Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-07-23

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dating TACK to 1901 during the admin
istration Of Mayor Picker. The dock
cts were for state and city cases tried
in rolice court. Chief Of Police Gall
agher was questioned about number
of pawnbrokers and the management
Of the local opera house, airdome and
garrick theater. Judge W1llcockson
said when an objection was interpoEed
by the defense that he doubted the
value of the testimony as he did not
feel the mayor could be blamed for
the inability to collect license from
such sources but he would admit the
testimony, although he had little faith
in 1t.
After Ctlhoun House.
The prosecutors then trained their
guns on the very neighbarhood
wherein Mayor Phillips resides when
they opened verbal fire on the old
rumbling hotel building known the the
Ctlhoun house. Several witnesses
were placed on the stand to tell Of the
character Of the place and describe its
location and that with reference to the
home of the mayor, which really adj
journs the Calhoun house property,
being located at the rear of the or1gi-
nal lot on which the building in ques-
ton stanus. The first witness called
to testify to this line of evidence was
Prof. J. w. O'Brien of the Ottumwa
commercial college who told how long
he resided in the neighborhood he said
that from what he had heard Of the
place and from his own observation he
would thi1k that the character of the
place was bad and that it was a house
Of designation.
J. n. Rheem Questioned.
]. H. Rheem was next called to the
stand and testified in a general way to
tho same evidence as that presented
by his predecessor, adding to it that he
called three times to the police station
by phone and when the officer came to
his home he complained of the conduct
of the Calhoun house, which adjoins
his home on Washington street. The
officers, he stated, refused to go into
the house without an information be-
ing filed. He also said that after fail
ure to get the police to stop the null
sance, he called in person on the
mayor and was vexed because he
could not get the officers to stop the
place or clean it out. The conversa-
ton, he stated, was pleasant enough,
except for his being vexed, and the
mayor told him he should file informa-
ton against the place, as he, the
mayor, had not the authority to raid
the house. The mayor, however, told
him he would do what he could to full
fill the wishes of the witness. He
stated in describing the abuses of the
house that he several times had seen
young men and young women enter
the house. He said, also, that drinking
and fighting were going on there.
Fielder Never Complained.
William Fielder next testified that
he resided on the corner Of Washing
ton and Fourth streets. He said the
character of the house known as the
Calhoun house had always been bad,
and that he never heard anything to
the contrary about It, He was not at
home during the day, he said and did
not see many Of the things complained
Of. In answer to question on cross
examination, he said that he was =
member of the city council in 1904,
during Mayor Pickler's administration.
Asked if, while he knew the character
of the place to be bad, he had ever as
alderman or private citizen complained
to the mayor or police about the place,
he replied that he had not He did not
know that it ever had been raided.
Sumner Surprised.
While sitting as a spectator at the
hearing and never suspecting that he
would be called, inasmuch as he had
not yet been subpoenaed, Tom Sum-
ner, whose name has been promi-
nently mentioned in the hearing, by
the prosecution, was called to the
stand. Mr.. Sumner hesitated as if de-
liberating whether he should question
the right to quiz him when he was
not subpoenaed. However, the court
called him forward and he was sworn.
The feature of his evidence was the
dimness Of memory that only by re-
freshing could yield anything more
than confirmation of facts and fig
ures given in records from the police
court, which the prosecution had In
readiness. AS to the fines he had paid
when he conducted gambling house,
which he admitted during the test1.
mony, he knew but little, and finally
said
"They are probably right if you have
the figures there, as I do not remem-
ber"
He did not know of any plan of fix,
ing the fine and the only. manner he
had any recollection of, he stated,
was that officers would meet him on
the street, arrest him, and tell him
the police Judge wished to see him.
Then he would go to the police court
and pay his fine. He said that for
long time they were closed up and that
the fines continued as long as the
gambling houses were open for bust
ness.
He named Rem Lane Erbacher and
Cloyd as also being in the business. He
stated that after he was closed he was
in 1908 indicted and prosecuted, being
fined 5000 and costs and given sixty
days Jail sentence. He did not know
who furnished the evidence. He said
that H. D. Judd testified against him
and that he was indicted with John