Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-10-28
POSITION WANTS
HEARING SOON
GRAND JURY INDIcTs WELL
KNOWN MAN FOR FORGING
ATTORNEYS NAME.
VISITS THE CITY JAIL.
Jurors Call at City 1astile and Con.
denim Ito Unsanltary Condition;
Recommend New Building
When City IL Able.
VISITS THE CITY JAIL.


ing the October term before Judge F
w. yEichelberger, Joseph Poston de-
clared after claiming his privilege dur
ing the questioning OF Attorney Jc
Jacques, that Attorney Walter Rankin
had been paid $500 by him as agent
for the Leisy saloons to dismiss OF
drop the cases pending against the
saloons where Leisy beer was being
sold, was sprung in court late yester
day afternoon when the indictment
against Joseph Poston was returned
The true bill charges Poston with
forgery. The indictment is result OF
the saloon case squelching and the
man indicted is accused Of forging At
torney w. w. Rankin's name to re-
.ceipts given the Leisy Brewing CO. In.
terests here for the money paid to
have their cases dismissed or CON
tirIed.
Wants Immediate Hearing.
Mr.. Poston, who practices law In the
Justice nourts and occasionally In the
district court until refused permission
to do so last January by Judge f. M.
Hunter, appeared before Judge Eichel-
berger this morning and waived ar
raignment. He pleaded not guilty to
the charge and demanded an imme-
diate hearing, stating to the court that
the indictment was the greatest joke
ever perpetrated in the court Of the
county.
Mr.. Poston is spelling for the fight
that the case must call forth and
states that he Is very anxious to get to
1t and expects to reveal things that
will stir the bar as regards the prose-
cution of liquor cases in the county.
The case that brought the matter to
the public in the first place was that
OF the injunction proceedings against
D. Dwyre, October %, 1910, when
Judge Eichelberger denied the In
junction. s
Accused Rankin.
During the quizzing of Witness
Poston in the. course of the trial, At
torney 10 Jaques asked the witness
some pointed questions regarding his
knowledge of efforts having been
made to dismiss the prosecution OF
Leisy saloons, three OF which were but
disposed of yesterday with the pay
menl of the attorney fee of $25 to MIR
Rankin. Witness Poston claimed his
privilege at the time but was com
PEELED to tell and in answer to the
questions of Mr.. Jaqnes said that ne
had paid Attorney Rankin 5000 as an
agent for the Leisy saloon interests
in order to have the prosecution of the
cases dropped.
The sensation that followed was the
most stirring of any that had taken
place in the district court and Mr..
Rankin had number of local attor-
news called to the stand to 1mpeach
the character of Witness Poston. Mr..
Rankin admitted the following day In
an interview that he had not receive ed
any of the money as claimed by Mr..
Poston except $75 in the Dixon and
Bank cases, but said he vas morally
certain that Poston Ind received the
money to be paid to him.
Others Indicted.
Other indictments were:
& Harry Richards, a colored man.
charged with larceny from dwelling
in the night time Richards is accused
Of entering the residence Of Rev. J.
Cornelius Reid, pastor of the Second
Baptist church and taking Quantity
OF money that belonged to the church
fund.
Adam Houk, charged with assault
with intent to inflict great bodily In
Jury, was also indicted and is out on
$500 bonds. Another indictment Of the
same character was returned but the
men have not been apprehended and
the names are not made public. The
charge against Angie Berry, with
whom some five men were found In
her house on West Mechanic street,
was ignored The grand jury ignored
the charges against George Tuller OF
assault to inflict great bodily in
jury.
Not Sanitary.
In it's report on the condition Of the
city Jail, the grand jury condemned
the unsanitary condition of the bas-
tile and recommended that as soon as
finances would warrant it, a new
building be secured for the JAIL The
city was not censured for the unsani-
tary condition as the grand jury held
that it appeared as If the city was do
ing all that is possible for sanitation,
considering the building in which the
Jail Is quartered.
4 i
FiaHEL-LlPPs NUPTlALS.