Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-01-12
Irwin fires HOT
SHOT At WILKERSON
Detailed Statement of Arrests Made
As Police Chief
SAYS. POTEE WAS AGAINST HIM
Also Declares DR.. Horton Interfersd
In A Charge Of Lawlessness
Made.

In statement written and signed
BY himself and sent to the press for
publication, Thomas ". Irwin, for
mer chief of police OF Anne Arundel
County. handed out some hot shot in
his own defense. IN the statement he
says:
Il wish to reply to the article that
was published on January by
county Commissioner Joseph NJ.
Wilkerson.
II was CHIEF OF police for 70 years
III served eight years under Commits
sioner James S. Smith, two years
under Albert Hammond and two
years under Joseph NJ Wilkerson.
In reference to bawdy houses, we
had but one That was kept by Louis
Feeders, corner of Curtis avenue and
Beach street, Curtis Bay, which
raided It was about six years ago. l
took the case before the grand jury
and he was convicted and paid his
fine That was when James s. Smith
was County Commissioner; and did
Mr.. Smith come to me and ask me
not to prosecute Louis Fedders? No
But when ! raided John 3. Tenn
pies saloon, corner of Curtis avenue
and Church street, Curtis Bay, in
March, and again on April 8, and got
men and women upstairs, and charged
the men and women with disorderly
conduct and charged John B. Tenn
pie with keping bawdy-house the
case was set for three different times
It was finally set for April q, at 7.S0
p. M.
Before the case was called Coun-
ty Commissioners Joseph NJ Wilker-
son called me out in the Jail yard
and told me that would have to let
up on John B. Temples charge Of
keeping a bawdy house and just
charge the men and women with dis
orderly conduct.
II told Mr.. Wilkerson that ! would
not let up on any man that kept
house OF that kind, for I had two
young girls growing up and nobody
could bring up children with that
kind of house in the neighborhood
Mr.. Wilkerson told me not to call
the case before Or. Thomas b Hor-
ton got there. chat he wanted to see
me.
so, about $50 P. NJ, Dr. Horton
came in, and Magistrate John e.
Potee, County Commissioner Joseph
M. Wilkerson and DR.. Thomas b.
Horton went in the little office in
the back room and called me in.
''Dr, Horton asked me what Assist
ant Chief Upton was doing watching
Ridgway's saloon, on Curtis avenue.
all the time. ! told him that | had
complaints about the saloon and
told Upton to watch the place
Then DR. Horton got on the Tenn
pie case, and he told me not to
charge John 3. Temple with keeping
a bawdyhouse. but Just charge the
men and women with disorderly con-
duct.
Il told him that I would not do it,
and he said: If were your boss, you
would do it or | would get rid of you
$50, | told them to go to hell, and
walked out and left them there in the
office
Magistrate John e. Potee came out
of the Office and said: Chief, am.
ready to try the Temple case. So 1
called my witness, and Magistrate
Potee fined Temple $50 and costs and
the men and women 81 each.
Then my troubles began, for Coun-
ty Commissioner Wilkerson and DR..
Thomas B. Horton and Magistrate
John f. Potee got up against me.
"on April u l raided Preston Jenk-
ms Park for keeping open after
hours; and on April 21 l raided Pres
ton jenkins Park for selling to a
young girl, which took UP before the
grand jury.
"On Sunday, January 2S, raided
Walter Sexton's saloon, with men
standing up before the bar drinking.
The case had hearing before Magis-
trate Potee and he dismissed it.
"On Sunday. April %, raided the
place of Mrs Ella Dixon, at Dixon's
Park, and Magistrate Potee gave her
hearing and dismissed her.
$50, when the April grand jury
met, / took all three cases tnat Alagls-
trate Potee had dismissed. and the
grand jury made out a presentment
against all three OF them Ialso took
the Temple case before the grand
jury.
so, County Commissioner Wilker-
son can't say / did not take up cases
before the grand jury. Mr. Wilker-
son hes to find some excuse.
why did Mr.. Wilkerson and Mag
istrate John z. Potee go before the
Board Of County, Commissioners in
April and try to prefer charges that
I let a man and woman out OF jail
that ought not to have been brought
in jang They had that for excuse,
and that did not work; so they made
out after that that they were my best
friends until after the primary cleo
ton. when they we're lots OF my
friends that knew there had been
trouble between Joseph Wilkerson,
John E. Potee and DR.. Horton and me.
my friends asked them If they
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