The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-12-13
Ohneck's Version


EDITOR THE TIMES:
In view OF the fact that the
public press as we'll as your paper
has been filled lately with sensa-
tional, scandalous and libelous
stories about a so-called Raid on
Chicken Dinner Inn," l respect
fully request that you publish the
true version of this so-called
raid"
My wife and I have for years
last past conducted a chicken
dinner inn, specializing in chicken
dinners for tourists to and from
the mountain, and for social par
ties, which is now, and has in the
past been patronized by the best
people OF Tacoma and Seattle.
We do not cater, and have not
catered to women of the under
world or questionable characters,
and have used our utmost en-
deavor to discourage and prevent
their enjoyment OF our hospital
ity; and when their character has
been ascertained as bad We have
uniformly ordered them off the
premises, advising them not to re-
turn. The result is that we have
established business In which we
take considerable pride, and one
that is a credit to the community.
During the last two weeks q
party of young men have been on
occasional visits to our place, and
by reason of their boistsrous con-
duet we ordered them away sew
eral times, but their object SEEM
ed to be to make trouble. We
have on several occasions phoned
to the county sheriff's office, and
on each occasion they refused to
come out, but informed us that
We would have to swear out a
warrant
OF course, the individuals were
unknown to us, consequently the
attractions of the law have here
tofore gone without punishment.
Being unable to get satisfac-
ton from the sheriff's office, /
visited the city police station last
|
tain who these youths were, and
obtained the promise of Captain
Strickland that he would have
his men on hand Saturday night.
This band of youths arrived as
expected and began to make
trouble. My boy walked two
miles to telephone, our line be-
ing out of order, and the sheriff's
office was informed.
However, the deputy sheriffs
did not arrive until thfee hours
later, when the band of trouble
makers had departed. In the
meantime the city officers had
arrived according to schedule,
but they also were too late to
catch these disturbers of the
peace. The numbers of their
cars were taken.
This so-called raid was no raid
at all, but response made by
the officers to a request for pro-
lection from disturbers of the
peace. Instead of 25 soldiers,
who were intimated to be JOY
riders, there were but four SOL
diers, two Of them being officers
of high rank and all Of them be-
ing highly respectable and per-
fectly orderly. In view of the
fact that the dining room is
24x86 feet in dimension, 1t Is i'm
possible that the great hosts Of
undesirables mentioned could
have been present.
We wish to emphasize the fact
that We do not now, and have not
for months, rented any rooms
whatsoever in the Lakeside inn.
We are not considered hotel and
under no consideration will we
take dodgers, as only in this way
can we guard against imposition
and protect the good name of our
establishment. The intimation
that a room had been rented to
the girl who is alleged to have
been drugged is unjust, and not
in accordance with the facts.
There was a girl at our place that
night who may have been drug
ged or may have been sick. She
was brought into the house in
dazed condition from a faint or
other sickness, and In view Of
these circumstances she was per-
mitted to be taken to one of our
family rooms, where she was I'M
der the personal care of Mrs. Oh
neck until she was removed to
Tacoma by the officers.
The intimation that liquor is
allowed in the house is equally
without foundation. No liquor Is
permitted upon the place, and no
one has been permitted to enter
the house with liquor upon his
person to our knowledge; and the
intimation that four or five hot
ales of liquor and four or five
empty bottles were found, is abb
solutely false. There we're no
filled bottles and no empty bottles
found in the house, but we are in
formed that one or more bottles
were taken from the automobiles
by the officers.
The place is not run as a dance
hall and has not been run as such.
The business is limited entirely to
1.-THE serving of meals and the only