The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-10-20
City Officials Require Lloyd
YOunt to Post $40 as Guar
antee of His Good Faith to
Pay for Right.
REPORTER SETS TRAP
Helps Alleged Briber Fix
Cigar Store Proprietor
Chief Goodwin Arrests
Young Man After Deal.

The story of how Lloyd w. Yount of
Muncie, Ind, formerly OF Portland,
Ind, representing a slot machine COM
pany, is alleged to have attempted yes
terday afternoon to bribe public
official, Mayor Will J. Robbins of this
city, paying down SO as a guarantee
of good faith, and his subsequent ar
rest, reads like page in one Of the
f''best sellers"
Yount was this morning released
from custody on bond Of $500, fixed
by Judge Fox Of the circuit court. At
first Prosecutor Keller, who played a.
prominent part in the apprehension of
Yount, thought bond should be fixed
at $4,000 but later thought $4,000
would be sufficient. Thomas Williams
Of this city, went on the young mans
bond. Yount took his arrest good ma
turedly and told Chief Goodwin, his
captor, that it could not be proved that
he had given Mayor Robbins any
money for the privilege of operating
slot machines in Richmond
Yount Wasted No Time.
Yesterday afternoon Yount, whose
father, William B. Yount, is well-to-
do Portland, Ind, business man, got
into communication with Mayor Rob-
bins at Progressive headquarters and
told him he would like to talk to him
for a few minutes. The mayor told
him to come to the rooms and Yount,
the Mayor says, arrived within short
time.
According to Mayor Robbins young
Yount said he wanted to talk to him in
private, so they went into another
room.
"He started to talk business right
away said Mayor Robbins this morn
ing, ''and he made straight out and
out proposition to pay me salary
every week the machines were allow
ed to operate
Prosecutor Keller, who was finally
summoned into the room to hear
Younts alleged bribe offer and who
was introduced to Yount as George
Harris" the mayors "secretary,' says
that Yount told him the machines
were being operated in Muncie and he
had made arrangements with Mayor
Rollin Bunch of that city. Last night
Bunch refused to make statement
to a Palladium representative in Mum
Gle but an indianapolis morning paper
quotes him as saying he does not know
anything about any slot machine ar
trangements.'
Story the Mayor Tells.
The Palladium correspondent at
Muncie in a dispatch states that Yount
represents the Superior Novelty COM
pany of Ft. Wayne, has lived in Mum
icie about a year and has been per-
;sonal friends of Mayor Bunch.
How Yount is alleged to have at
tempted to bribe Mayor Robbins to
place his machines in Richmond is
told in an Interesting manner by the
executive. How the young man early
last evening was led into trap and
arrested Is an equally interesting
ssequel.
After Yount and I entered the pri-
svate office at Progressive headquar-
ters," said Mayor Robbins today, "he
told me he wanted to place slot ma
chimes in Richmond. I told him did
stand for them. He then said he
would give me $25 a week for the
privilege of operating the machines
here At first did not know whether
to kick him out or what action to take
Finally thought of Keller in the next
room.
Mayor Proves Good Joker.
"Then told Yount did not think
It would be worth while to bother with
only 325 a week so he said he would
give me that amount the first three
weeks, which time would be required
placing the machines, and after that
he would give me $50 a week SO lone
as the machines were operated here
I then told him that my private secre
tary was in the next room and as
did not do anything without consulting
him would call him in. He agreed tt
this. Before I called Keller I also
told Yount that 1t was customary fol
me to let my secretary in on sucf
affairs as he handled all such bushes:
for me. Yount then agreed that my
secretary should receive $40 week
II excused myself then and went tt
see Keller. In few words l told hin
that the fellow in the next room hat
offered me a bribe and that he wal
to get into the game with me as m!
private secretary At first Yount sait
1t was unusual to talk business to twt
men but we finally got on the subjec
and he repeated the offer he had made
to me. He said that Mayor Bunch o
Muncie. had referred me to him. o
course he did not know Keller was tn
prosecuting attorney and it was anus
ing when he remarked that he hat
heard the prosecutor here was al
right We then suggested that th'
prosecutor ought to be fixed and W.
suggested that Yount pay him SO
week. He objected to this. He sait
he could not afford to pay any NOR
than what he had offered us and h
eaid I was getting enough to fix th
prosecutor myself. Then I told him
1Conf1nuel I'M last Pare.l