The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-12-13
MADAM Smith CONVICTED
IN JUDGE FUNCK'S COURT
Landlady Of West Hotel Charges Plain Clothes Man With
Attempted Seduction and Fifteen Other Policemen
With Gambling and Drinking in Her Hosiery.


Smith, was found guilty of permitting
the drinking of booze in the West no.
tel and fined $75 and costs by Judge
Funck when her case was finished in
the municipal court last week. Charges
of keeping blind-pig and a gambling
house were dismissed by the city pros
,scutor.
The previous issue Of the Rip-saw
told how plain clothes officers Cava-
naugh and McKenna raided the West
hotel, arrested Mrs. Smith, one Edward
Vance, John A. Todd and several 9TH
er men found in poker game and took
them to headquarters. All, in due
course, gaze bail, which was forfeited,
save in the case of Mrs. Smith, who
was determined to stand trial.
John H. Norton appeared for the
defense and George D. Mccarthy pros
ecuted. Mr.. Norton put up valiant
battle and gave his client her money g
worth in action. The facts were too
strong, however, to enable him to pre-.
vail. He won two counts, but the
court convicted on the third count.
The feature of the trial was the ap-
pearance of John A. Todd, a prominent
board of trade man and possessor Of a
mansion out Woodland way. He swore
that the booze found in Mrs. Smith g
place belonged to him; that he bought
it Of some mysterious booze vendor on
Mesaba avenue; and that he had set
it in Mrs. Smith 8 hotel until he could
take it in his automobile for storage
in his very ample wine celler in his
home.
Mr.: Mccarthy secuted the story and
declared that anyone with a box of
booze under one arm and suit-caseful
under another could not have gone that
distance without being seen and ar
rested. He complimented Mrs. Smith
on her ability to make friends, when
she could do it so effectively as to
cause them to come into court to per-
jure themselves that she might escape
conviction and punishment.
Mrs. Smith showed many signs of
having an interesting story to tell, but
her counsel prevailed on her to keep
silent. It is alleged that she informed
chief Murphy before the trial that if
the cases against here went to trial,
she would reveal enough things about
the police department to burst it wide
open. It further is alleged that chief
Murphy replied that he was not open
to any bargaining in the matter.
After the trial, Mrs. Smith is under.
stood to have persisted in her deter
mination to reveal some hidden things
She made good her promises last Satur-
day when she backed up her contention
that the raid on her place was spite.
work on the mart of Herbert L. Cava.
nauoh. by film" with commissioner
Murnian an affidavit sworn to and
signed by Miss Gertrude Swanson
charging that, on August 16, last, the
officer made improper advances to-
wards her.
When Mrs. Smith was arrested, the
daily papers dismissed that rather i'm
portant piece of legitimate police news
with a few lines, even leaving out OF
camouflaging the names of some OF
those arrested.
When Mrs. Smith filed Miss Swan
sons affidavit, The Herald gave the
matter three-auarters of a column
with scare head. Many have won
dered why The Herald so generously
PLAYED the press agent act for Mrs
Smith. One version is that Herald
'employe was caught in the LaSalle no.
tel at about 2 a. M, Nov. %, where
he had falsely registered as man and
wife with sporty widow from the
Mesaba range. Both were held 70,
physical examinations by the health
department and, pleading guilty, when
arraigned, paid fines. The pinch was
made by policeman Cavanaugh and his
friends intimate that The Herald
played up the story against him. but
not Mrs. Smith, as a means of getting
even for the arrest of an amorous wal
hero who got caught in a dirty act
Be all that as it may, The Herald ,.
story was as follows, viz:~
"Miss Swanson declares that, on thu
evening Of August 16, patrolman Cava
naugh, accompanied by another officer
came up to the hotel. The other off
Ger left. Miss Swanson said that al
the time, the proprietor, Mrs. Selms
Smith, was in an adjoining room. Sht
charges that the patrolman followed
her into the kitchen and tried to seduc.
her. She refused any Of his advance.
and finally the policeman is charged
with asking her to give him q drink OF
whisky. She said she told him there
was none in the house and she couli
not obtain any for him.
'She further alleged that at abou,
= 10 O'Clock that evening he again re
turned to the hotel in an intoxicated
condition and requested her to accom-
pany him and another couple on a 10,
ride, explaining that they needed an
other girl for the party; that after hel
refusal to join the party the patrolmar
became abusive and had said:
What in hell is the matter will
You, why don't you take good time
when there is one in sightf' and had
further said,
"tYou are a damn fool
'At that time he is charged will
having told Miss Swanson that the pro
prietress Of the hotel need not be 81
brave, that 'they would get her some
time At this point the proprietress
- Ea - 49,