South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-13
JURY FINDS 45
MEN NOT GUILTY
American Club Case Disposed
of by Panel After Fifteen
Minute Session.

Not guilty Was the verdict rem
dered by the jury IN the city court
at : O'Clock Tuesday night in the
! case of the As men arrested in a ralo
on the American club Sunday morn
ing. Feb. IA. The case wen to the
jury at Gas o'clock and the verdict
was rendered after 10 minutes de-
liberation.
Completion of the jury panel was
made at 500 o'clock Tuesday after
noon after 40 veniremen had been
/ examined. The examination of the
/ jury began at 10 o'clock in the
morning.
Sergt. Chappell was the first wit
ness TO testify for the state. He said
that on the morning of Sunday, Feb.
IA. ne and a detail of men went TO
the American club quarters on ).
( Chaplin st. He said they arrived
there at 1885 in the morning and
waited outside perhaps three minutes
before they entered. Sergt. Chap
pell testified that they waited until
I someone from the club opened the
/ door TO leave the building before
! gaining an entrance.
Sergt. ChappeII's Testimony.
The sergeant testified that he saw
about 40 men around a pool table in
one of the rooms. and that some Of
the men were shaking dice. The Of
icer rushed for the pool table and
/ succeeded in capturing a 81 bill, two
dice and a dice box from the pool
table.
He said that he then placed as
many of the men rs possible under
/ arrest. but hat some of them sue
ceeded in getting away. The man
who had the dice box in his hand at
the time, according TO the testimony
of Sergt. Chappell, got away, but he
declared hat later he saw him in
the court room. but he had been un-
able TO learn his name.
During the s%ergeanr's testimony.
] Deputy Pros. Schwartz asked him if
he saw the mar in the rourt room
at that time. The sergeant, efter
looking over the hundred or so men
present, pointed out the man who
he said had the dice box at the time
of the raid. but no arrest followed.
Find Cases Of Beer.
The sergeant testified TO finding
so triple cases of beer i'm another of
the rooms, along with "A quantity or
whisky. Atty. Devine, for the de-
] Tense, argued that the men were on
trial for gambling and frequenting a
! gambling house. and ne asked that
the testimony regarding the finding
OF beer and whisk, at the club be
stricken from the records, as il in
no way contributed to show that a
gambling house was in operation.
The judge ordered that part Of the
testimony stricken out.
Officer Edward DIETRICH was the
only other witness 10 testify TO what
occurred inside the club. He cor
roborated the testimony of Sergt.
Chappell in regard TO the dollar bill,
the dice and the dice box. He also
| c-orroborated the testimony of the
/ sergeant in regard TO the finding of
whisky and beer in large quantities
in another room, but this testimony
was again stricken out. As did
Sergt. Chappell. officer DIETRICH testi-
] gu NAAaN a haAAADEl VI A4El4 mGl6 III
the other rooms and hat they were
sitting around tables. Both Sergt.
Chappell and Oficer DIETRICH testified
that the reputation of the American
club as a gambling house is bad.
officer Louis Kish testified that
he had acted as a sort of guard at
the door of the club 20 prevent those
inside from going out. lie said hat
whenever anyone attempted TO leave
he would order them back.
Officers Anthony Seberniak. Valen-
tine Delinski and Horace Hamilton
testified as TO the reputation of the
American club as a gambling house.
They said that the reputation of the
club is bad.
The names of the jurymen are
William Eastwood. foreman; Walter
Fassnacht. John Irwin. George u
lery. Sidney Thornton, ]. NJ. Caul-
field. C. W. Zigler. Carl Ginz. George
Kerner, &. j.. Weber, c.. r. Nc
Laughlin and +. r. Shirk.