Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-24
FORMER POLICE
COMMISSIONERS
GIVE TESTIMONY
ARE CALLED BY DEFENSE IN
BR0ADHEAD TRIAL
E. J. FLEMING TELLS HIS PART IN
CLOSING SAVAGE HOUSES
lntimates Mayor Harper Was Shocked
When He Was Told Graft Existed
in Connection with Red
light Districts

GTI ERN told me mayor harper
II said I was getting too long
IA haired when he, Harper
learned that 1 insisted the Oswald crib
houses must be closed as the houses
run by Tom Savage had been closed"
testified E. j. Fleming on cross exam
ination yesterday in the trial of Thorn
as II. Broadhead on charge of accept
ing bribe.
The witness, called by the defense,
had related his own exploits in con-
nection with the closing of the Arling-
ton and other houses under Savage's
control in a manner calculated to be-
little the part which Oswald claimed
he played, with the unwilling assist
ance of Rev. Wiley j. Phillips and
others, in putting his redlight rival out
of business.
IL had told Kern" continued the wit
ness, that now that Savage was
closed, Oswald's district had to be
closed up, too. Next time Kern saw
me he told me he had repeated to Har-
per what I had said and Harper's re-
mark l phoned to the mayor, asking
him to come to my office. He came
down, and l said to him: 1t looks to
me like it's a proposition to pun down
the flag of Savage and put up the flag
of Oswald He answered: Ed, you're
getting just like the preachers, trying
to raise hell all the time. Why, l be-
sieve if you had your way you'd have
all those places closed up
Mayor Harper Shocked
"I tod him 1 knew there was graft in
connection with the Oswald district,
that did not mean to charge him with
having any part in it, but | knew 1t
was there, because Sam Schenck had
made an offer to let me in on it. Then
the mayor said, My God, didn't think
such a thing could be! Well have to
close them up
With the exception of the testimony
OF Ed Fleming, the case in chief of the
defense was rather tame affair yes
terday and seemed haphazard in its
character in marked contrast to the
case for the prosecution as developed
by Joseph Ford. point by point, work.
ing up in orderly sequence to force
full climax.
Counsel for the defense yesterday ap-
peared to be calling witnesses as the
names happened to occur to them,
sometimes bringing out some fragment
of testimony calculated to support the
admission of Oswald, on cross exam
ination ten days ago, that he had tes-
titled falsely before the grand jury of
November, 1908, while still inclined to
defend the officials who, he felt after
ward, had thrown him down."
The only thing that seemed to indi-
cate definite plan was the calling of
a character witness for Harper, Kern
or Broadhead at intervals, as If counsel
feared the jury might forget If half an
nour passed without a testimony from
the witness stand TO the former good
reputation OF the trio.
WoodiII Interprets Law
John G. Mott. attorney, followed
Fleming on the stand and testified he
had gone to Dallas, Tex, July 8, 1908,
in company with Mayor Harper to at
tend the Elks' convention. There was
no cross examination.
Former Police Commissioner II. B.
Woodill under the administration of
the recalled mayor was the next wit
ness He testified to plans which he
said the commission and the mayor
had formed to mitigate the social evil
by the gradual closing of the worst
places.
All were agreed, he declared. the at
tempt to open the Balerino cribs must
not be permitted Asked why, on cross
examination, he said;
""There is a stencil on that name "
"Then it is the name you objected
to, but not the business?" was asked,
but objection by the defense was sus-
tanned and the question was not an
swered.
Woodill asked his view of the state
law against all such places, answered:
my understanding of the state law
is that it was made that way in order
to give power to the police to close
such places whenever it seemed adVis-
able, and that ut is intended to allow
the police to do pretty near anything
they please"
Former Commissioners Testify
Woodill, leaving the witness stand,
gave place to Councilman Henry II.
Yonkin, who declared that before the
publicity regarding matters on which
the present trial is based the reputa-
tion of Ed Kern had been good.
Nathan Cole, jr., police commissioners
under Harper spoke as WOodill had
of Investigations made in the Tedlight
districts by the commissioners and dis
cussions as to what ought to be done.
Then came the character witness, w.
C. Mushet in this instance. He could
not say that he knew the regulations
of Harper, Kern and Broadhead had
been good, but was willing to say he
never had heard anything against them
prior to the events which eliminated
in the trial of Broadhead.
Two of the Others former police COM
missioners followed, Harbert w. Lewis
testifying in a similar manner to his
him on the stand, while Edward B.
Tufts simply stated he had been ap-
pointed to succeed Fuller in August,
1908, and that the redlight matter had
been disposed of by the closing of Os-
wald's district before that time.
Contradicts Oswald
A. C. Berchtold, patrolman, gave
testimony in contradiction of state
ments by Oswald on cross examination.
The witness said the redlight chief,
April 5, 1908, in the back room of the
st. Elmo bar, had declared to him that
if Broadhead did mot stop interfering
with Oswald's friends Broadhead would
be sorry for it. He contradicted him
self on the question of whether he had
received orders to arrest Joe Durand
or not, under cross examination, and
showed relief at leaving the stand.
The last hour of the day was taken
Continued on Page Two