Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-12
JOHNSON & FORD
LOSE THEIR PERMIT
Police Board Revokes License
Following Investigation of
Questionable Deal

For their part in a questionable
financial transaction with DR.. ]. w
Jones, the retail liquor license of john
son &c Ford, 11S East Third street, was
revoked by the police commission last
night. The license was granted March
and johnson e. Ford have a brand
new stock of liquors on hand, but no
license that permits them to dispose
of the goods.
DIR. Jones, Paul r. Ussher, F. M.
Johnson and T. B. Ford were examined
by the commission last night and told
conflicting stories. USHER was the at
torney in the case.
He testified that DR.. Jones had
brought Johnson to him last Febru-
airy with the intention of learning
something of the rules of the police
commission in granting liquor permits
and the regulations concerning 'front.'
age. Jones told Ussher that Johnson
wanted to secure a saloon location
He saw an agreement, written in lead
pencil and signed by johnson, In which
Johnson offered to pay Jones $4,000 for
services rendered and to be performed
in securing him a saloon.
When DIR. Jones was called he ad-
mitted he had written the contract
and that II stipulated he was to re-
ceive $4,000 for his services in securing
a location for saloon and getting
the necessary frontage. He said he
expected to have to pay some OF the
owners of frontage to gain their con-
sent, but that he would call on john
son for any such payments and not
take t out OF the $4,000. He said that
he had not demanded $4,000 of johnson,
IA Inta hnd fo ri
that amount. He had not collected
any of the money, he said. and admit
ted that he had not performed any
services worth $4,000. He declared
that after the license was granted TO
Johnson e. Ford, Johnson had agreed
to pay him $3.50. but he was not willing
to compromise for that sum.
Mayor Alexander tried to force an
admission from Jones that he had CIV
en- johnson to understand that a part
of the $1,000 was to be used to bribe
the commissioners to induce them TO
grant the permit, but Jones would not
admit anything Of the kind.
Johnson followed Jones on the wit
ness stand and said that he had agreed
to pay Jones $1,000. not for getting
the permit or a location or the 'front.'
age. but to get him saloon. His idea
was that Jones, who is real estate
man, was to act as his agent, pur-
chase him a certain saloon at 712 East
First street, and that the $1,000 was to
be Jones' commission for his services.
But he expected to have the location.
frontage, license and everything else
that goes to make up saloon except
the stock and fixtures. and for this he
was willing to pay $4,000. He denied
that he had agreed to compromise
with Jones for $3.50 or any other sum
and said that he had never paid Jones
a cent and the nearest he had come
to 1t was to offer Jones a suit OF
clothes If he would produce one per-
son that he had spoken to about
frontage or anything else in connec-
tion with getting the saloon.
When Johnson retired from the stand
the commission dragged out of his
partner, T. D. Ford, that compro-
mise of $3.50 had been offered and as
soon as this was established Commits
sioner Topnam declared he had heard
enough and moved that the permit be
revoked
The commission voted unanimously
and when the mayor announced that
the permit was revoked he also said:
"And later we will turn you all
over to the grand jury. Someone has
perjured himself here and we want to
find out who the guilty person is"