The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-12
Marie ,Champagne Says Pip
.pi Kept Her Prisoner
and Took Money.
RUSSELL Is CHECKED
Alleged Slaver's Attorney
Repr0ved for Attempt
to Bar Press.

Marie Champagne told bruta, story
Of exploitation ana virtual slavery
from the witness stand before Judge
A. l.. Duncan yesterday afternoon in
the trial of Pellegro Pippi, italian i'm
migrant, who is charged with having
accepted the earnings of prostitutes.
Under the questioning of County At
torney Fred r. Angevine Mrs. Cham
payne told the court that Pippi gave
her $50 to come from Spokane to Mis-
soula to rustic" and that afterward
he kept her under close surveillance,
extorting from her half of her vicious
earnings.
She was locked in room in the
Europe hotel, the woman said. while
Pppi kept watch over her through q
peep hole cut in the door.
eippi Chasad Her With Knife.
Once. she said. Plppi chased her
!, through the. street with an open knife
after she had objected to giving him
money. cQn another OCCASION. she said,
the italian beat her. tore her clothes
and rorcibly took $50 away from her.
Following this Incident. the woman
utCIAIcOs Sue COIupiAlucu " lUt spO>
lice and had Pippi arrested.
did Pippi work." the woman was
asked.
mo, he did not work ut ALL" was the
reply.
Beside herself, Mrs. Champagne
said, Easie I.epnard was in Pippi's es-
tablifhment at. the time Of the, arrest.
The Leonard woman. who is said to
have come under Pippi's power after
her husband was drafted. is expected
to testify later.
Lengthy cross.Examinstien.
Cross examination Of the witness by
c. A. Russell, who is associated with
G.. c. Sorenson in defending the al
legged procurer. Pippi, then began. Rus
sell started with the birth of the wit
mess, some 80 years ago, and endeav-
ored to bring out, despite the repeated
objections of the county attorney to
such testimony, her place of residence
and the length of time she had lived In
each of them since she was born.
Finally. becoming exasperated, Mrs.
Champagne flatly refused to give any
such information about herself. saying
thai ~ tiIl iAshu hAppShSu SSesA'
ago, that it had no part in, the present
case and that she wished not to have
It brought up now. Judge Duncan
thereupon ruled that none of her his
tory. more remote than two years be-
fore the present transactions might be
entered into.
Woman Denies Implications.
Russell then began a series Of ques-
tons filled with foul language and
asked her if any of the statements he
had made had been made by her on
various occasions during her residence
at the Europe hotel. Mrs. Champagne
denied them in toto. Among other
things she denied that she ever told
anyone that Pippi had given her "a lot
of money" the amounts on different
occasions being described by Russell
as 800. and $50 for your little gir
in Spokane"
Regarding the occasion concerning
which she had testified on her direct
examination to the effect that Pipp
had dragged her from Elsie Leonard's
room, beaten her and taken $50 from
her. the alleged slaver's lawyer asked
1.-THE truth of that incident was tina
you were fighting with Elsie Leonard
weren't you. and that she tore YOU
apron and that YOU had pulled he
hair?"
mo. sir" said the witness.
and didn't you then go to the, doc
and call Pippi and didn't he come ant
take you to your own room and tel
you to get your things and get out O
the hotel and stay" continued tn
lawyer for the Italian.
mo. SIR replied Mrs. Champagne
Russell. toward the end of the after