Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-04-06
STRONG CASE MADE. AGAINST
COUNCIL BLUFFS POLICE
CHIEF.
WILL SPRING SENSATION
If THREAT is MADE GOOD
BerSf General That Richmond is Be-
ing frssde seapesoat for Other City
offieiaIs-PoIice Heads Failure to
Act Led to Investigation of Mabray
Gang.
Special to Times-Republican.

Council Bluffs, April 6-Interest is
scarcely less general or intense over the
trial Of Chief of Police George IL.
Richmond, than was manifested over
the hearing of the case against ]. c..
Mabray and his pals, and it is worthy
of remark that the Richmond trial is
being held in the same court room that
echoed and re-echoed with the testi-
mony Of the witnesses in the Mabray
trial; and also, that it was primarily
thru the Mabray case that Major Rich
mond was brought to trial
The court room is literally packed
to suffocation during the hearing and
owing to the fact that Judge Wood
ruff has not adopted the recess plan in
vogue during the Mabray trial, con-
slant attendance is we'll nigh intoer
able
The testimony against Richmond is
Overwhelmingly against him. A stronger
case was never presented in any court,
and a common remark upon the streets
and in all public places, is. why did
the major let it come to trial?" Another
ejaculation In the same connection, is,
will he stand to be made the goat 2"
Richmond stated some time prior to
the commencement of the trial that il
he was singled out and made q scape-
goat for all the scandalous opera tions
in city affairs, that he would ''squear'
and tell all that he knew, and people
are wondering now if his nerve will
sustain him to this point If it does
there is general belief that a real sen
sation will be created in the city.
Caused Mabray Investigations.
Last evening, just before adjourn
ment, Postoffice Inspector j. c. Sven
son, the man who more than any one
other or dozen other persons, was re-
sponsible for bringing the Mabray
gang to account. testified that it was
a letter which had been ignored by
Chief of Police George Fl. Richmond
which started him on the scent of the
Mabray outfit; ard which resulted in
their conviction many months later.
This letter was the one received by
j. G. Hancock, of Omaha, and known
in the Mabray court annals as mo. A,
and which, after Richmond had shown
no inclination to follow up, was turned
over to Mr.. SWenson. Mr.. Swenson
testified also to talking with Policeman
O'Leary about the operations of the
Mabray organization and gave out the
Inference that he met with only re-
pulses when trying To interest the To-
cal authorities in the suppression OF
the syndicate.
Testimony is Sensational.
AS startling as had been the publ
cation of the affidavits of Constable
J. G. Baker and Justice John *
Cooper M less sense tional was their
testimony i'm the case. Justice Cooper
upon the witness stand, testified that
Chief Richmond handed him $40 in
the Grand hotel, practically in the pres
ence of ,Mabray and that when he re-
turned the money to the chief the lat
ter replied that ''he should have known
better than to offer Justice Cooper
Constable Baker, who was also made
the recipient of a $40 gold piece while
in the same place (the toilet room of
The Grand hotel) by Chief Richmond,
said upon the witness stand that he
at the time that conditions
were getting pretty rotten in Council
Bluffs when the chief of police was
going about giving civil officers $40
gold pieces. Baker also testified to his
the money to Richmond with
the statement that no one owed him