Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-26
Ed. KERN DENIES
CONNECTION WITH
VICE PROTECTION
MAKES NEGATIVE ANSWERS
TO ALL QUESTIONS
FORMER CHIEF REPLIES BEFORE
QUERIES ARE ENDED
ls Asked to Tell Story of Life Before
lnterrogated In Regard to AL
legged RedlIght District
Conspiracy
EDWARD KERN, former chief of

i police in Los Angeles, whose
Y name has been mentioned more
often than the defendants in the trial
of Thomas II. Broadhead on charge
of accepting a bribe for protection Of
the redilisht district. was called to the
witness stand by the defense yesterday
afternoon.
He gave negative answers to all the
questions asked, using similar formulas
in each case, as II did not" 'he did
not" 'I never did" Several times he
anticipated the completion of the ques-
tion, as II the first words had a
familiar sound to him and called to his
mind what the question was to be, for
his answer, 81 never did" or HE never
did," struck into the middle of one of
Attorney Appers beautiful long ques-
tions before the drift had become APP
parent to any one but the witness. Mr..
Appel frowned a little at this, but con-
tinued to be very polite to the witness
none the less.
The former chief of police was called
to the stand at $40 o'clock in the aft
ernoon. after the trial had dragged
tediously all day, taken up chiefly with
wearying enumerations Of names and
places at some time associated by repu-
tation with the social evil.
Disorderly Houses Scattered
According to the gist OF all this tes-
timony, houses of I'll fame were scat
tered from end to end of the business
district of the city and far out into the
residence districts under the admins
tration of the late recalled mayor, in
creasing enormously in the year 1905
This line of evidence was introduced
by the defense to show that Nick"
Oswald had no monopoly on the busi-
ness of the underworld while Harper
was mayor, Samuel Sehenck a police
commissioner and Ed Kern chief OF
police.
The first questions put by Attorney
Appel to Mr.. Kern were designed to
call forth a brief oral autobiography OF
the former chief He is 4S years of
age, was born, as other noted men have
been, on a farm. and 1t was in Iowa.
His life was that of farmer boy up
20 his nineteenth year, devoid of
dreams of chiefship of police for the
future with the dark shadow of the
underworld, shot through with lurid
light. lying across it.
Before the completion of his TWEEN
tieth year he left the farm and went to
Colorado. where he engaged in teaming;
then in New Mexico and Arizona, where
he took up rairoading construction
work. Later in Prescott, Ariz., he be-
came attached to the quartermaster's
department of the United Staes army,
Crook.
Quits Business for Politics
After seven years in the service, part
OF which term was passed under Gen.
Miles in California, he went into the
ice and cold storage business in Los
Angeles, withdrawing from this to give
his entire attention to politics in the
course of his first term in the city
council, which began in 1902 Novem-
ber 20, 1906, he was appointed chief of
police while serving his second term in
the council, and took office Immediately.
At this stage the photographed re-
cital ended abruptly as Attorney APP
pei asked the first of the long series
of questions which called forth laconic
negatives from the witness:
did you. In January or February,
1907. in your office in the city jail
building, have conversation in the
presence of Mayor Harper with n. d.
Oswald?"
81 did not" answered Kern.
did you engage in a conversation
with N d. Oswald in January. 1907, in
which he told you he was ready to open
the Rallerino crib district?" was the
next question. For the first and last
time in the course of the examination
the witness displayed excitement.
81 never had any conversation with
him at all about anything at that time"
he calculated.
Kern Denies Everything
Appel spoke soothingly to him and
displayed more care thereafter in his
way of wording the questions, and the
answers came stolidly from the wit
ness, 81 did not" "TIe did not" in
simple direct denial of all the testimony
of Oswald to dealings with the former
chief in the early months of 1907
Only once after that was any more
extended answer given, and that was
when Kern was asked about his tour
of investigation with others of the red
light district.
II don't recall the exact date when
we went down there. The mayor was
with us, and Woodill. Cole and Capt
Broadhead. We saw work going on in
the refitting of the old Ballerino crib
district, and the commissioners and
mayor said right there that the district
must not be allowed to open. After
ward there was a meeting of the COM
missioners. and I received orders to
that effect.
mo, at that time I did not know
Oswald had anything to do with it.
From that district we went around
through Chinatown and up to Main and
New High street, going through the
houses we found. / was given orders
to clean them up.
1.-THE big raid was decided on at a
lunch at Levy's cafe. The mayor was
there, and Woodill, Cole and Lewis.
don't think Schenck was there"
Seems Anxious to Please
The witness leaned back in his chair,
with knitted brows, waiting for the
next question. His manner was that of
an obedient pupil, anxious to please the
schoolmaster
A long wait followed, more than ten
minutes, while counsel for the defense
looked over the transcript of Oswalds S
testimony for the prosecution in search
of points on which to PROFOUND ques-
tions to Kern.
Then came a long series of questions
by Appel, answered by the witness in
the brief negative formulas. Only a
fair beginning on the transcript of
Oswald's testimony involving Kern had
been made at the time of adjournment.
The direct examination of this wit
ness by the defense, followed by cross
examination, viii proceed this morning
~ IN O'clock