The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-12-14
FORMER POLICE CHIEF
AVOIDS OFFICIAL PROBE

IudL Guc udLGtr IcVcr Was ucl
toned to him by McKercher.
A helper of that detective stated
that, every morning, one empty
bottle was found in nearly
every room in that hotel and two
of them in some rooms. Booze
flowed as freely as snow water in
spring. McKercher knew it and
permitted it.
McKercher told the credulou.
reporters Of the daily papers how
illegal booze that had been seizei
was being poured down the sew
ers. That caused some to pro
test against needless waste. Nc
Kercher then told how he wa
donating the Illicit booze to tn.
hospitals.
St. Luke's hospital is repre-
scented as noticing that none o.
the booze came out there One
day, so the story runs, DR.. Ryar
and Thomas S. Wood called a
the station to request that some
blind pig booze be sent to St
Luke's, since such disposition
was being made Of it.
McKercher was not in but some
one on duty told the callers tina
he thought st. Luke's had beer
sent it's share Of the redeye.
"We have had none at ALL
replied DR.. Ryan.
"The chief said that some hat
gone out there" was the reiter
ated statement. So. J. ....
When the matter was called Il
McKercher's attention, he ex
planned matters rather, vaguel.
and unsatisfactory. He rathe,
chung to his cock and bull story
about booze being donated to tn
hospitals but he failed to sa.
definitely which and how many
hospitals.
The real facts are, it is be
lieved,. that the Big Buffer -hat
sold it to his Austrian friend
and showed the coin into his pr
vate pocket.
There are interesting stories Of
unlawful entry into bushes!
places by McKereher and his men
under his orders, without search
warrants: One raid made by hin
and a boon companion, a man no
suspected by many Of being
snooper, was wholly illegal ant
had the two been caught, bolt
burglary would have been tn
charge. The second man still
sticks around Duluth. He has
great itch to get his. hands OF
records of various kinds.
The tframeup' is one of Nc
Kercher's favorite methods of do
ing things. getting even or elimi
mating those likely to stand in hi
way. It will be remembered how
he tried to frame up the Rip-sav
editor last January at the Spald
ing hotel. The idea was to 81
besmirch the publisher of thu
great family journal so that HI
could not do business and thus bt
compelled to get out Of town, dis
graced and discredited. That Nc
Kercher frameup, assisted by those
whose identity would make quite
a ripple if revealed, was a boom
erang for the Big Boob.
One night a few weeks later
John P. Malloy sought the resi-
dence of the Rip-saw editor OF
Park Point. He inquired of the
street car men on Minnesota Point
He finally appeared at the door Of
Sandy Mcdonald. There he was
informed that the editors family
was away and that he was stop
ping up town. Malloy then asked
and was given the location of the
Rip-saw office.
Just about midnight on a Fri
day preceding publication day
Malloy knocked at the office dool
and was admitted, the editor be
ing busily engaged in fixing W
the mailing lists.
''Your paper is not to com.
out this morning, was the rather
startling remark he made as h
Sc: down.
els that SOL" asked the editor
eyes, and I am supposed tt
see that it does not come out,
continued the stranger.
"That's interesting" observed
the editor. "What's the cause o.
all this prospective interference1'
"I have been offered 500 by {
gambler here to tap you over thu
head when YOU bring in you]