The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-04-06
| Mayor Robbins Gives Color
ed Bartender" Stiff As
sessment for Selling Beer
Without Liquor License.
POOL ROOM OWNER
ALSO IN LAWS TOLLS
Executive Demands Th a t
Minors Be Kept Out of Bill
lizard Halls-Will Enforce
Law Strictly.

Selling liquor without license and
permitting Juveniles to loaf in pool
, rooms is going to be very Improbable
business so long as Mayor Robbins
presides over police court, as Frank
Simmons, white man, and Roscoe
, Clayburn, a colored man, are willing
to testify.
Simmons, proprietor of cigar store
and poolroom on North Eighth street,
near E, and Clayburn, bartender" at
resort for colored people on North
Fourteenth street, were each fined SIS
and cost this morning by the mayor.
Both entered pleas of not guilty to
charge of selling without license.
Clavburn will serve out his sentence
In the bastile.
Under the affidavits filed against
the men, 1t was impossible for me to
give them Jail sentences as we'll as
fines," Mayor Robbins said after court
adjourned. 'If it had been possible
3 to substantiate blind tiger charges
would have given them the limit"
Mayor Explains Stand.
In court, after he had assessed the
| fines Mayor Robbins announced that
the illegal selling of liquor and the
practice of permitting minors to loaf
in poolrooms were two offenses he
would not tolerate, and that vio1ators
OF this edict could expect no mercy
from him.
To newspaper men the mayor stated
that there had been several complaints
about minors being permitted to con-
gregate In certain pool rooms, and he
was pleased that he had had an oppor-
tunity to make an example of one of
the proprietors. Some of the poolrooms
where boys are permitted to loaf, the
mayor said, were also blind tigers"
Some people imagine because Rich
. mond voted wet, liquor law violations
will be tolerated" said the mayor
These people are sadly mistaken. IL
legal sales of liquor will not be toler-
ated by the public. by the saloon keep
ers or by myself"
cIayburn's Romance.
Clayburn recited to the court an in
teresting romance Of love and jealousy
as his defense. He denied selling John
Cheatum, colored, pint bottle Of
beer Sunday. and said Cheatum was
"sore' at him because he had taken
Cheatum's "gal" away from him. "He
wouldn't fight 1t out. y honor, no sab!
He ~lawed' me. He's jest naturally sore
agin me cause he thought l took his
gal away from him. Rights right, y
honor"
Cheatum testified that he entered
the North Fourteenth street resort,
the proprietor of which is John Poison,
after knocking on the back door He
said he paid Clayburn Is cents for a
pint of beer. Clayburn's testimony
that he placed bottle of beer on the
table. but never offered to- give 1t to
4f,,%4l 1xY1
ness, who said he had seen Clayburn
Ciayburn denied receiving any money
that if Cheatum intended to pay for it
he would do SO soon.
Officer Lawler testified he entered
; the Poison place and found six people
in it. Cheatum hid bottle of beer
under his coat. There were several
empty bottles found back of the stove
Simmons was convicted of selling
a halfpint Of whisky Saturday night
to Thurman Mitchell, 81: Howard
King, 16, and William Moss. 16. The
Mitchell and King boys testified they
entered the cigar store, paid 35 cents
for a half pint, and that Simmons
placed it on pool table. They
drank from it on the basement steps.
Simmons made no statement in his
own behalf. notwithstanding the fact
he pleaded not guilty.
Officers Bundy and Menke testified
they saw the three boys enter the
Simmons place, saw Mitchell hand
Simmons something, and then saw
Simmons go upstairs, returning in
few minutes and placing bottle on
the pool table.