is opposing.
What MacVicar Said.
"When | was in st. Paul the other
day | called on Senator Seward from
Cottonwood county, Minnesota. l asked
Senator Seward about Mr.. Hamery,
and he said that he was prosecuting
time Hamery's case was examined by
the grand jury. / asked Senator
Seward about Mr.. Hamery and he said:
Hamery is not the ordinary Grim
inal. He is a degenerate. He will
commit a greater crime and 60 far
Their in it for a small return of money
than any one
Then he told in detail two instances
bearing on this. He said few years
ago he was attorney for a john Ran
dali Mr.. Hamery, who was teaching
school in the Randall neighborhood
and boarded with Randall, drew up
a will. He made it of doubtful con-
struction. Later Mr.. Hamery was
brought from Des Moines to testify.
He called Mr. Randall aside and de-
manded $25.
at seems that the will contained
the word mot in a certain vital por-
ton. Hamery when ne went on the
witness stand, testified that the will
was all his handwriting, every word of
it, except the word not changing the
purpose of the will entirely.
"Hamery lived with Randall for sew
eral years, and after Randall's wife
died, Hamery told the old man that he
had an aunt who would make him a
good wife. Mr.. Randall gave him
some money with which to send for
her. little later Mr. Hamery told
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