Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-07-26


the last administration. He said he
had no knowledge of gambling, etc,
curing the administration Of 1909.
He said his knowledge was general as
talked about by persons and he al
luded principally to the saloons clos
| ing on time, ETC.. but had no specific
condition of government in mind.
Played at kaiser's.
| w. H. Hillary Of near Agency, when
called to the stand told Of visiting the
Kaiser place. He knew Judd and
knew the defendant. He never heard
any gamblers talking of playing up
stairs while in the presence of the
mayor in the cigar store. On cross ex-
animation he told Senator Cosson that
he had played games in Kaiser's two
or three times in as many months,
! but that he had not been there for six
or seven months He was also there
at times when he did not play.
w. w. Epps on Stand.
The next witness was W. w. Epps,
former mayor and solicitor who served
one term as solicitor during the first
Phillips administration. He stated that
during his association with Mayor
| Phillips and for the last four years he
had not seen him intoxicated nor UNI
der the influence of liquor. Following
Mr. Epps, the defendant was called to
the stand in his own defense and told
the story Of his life as well as to rebut
the testimony OF other witnesses who
had testified for his prosecution.
Three Years Schooling.
The witness after a few general
rquestions were put to him was asked
| to tell the court the story of his life
in his own words. He said:
II was born in South Wales ana
came to ST. Louis with my parents be-
fore / was six years old. My schooling
consisted Of but little and was largely
night school and Sunday school. | was
taken to the mines by father when
I was nine years old and have spent
! my life in the mines and for mining or
coal concerns. Most Of this time was
spent In Missouri mines until 1877
when I moved to Iowa, Going to Big
| Soap creek near Belknap in Davis
county, and in 1880 l was employed by
the Whitebreast Coal g. Mining Co.,
later known as the Whitebreast Fuel
Co. as pit foreman in Lucas county. In
thirty days I was made superintendent
and later in 1887 was made general
Superintendent of the company with
my chief office in Cleveland. had as
high as 5000 men under my charge IN
Iowa and Illinois and the company
gave me charge of mines in Wapeilo'
Lucas, Monroe, Appanoose and Marion
counties and in Burea and Fulton
counties Of Illinois. | have two daugh-
ters and two sons the latter being In
the coal business. Aside from the
Whitebreast company l have also had
charge of the st. Paul and Cleveland
Coal companies and am at present the
president Of the latter. ! abandoned
nv offices in Ottumwa the latter part
~ inc L
sank the first shaft at Ladd. ILL.,, in the
neishborhood of Cherry where the
awful disaster took place.
Political History.
envy first efforts in the field Of pol
litics in Ottumwa was as candidate
for alderman when Sid Baker defeated
me shortly after I came to OttumWa.
I was elected mayor in 1897, serving
four years was given the nomination
for governor on the Democratic ticket
and ran against Senator Cummins and
was defeated and was elected mayor
again in 1907 and again in 1903. During
my first administration as mayor.
Henry Williams was chief of police
and John Gray, night captain. In my
present and last administration Peter
Gallagher, who formerly worked under
line as patrolman, was made chief and
Mat Mier night captain"
Tells of Flushing.
The counsel asked the defendant to
tell the court in his own language the
story of the street flushing and the
witness told it as follows:
81 have good reasons to remember
it, The streets were in a bad condition
and the Courier and Review as we'll
as the people complained Of them and
realized their condition but was not
in control of the streets. HI. G. Williams
is chairman Of the street committee OF
the council and l spoke to him about
them and then to Henry Adcock the
street commissioner. Mr.. Adcock told
me that he had talked to Mr. Williams
about the streets and told him as he
had spoken to Williams that would
take hand. We began on the first OF
March with a fire hose on Main street
at the corner of Jefferson and Main,
and with Mr. Adcock and myself, there
were two other men. l told Mr.. Adcock
to get a man for the hose who had a
horse so that the hose might be pulled
along the street. 1t was hard to man
age the horse owing to the pressure
and told Adcock to get another man
to hold the hose as 1t VS. slippery
under foot. then told him to go to his
other work and took charge myself.
The men handling the hose did not suit
me so I took the nozzle myself. The
ice was higher on the south side Of the
the street the slush would get on the
sidewalks. There were many people on
the street and especially on Saturday.
l would shout at the men and at the
teams that were being driven along the
street to keep out Of the way.
Tolls of Treat.
1.-The first day I got wet to the waist
and the next day got a pair or rubber
boots from one Of the firemen and
would change clothes at the station
each night when through the sergeant
helping take off my boots and handing
my shoes to me. We worked four days
and after we got through / took big
gang of men and five teams and began
out at Harrow's branch and flushed the
street to washington then began at
Jefferson and flushed the street until
we reached the old hospital. 1t took
about nine days to do the work and
then 1 was sick At no time was 1 in
toxicated and the incident Of the treat
ing occurred at the corner of Wash
ington and Main streets where young
Beatty, young man whom ! knew as
a boy driving a mule for me In the
mines, was the bartender. He told me
if I cleaned off the sidewalk the
treats would be on him and we cleaned
the walk. He asked us to 90 in and