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.

came up in a drunken condition she
would have him put out.
"Mrs. Smith said to The Herald
that she acknowledged that this &C
tion was taken against the patrol
man because he had attempted to ruin
her reputation as a hotel proprietor as
well as financially by raiding the place
under a charge Of blind-pigging.
"'I have done my best to run this
hotel as a quiet, decent, respectable
place and this can be testified to by
any of the men who are living here,
said Mrs. Smith. L have turned down
many chances of making big money III
this game by refusing to allow men to
bring women hero for immoral pur
poses. Every cent I have earned and
made here has been earned honestly.
'The only thing that ever has been
charged and substantiated against this
hotel is that | have, allowed the men
rooming here to have little stag par.
ties in their rooms. If they bring a
bottle into the house I am unable to
stop it. I cannot, as hotel proprietor
search them for bottle and demand
that they leave it outside. I have
tried to make this real home for the
men who stay here and do not propose
to interfere if they have any such
enjoyment as friendly game of cards
in the house, q. =
"'The arrest was piece Of spite.
work on the part of Cavanaugh,' she
continued. He could have raided the
place two weeks earlier for about the
same charge, but then a couple Of his
friends were in the party. A friendly
game of cards was being played but 1
do not reminder whether any men in
the party then had q bottle or not. -
Mrs. Smith is said to have run the
West hotel for the past six years and
Miss Swanson is credited with having
been employed there for the past two
years.
Commissioner Murnian evidently
called for quick action on the charges
Last Monday evening, the civil service
commissioners met to consider the
charges and hear any defense. Civil
service commissioners T. F. Sheridan
and M. Filiatrault, with secretary
O'Donnell, d, were present. Mr.. Cava.
naugh also was there and represented
by his lawyer, E. w. MacPherran
Right was reserved to introduce wit.
nesses that were not available f. that
evening by Mr.. Cavanaugh.
OF course the snarling Samuelson had
to butt into the deal. There was con-
siderable talking and pickering back
and forth. Mrs. Smith told her story
and Mr.. Cavanaugh questioned her
Nothing conclusive resulted and, pre-.
sumablv, other sessions of the commits
sion will be held to hear testimony and
to consider action in the matter. -
One version is that the civil service
commission really has nothing to dc
with the matter, for Mr.. Cavanaugh
was not appointed or working unde,
civil service jurisdiction. That being
the fact, commissioner Murnian, chief
Murphy and Capt. Fiskett are cred
tied with having the power and re-
sponsibility Of deciding the case.
+ There are intimations, too, that Il
complaint, charging perjury, may be
sworn ont by the defense. At this
writing, conditions are too chaotic to
tell what will happen.
Mr.. Cavanaugh, by the way, denies
the charges against him and declares
that he will open up matters widely
enough to prove his innocence and, al
the same time, give the public a com
prehensive view of matters connected
with the case.
Mrs. Smith threw a bombshell into
the situation by naming and charging
at least fifteen members of the police
department with having frenuented hel
place, playing poker, drinking booze
and doing it repeatedly in many cases
There is one story to the effect that
she declares one of the members of the
department took her to Oliver in his OWL
automobile and brought back booze fol-
her. It is claimed that a prominent
member of the New Duluth department
rode from that suburb to Oliver il
the machine. q"
There's another tale to the effect
that, once upon time, policeman
called at the West hotel and wanted
to sell Mrs. Smith eight bottles oil
whisky, saying that he had just bought
a new house and was hard up.
"What is the whisky WORTH" wa
the query. -.
cit ought to be worth $500 a bot
tle," was the reply. -
Mrs. Smith is alleged to have refused
to buy it, but she did decide to hoit
the booze as security for $50 that sh,
loaned the man. A night or two later
so it is alleged, that same policema,
came up with some of his friends ani
drank up all that bottled security fol
the loan. : -.
Mrs. Smith must vacate her presen
quarters January l. It is stated thai
she realizes her financial, social ant
moral smashup here, therefore will sci
out her furniture and move to Min
neapolis.
! If Mrs. Smith can come anywhere
near proving her charges against tn,
individual members of the police de
partment, it is not impossible thai
nearly score of them will be in a DO
sition to go to Minneapolis, or soms
other far city, at about the same time
Future developments must decide that
of course.