Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-10-26

.C0L0RED CREW
HELD THREE NIGHTS
AWAITING TRIAL

Twenty ~ eoloTed men ana tNu
women taken Ia a taid SATURDAY ni9hl
I GA north foplaf street residence
uwned hs Dave Mctsee were e0mnclled
70 spend three nights IN the CITY fall
while authorities made teady IL Try
/ their case,
All members of the party pleaded
not guilty when arraiHned finally
before Magistrate JAMES Monday
morning on charges af dison3erlN
conduct Al Tie trial an witnesses
Tor the defense eon,endcds that the
party Vas not diseudtflN but only a
lively gathetipe of perfectly fespee.
table calored felks,
Fines Nominal,
Magistrate James, who had McGee
before him on another lecent occasion.
considered that the reputation Of the
house warranted stin fine. lie ptn
eeeded to fine the keeper. Dave MeGea
500 and costs ou a charge # possess
lng Intoxicating liquor and S2f.a0 uu
charge Of keeping dseraerl,
house,
The Two women were fined $3.50
each on charges Of being inmates Of
disOt1eriy house. All others were
fined s. and casts with the exception
Of ieof regular hoardefs aud the nian-
ist employed for the occasion. These
five wete released
>ahbed by Deputies.
Following the hearing all those who
We're discharged or who settled their
fines We're immediately arrested hy
deputy shefiiis whe stood waiting 10
nab them as soon as they settled with
the court on city charge. Those
arrested were taken 10 the county Jail
10 await trial on state charges
Following the preliminary hearing
when all pleaded not guilty several
applied 10 the court for hands which
were denied. Later Magistrate James
explained that in any care bonds
would have Served no purpose IN view
nf the fact thai deputy shefiifs stood
ready 10 Immediately arrest all on a
state warrant, Who might have gained
their freedom through filing bonds.
MeGee claims TO have To Champaign
from Louisiana with his wife aud
step daughter, Pearl Rodgers, about
five months ago. The Rodgefs girl
Is II years old according to her lesti,
mony.
Gist of Testimony.
Direct evidence in the case indl-
Gated that there was no immortality
pfaetieed la the house. but In sum.
ming up the evidence City Attorney
w. +. Woods insisted that the eifeum-
santial evidence was strong enough
60 warrant believing that immortality
had been praeieed The Judgment
0f the court sustained Attorney
Woods position,
All the liquor gathered In the raid
with the exception Of about three
quarts OF alleged wine was found ~
seereted places about The residence.
The defense cnntonded that In AZ.
tempting to escape the officers guests
of the house had seereted their bottles
as quickly as possible. The eonten,
ton was that this fact proved con
clusively that MCGEE WAS not the
owner Of the Illicit liquor This
argument of the defense was also
overrulod by the judgment Of the
court.
Night Captain Charles Richards
who assisted in the raid testified 10
having seen money on a table and
several of the gueats around the
table. He succeeded in grabbing w
Of the cash In sight. This Mts.
MeGee claimed was hers.
The total amount IN fines was
s262. so. The party of q was held 10
the city Jail from Saturday night at
midnight until Tuesday following the
trial, and many Of the eolored men
chose rather to remain In the Cham
paign Jail than TO pay their fines pnd
be Immediately taken up By the coun-
~ officers. -
Those who paid fines In urbana on