The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-05-16
CHIEF LEWIS OUSTED
Continued from Page -

The case has been on trial for Ave |
days city Attorney John Gavit of
Hammond was in charge of the prose- |
cution. He was associated with |
Charles f. Greenwald in the case. Tbs
defense was represented by w. J. Nc
Aleer and Abe Ottenheimer.
Judge Reiter recited one incident
which indicates the manner in which
Lewis attempted to evade his respcn-
sibilities In the enforcement of the law
Warren Renne went to Lewis for
permission to start a gambling house.
He was informed that there was Moth
ing doing for him. And yet the evil
dence shows that Renne afterwards
opened a place in j. ID. Williams sa-
loon and ran it as a gambling resort for
months without interruption or inter-
ference.
Judge Reiter's Points.
while il is generally accepted as a
well-grounded proposition of law that
a man has a right to do with his own
property as he sees fit, provided IL
does not inconvenience or interfere
with any one else's rights. Still, IL
these two police officers were legally
entitled to these fees, Chief Lewis had
not anything to do with them; that
take It, 1 believe that under an in
struction of these statutes that these
police officers had no a right to take
hese fees. They were paid a regular
salary and they were performing these
duties under the pay of the city. Grant
ing that these fees were legally charg-
ed. these police officers had not any
thing to do with 1t except TO turn it
in to the city. / believe the evidence
of Captain Mariner in that particular
and 1 am strongly convinced that there
was an absolute agreement between
these three men to split those fees. A
man is not going to accept money that
he didn't earn, without questioning it.
Now. there has not been any evil
dence introduced by the defense that
would warrant the court in concluding
that such steps had been taken as would
ordinarily be taken by a reasonably
prudent official to stop gambling. There
| has been half a dozen or more places
referred to, and 1t has been admitted
that rumors of gambling being carried
! on al these different places had come
| to the ears of the police department
and the chief. 1t is not the duty of a
| police officer to perform the duties of
| a prosecuting attorney. 1t Is his duty,
when he sees an offense committed to
| arrest and prosecute, obtain such
evidence as may be necessary for the
/ prosecutor to prosecute. When he
learns of violations of the law, either
| by rumor or otherwise, 1T is his duty
| to investigate. not by going to the man
| who is charged with the crime and
| asking him to admit whether he is
gambling or not, or to tell him if he
was he wanted him to cut 1t out. and
let 1t go at that. That is not enforc-
ing the law.
Here is Chief Lewis getting $115
a month While it is not in evidence
as to what the salary of the other Of
ficers was, still / assume that they were
not getting any more, If they were get
ting quite as much. They were not
working for the chief of police; they
were working for the city of East Chi
cago. and there was no reason why
they should divided the fees with the
chief of police.
Public conscience is peculiar thing
After things have run along a certain
line for a long perior of time, the
general impression gets out that any
thing is legitimate because it has beer
followed for so many years, and it is
not even questioned. 1t is only wher
the public conscience is aroused to the
exegencies of the case that these
, things stop
My finding. then. is for the plaintiff
and there will be an order for an Gus.
ter.