Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-12-12
EAST CHICAGO
TIGER KEEPERS
TELL OF GRAFT
Continued From Page One.)

Indiana State Farm. This case is now
in the Supreme Court on appeal.
The witness caused big laugh in the
court when Samuel NJ. Ralston, attorney
for the defendants, asked him if he had
running water in his place of business.
Stipanovich hesitated a few seconds and
then answered:
well, when 1 turn him on then he
! runs"
WITNESS SAYS DoWNEY
THREATENED HIM.
Vujnovich testified that Captain Dow
ney called him a vile name and said:
IF you don't come across with the
money I'll kill you," when Vujnovich re-
fused to make further payments of pro-
lection money. This testimony was cor
roborated by his daughter, Mrs. Marian
Matlevich.
In explaining how he got into the
blind tiger business Vujnov1ch said that
he saw everybody else selling whisky
and thought he might as we'll do it him
self. He said that he paid Downey about
$500 at the rate Of 500 a month and
then quit when he found he was not
making any money.
His daughter, Mrs Matievich, said that
on several occasions she had seen her
father pay money to Captain Downey,
usually about the first of each month.
Nick Popovich, another blind tiger
operator, said that there were between
seventy and eighty places selling liquor
in Indiana Harbor in 1920 For two
months he said he paid O'Donnell $50 a
month and then O'Donnell came to him
and told him he would have to pay 500
month.
EXPLAINS BOOST
IN ASSESSMENTS.
II get only 10 per cent, the rest goes
to some one else" the witness said O'Don-
nell stated in explaining why the in
crease in the assessment was necessary.
The Government made a strong effort
to find out If ODonnell had mentioned
the names of the persons who got the
bulk Of the money but the witness could
not recall that he had done this. He said
that ODonnell promised him that If he
would take care" of him If Federal
agents came to town, and that on one
occasion he received a telephone tip of
raid that occurred a little later. He
was unable to say who did the telephon
ing.
CORRESPONDENT
UNWILLING WITNESS.
Mrs. Catherine Howard, a newspaper
be an unwilling witness for the Govern
ment and apparently there had been some
negotiations between herself and Chief
ODonnell within the past two weeks, the
exact nature of which the Government
was unable to bring out because of OBJ
jections by the defense.
Mrs. Howard had testified that on cleo
tion day, 1920, she had seen a number
of persons drunk on the streets of East
Chicago and then Floyd J. Mattice, as
sstant district attorney, apparently tried
TO bring out that O'Donnell has tried 10
prevent Mrs. Howard from making public
the results OF her observations or investi-
cations. She denied talking to him, but
finally admitted that a detective had
come to her saying he had a message
from O'Donnell. She did not state the
character of this message.
Mrs. Towards physician. Or. Helmut
Ernst, was the last witness before the
noon adjournment. He said that last
week o'DoneI sent for him and told him
that unless he saw Mrs. Howard and got
her 10 drop certain charges against him
that he would bring proceedings against
the witness and Mrs. Howard. Beyond
the mention of an Illegal operation and
that O'Donnell said Mrs. Howard was
interfering with the East Chicago police
department no details were brought out.
The defendants took the stand in their
own behalf this afternoon. The case
probably will go to the jury late this
afternoon.