Imperial Valley press., 1920-04-03
Hill 7estifies On Stand

and it might do me some good. Now
gentlemen that is the way | am sit
uated in this country.
q. What judgship did you hold?
A Polise Judge and Justice of the
peace for the last Is years in Maiden,
Missouri.
@. Was that your home?
A. Yes. sir, my home for 40 years.
l was born in an adjoining county. L
am no crook. The people will tell you
there that l can come back, and l am
sorry that l left. A man need not
say he don't worry about it, because
it was the first thing l ever was in,
and it has hurt me and it has scared
me. That is the way | am situated.
All want is fair, square grand lry
to investigate these things, and have
rot it, so people tell me- | hold no
malice against anybody. Like | told
the papers, know there is gambling
here. had more people up week
ago than we caught here, but cannot
convict them. The town hasn't been
policed.
@. Is that all the police you have in
this town, one deputy and yourself?
A. We have a night man.
q. Who is the night man?
A. Mr.. Slaughter and an old gentle
man, Dad Havens We call him. The
city pays him $40 and the merchants
pay him the rest and me and my son
have been in the office to attend to
the office work, and Mr.. Hyde has
been out on the street. Since this
came up. We put man on day and
night on the east side, but we have
never done that until lately.
q. When was he put to work on
the east side?
A. Yesterday morning.
Q. What is his name?
A. / could not tell you Mr.. Reams
recommended them to me. / do not
know them.
z. Slaughter was the only night
man was he?
A. Yes, sir. except Hyde; he worked
until he got ready to go home.
z. Did Slaughter do any patrol
work on the east side or did he stay
on the west side?
A. You know the east side is a good
ways over, and we have no car. /
nave a car that they pay me $25 a
month for but it is good, big car, and
l did not like to put it out at night
tor those people to run and | take it
home. and they have a red light and
II they have call they went over
there.
G. Mr.. Slaughter did not go to the
east side unless he had cali?
A. l don't know. that is hard to tell
l have worked long hours myself. We
only pay our men $115, it, is less
money than they pay anywhere else
IN the valley, and don't. know.
U. Have you ever found any other
evidences OF crookedness on Hyde's
part?
A. Yes, | have suspieioned things.
but never did know it. Now here
AU days ago man came in one morn
ing pretty early, and wanted to see
me, and he had not much more than
got in and said a few words until
Mr.. Hyde came in, but he told me
hyde got a diamond ring over there
from a man that wanted to sell it to
ann and he said he figured it was
crooked and he did not buy it, and
when he went out asked Hyde and
he said 81 got it from boy that lives
by my fathers" and said "Mr. Hyde
| don't care if my men make legiti-
mate money for thing like that" but
Il said, ''why didn't you get that man
and bring him down here and not pay
him anything?" ard l says "a fellow
would know that if man had $500
diamond ring and only wanted $40 for
it, that it is stolen" and he says 81 got
a letter this morning that they are
going to send the money back" and
after this other came up l went over
and asked the man, and he said ''he
came in here and tried to sell it to
me, and about that time Hyde came
along, and told him the man had
a diamond ring that he wanted $40
for, and HIDE came back in day or
two and told me he had bought that
ring"
q. Mr.. Ridgway simply told you
that HYDE was shaking down this girl
for more than she can stand?
A. Yes, thought he was my friend.
He said he had shook her down for
$3.50 in the last four days and that
must have been from the time went
to San Diego until l came back.
@. Did he tell you who the girl was
A. No.