Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-22
MEN CHARGED WITH SELLING
LIQUOR SINCE ENJoINED By
COURT ON TRIAL.
GRANT CONTINUANCE
John Erbacher Hearing Goes Over;
~. futile Tells Of Buying Beer
And Whisky at 218
Union Street.

| lore Judge V6TuulllOu. SOdle uIu q
suit case filled with samples purport-
, ing to be liquor bought in places al
legged to be operated by the various
defendants. He told of being with g..
V futile, the star witness and detec-
tive for the prosecution, when the lat
ter went to the place alleged to be
operated by J. w., H. w., and Hayden
Leonard at 525 Church street. He said
that he searched futile in a bicycle
shop opposite the address named be-
tore Tuttle bought the booze and later
secured the liquor from him which he
kept as a sample for exhibition in this
case.
A driver for the Bloom ice concern
testified to serving ice to 525 Church
street. but said that a Johnny johnson
always paid him and to all appear
ances the Leonards were not operating
the place although he saw them loaf
ing there.
Thus far a portion of the Thompson,
Greedy and Leonard cases have been
heard, but none of them are COM
pleted.
A motion for continuance in the
case of John Erbacher, charged with
contempt Of court, was sustained by
Judge C. w. Vermilion Thursday
when the nine contempt cases came up
for trial in the small court room be-
fore the Centerville Judge.
For time there threatened a storm
between opposing counsel and charges
Of bad faith were banded back and
forth. The grounds on which the con-
tinuance was based was a telegram
/ IL, To- 10 rhon n
Chicago, stating that the defendants
sister was seriously i'll and asking him
to come to Chicago.
Charges Bad Faith. =.
The prosecution told the court that
resistance was made because the tele-
gram was sent two days ago and the
motion was not filed until Thursday
and maintained that word of a change
in the condition Of the sick sister
coulG have been received by that time.
Bad faith was charged the defense in
the matter.
This was holly resented by defend
ants counsel who said the telegram
was a night letter dated November
IS but not received until Wednesday
morning, and that he was ont of the
city until 4:30 the same afternoon.
He also said that the prosecution
acted in bad faith in that his law part
ner called the counsel for the plaintin
at Eddyville Wednesday afternoon and
had a phone call left for his Office in
Ottumwa and depended on arranging
with him that evening to secure the
agreement to continue the case and
permit the defendant to go to Chicago.
Court Grants Request.
The court upon hearing the matter
sustained the motion saying that for
the present at least the case would be
continued in that it was not material
whether it came up first on the list or
later. The case against J. w. Thomp'
son or 21S South Union street was
then started.
This case furnished interest and
amusement The latter was true when
the witness after being questioned by
the prosecution was turned over to the
defense for cross examination and was
asked to pick out from among those IN
the room the two men whom he claim
ed sold him beer and whiskey at 21S
South Union street, assumed by the
witness to be operated by ]. w.
Thompson or Thompson and PumrOy.
After selecting four persons as re-
semhling in some particular the two
LIQUOR sellers, he turned to Deputy
Sheriff J. J. Morrissey who was sitting
in the courtroom and said. "This young
man is Of similar build and type"
The audience had to be checked in
it's mirth by the court. Needless to
say that the county official enjoyed
the joke as we'll as the rest.
Had Samples In Court.
The witness f. V. futile stated that
he had bought beer at 219 South Union
street on November 6; bought beer
and whiskey the following day all
from the same man and on the 9Th of
November bought whiskey there. but
from another man. The samples OF
the liquors alleged to have been pur-
chased by the witness were extracted
by him from suit case that was filled
with various samples of wet goods
secured in his work when getting evil
dence against hootleggers.
The witness told that he was EN-.
Dloyed for the past six years in secur.
ing evidence against persons thought
to lie violating liquor laws and that he
worked for various organizations and
individuals. He stated that he came
to Ottumwa upon the order of NJ. S.
Odle, attorney for the Anti-Saloon
league of Iowa and was given his house
rent free at 230 Phillips street. Asked
by counsel if he knew who owned the
house. he said he could not name the
man but said that the name sounded
like Sumner Siberen. He told the
counsel for defense that he was en-
rloyed at 50 per day and expenses and
tina. for time after he came here he
was employed at packing house at 81
and was given the same amount by the
local counsel for the Anti-Sa,oon
league, and that he reported his work
to Attorney Gillies who with Mr. Odle
is prosecuting the contempt cases.
He named as the men who have
helped him, Harve Miller whom he
said was a hard drinker, and A. c.,
Coates. The latter was employed as
corroborating witness and Miller was
unaware Of the purpose for which the
witness Tuttle was employed He said