Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 17 February 1927 — Page 1

4

THE POST-DE

VOLUME 7—NUMBER 6.

MUNCIE, INDIANA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1927.

Price 5 Cents a Copy—$2.00 a Year

ALPHA STILL IN THE LIMELIGHT

A Friend s » Speaks Up

Packed Court Room Hem's Holaday Pete BarloW

Case—Was Ryman Pay-off Man?

Dictates at Jail

BULLETIN

Gives Views

[fiPW 1

After reading the article con-

cerning your move for a rehearing of the trial for “criminal libel” against Warner, I am constrained to express my observation of some

happenings in your county. It was my business to be in

Muncie at the time and to observe the hearing of the so called “One Armed Wolf” case. That was a most extraordinary case in many ways. A case of extreme and violent murder- in cold blood upon a public highway unexampled, no doubt, in the history of your county, with no record of any act or word whatever from theh county’s law enforcement officers in the apprehension of the murderers. We are told that the sheriff of the county even attended a circus with his family on the night of the murder; also that the police headquarters, which alone was working desperately to apprehend the guilty, never had an inquiry concernink the effort to ferret out, nor an offer to assist in solving the crime. The trial of that case had many peculiar features. Word was constantly going out to the wife and friend of Wolf that every thing was moving on schedule time and that he (Wolf) would soon be with them again. It also appeared rather odd to observe constantly seated about the state’s attorney, a half dozen grim visaged federal secret service officers who knew every phase of the case. In fast, who had made the case rather federal than state, and were ttrere to see that justice was dealt to one of the prepetrators of the most foul mruder in the history of your country, it was peculiar also to know that one of the jury commissioners, after selecting the first of the special venire, left the country while the other one stalked about

the town with a pocket full

perfectly free as to the case in 1

hand and yet they were all pased

over and Mrs. Cranor was rushed At the time of going to press the lUrv in into court by telephone call; there! ^ lo perjure herself by declaring on the Alpha Lloladay case was still deliberather oath many times that she was Holaday was tried on the specific charge

neither biased nor prejudiced «...

against Mr. Dale, and yet, when of obtaining $500 from Dave Wedmore

throu ff h false pretenses, although Holaday is alleged to have obtained money from many other persons through the sale of fake stock. He has been called the “Ponzi” of

Muncie.

Wedmore testified that he told Ryman that!

Ryman would never have been interested in;

trying to get his money from Alpha had; Walter “Pete” Rarlow, operator to include the right to visit the—too late, Judge Dearth ruled, to it not’ been for the fact that joe Davis was the Capital cigar store and pool:!*^ff office and the use of the tele-^aust Donovan, who vowed his lack

the new prosecutor and that Ryman could room - G0G South Walnut street, phone by Avhuh means llR 13 said

' - - . king of at least one branch of

tioned in connection with the pub lisher, she freely admitted the bias

and left the jury box.

And then the telephoning and worrying of the deputy in a frantic effort to land a Sample on that jury. Lulu almost refused to be located until the ever present Nina* | manager and advance agent of;

a he? at eet Thr“S: Pete Barlow keeps Slim Edwards at his Lulu arrived on scheduit and with!crap table for the purpose of paying off the and good will toward the editor and taking the slice for the house, out of which, it is purported administration

not buy him, aud that if Ogle had still been prosecutor that!there would have been no attempt to pay him his money, for it might not have been necessary in order to get the

case dismissed'. I

to be keeping in touch with his business affairs — directing the work bt the clique with which he

is the recognized head.

Rumor has it that the board of

The crowd imthe court room cheered Wedmore several times, and especially when he jibbed at Ryman. Wonder if Ryman didn’t feel that he was sort of obnoxious, expecting to be elected Attorney General in two years,

Muncie’s revived “red light;” reorganized with induction into office of the city present maladmin-

istration, and, according to Dr. j county commissioners may be imFrank T. Kilgore, county coroner, | portuned to provide the means for the murderer of Edgar “Tiny’* Yor-[installation in Barlow’s cell at the hess, is still a_ prisoner in the Del-[jail, an extension telephone as a aware county jail. j means of convenience. The calls Will the grand jury, In session iai'e coming so fast it’s asking too since 9 o’clock Wednesday morn- 1 much of him at times to move from ing, listen to the evidence of wit- 1 behind the barred doors to the nesses heard by Coroner Kilgore sheriff’s office to respond,

after the way that crowd demonstrated its and now being repeated before; The legal force of the “red feelings toward him. the three men and three women lighf’dictatorwasincreasedTuesDearth and Ogle standing by the court’s co ^ ipiisi , n ? tbe V lqu j sit0ria J body, day noon. F. Clayton Mansfield u i i i j „ j J r, , TTr land sustain, in the form of an m- and Van L. Ogle, the latter exbench looked unconcerned, of all that Wed- c jj c t men t, the charge preferred by; prosecutor, joined forces with C.

“sat” as a juror.

name of the former President omicials are able to buy Packards. Wilbur from the sitgma of having to fath-1 Ryman is pay-off' man, according to the teser such an offspring, if m name, . ttt i ■ only, with his “Red Card joke” timony of Dave Wedmore in circuit court on story, dropped in and remained Tuesday of this week, in the trial of Alpha glued to he seat in he jury box. - ^ 1 Then followed the submission Holaday. According to Dave s testimony, of evidence arguments of council: giyen in open court Alpha said he id Ry _ and the verdict of guilt of the de- ° ^ , , V / fendant, of one of the greatest;man $7,500 to be distributed as follows: farces in law and travesty on jus- $2,000 to Judge Dearth, to bribe him to aptice it has ever been my lot toj po i n t; Ed Templer as Special Judge in the 14

Holaday cases filed sometime ago, and later

resentative, the prosecutors office, : dismissed by Special Judge Templer; $2,000 has gagged at the absured proce- to Specfhl Judge Templer to get him to dish nmwoiL m iss the 14 cases against Holaday which

in, but the court overrules and you . ®

must seek redress in the higher were dismissed; $1,000 to give to Clarence courts or serve the unjust sentence Benadum to give to Van Ogle, then Prosecutpiaced upon you. | n g Attorney. It will be recalled that Van fr. •Pcova tnv 00 i j took a trip to South Dakota last summer

while the Grand Jury was in session. And he left Ryman in charge d’aff’airs while he ! was gone; $1,000 to go to Francis Shaw, then

Til £ T Special Prosecutor, who had to get up out of l 163 TOr L/ID61 Ij his bed at the Home Hospital and come to z. ! the Court House to try to keep the 14 cases

against Holaday from being dismissed.

(The Indianapolis Times Feb. 16^7) p ranc j s g{ iaw J g prosecuting the cases “Reed Sa Dinner” 1 Of’’ the’ “fightin’i against Holaday so vigorously that the crowd

hand’^cked'names^eacly to’dump Ten ^ 1 '’ ward one^of Mlssourraj in fhe court room that hears the evidence, into the jury box at a moment’s ! m0 ; st P° werf ul Democratic organ- j ^ of the oplnlon that Wilbur did not get to notice, but fortunately a “square STlignmcant political P a y Shaw the $1,000 that Holaday said he Sac°e ter oi SMSFm the history at Kansas gave him, but that Wilbur “ rolled” Holaday missions and a jury was finally last ”***•. , ^£2. „ |. f » r this extra $1,000, We give Wilbur credit selected who knew their duty Mat. Poll- for doing something that no one else has XSawTSTSe £45“ «<*““• “"Officially noruinateti Unit-1 ever done, namely roll Holaday.

JTf. ed States Senator James A. Reed ' • ... , , their favorite for PvejsidffiH. | Wilbur announced last week that he would While more than 1,200 loyalists no t be attorney for Holaday, and the good were cheering Reed and (( spRabers : brethern had a notion that Wilbur might be this generation ” reforming, but they have changed their

(Continued to Page three)

-o

Sen. Reed Makes

more said. Ogle had just entered the court the coroner? This question is uproom when Ryman says, “here comes Mr. permost in the minds of all MunOgle whom you,” addressing Wedmore, | SvestiSon" 1 "^ progress 11 is° f an^-

“charge as having received $1,000 from Hol-uousiy awaited,

aday.” Ogle looked up at the mention of his Twice during the week Barlow name, and looked like a boy who had just ran bas niove(i spijF 6 ^ ^ uns of into a hornets nest. He became very pale wer e repulsed. By the alertness of and hurriedly left the court room. But what [Joe H. Davis, prosecuting attorney we cannot understand is why Dearth sud- and ' his deputies, Paul s. Brady denly dismissed the grand jury last summer 1 Fr ^”5 p ®^’ 1 f b ^’® arlow has when they had started into the investigation ' Barlow’s first move was an atof this Holaday wholesale bribery. The ex- tempt for liberation from jail, via cuse of dismissing the grand jury was that I! :he babeas R ° rp “ s route - T his was there was not sufficient funds to carry on,j submitted before Judge c . w . but from the pep that the grand jury show- Dearth in the circuit court twentyed in throwing out Wilbur Ryman as special four later, in his decision made

prosecutor, we believe that this grand jury would have been glad to have worked with-

out pay.

Wilbur in his opening statement says that

he will make Dgve Wedmore out to be the, ri£ ,. ht _ Bai . low shoilltl 1)P held biggest liar in the country. But he did nof However, it was pointed out in the comment on what Dave made Alpha out to a ’--

be—and Ryman too.

Pete Barlow told reporters of the Press “The police have run aown every clew that

has come to them, and they find nothing that I >Race f 0 ’”' 1 ; he a£ M d > tj 10 c ] e

, fense had failed to allege in the

Now we wonder T

application for a writ' of habeas

conflicts with my story,

how Pete found out that the police had runLqorpus, that the conorer had failed down every clew that was given them. The j° start llis bat £ le against. Barlow coroner would not tell his evidence, anil. seek libera-

prosecutor's office would not tell the eviction from jail is more than many dence—is it* possible, citizens, that there is, persons can understand, particua connection whereby pete might find out, !avly 0 . ther ,.l ail inmates. Although what was gomgon in the inquest through the under the law . Rarlow , his felIow

operatives why certaih big diamonds went into bidding in safety deposite boxes and United States bonds floated over to a neighbor-

ing city and landed in bank vaults f^k" Jlenrv "of

there at the time of the trial. It and a^-eater than Andrew Jack-j minds again.

son,” Reed was speaking in Indi-'

anapolis.

all seems a dream now with Chapman hanged, Dutch Anderson shot down by his own gun. Van Ogle and Hoffman retired to private life and the mayor advising the county commissioners (two of them), on how best to buy, lift and cure gravel, and get away with it. He, too,

will soon pass.

But to the point—It was my privilege, also, to be in your city during the so-called trial referred to at the beginning of this article. “Warner vs Dale criminal trial.” It has been the privilege of the writer to observe the selection of juries and the trials of cases in many of the greater of ours, but never did we observe such a galaxy of mutual friends and unanimity of minds gathered before the trial of any cause. It was rather pathetic to learn that the genial deputy sheriff, who, we are told was a splendid judge of corn liquor before the days of Volsteadism, and who never voted anything else but the democratic ticket, hut did not vote at all in 1924 and failed to register for the 1926 election, but was finnally induced to vote by affidavit to save his chief who had been the same kind of republican prior to his notion to be a candidate for sheriff I repeat, it would have been pathetic to have heard the pleadings of the deputy over the telephone to the “faithful” to rush to the temple of justice; there to do valient servie to the cause about to be heard, and, because of their special fitness and utter lack of bias and prejudice in the trial of this particular defendant. One of the first incidents that attracted over attention during that “travesty on justice” was the excusing of a Mrs. Powers as being neither a huseholder ‘nor a freeholder after the court had declared that the names of all the regular panel had been taken from

the tax duplicate.

From the court house to the home’ of Clifton Cranor, we are told, is some two miles and there lives within that distance, no doubt a thousand good men and women whose names George R. Dale has never had occasion to mention in any capacity; whose minds -were

Wilbur is defending bootleggers now. He is attorney for Plug Walburn, and only last week- defended Lester Oliver for violation of

the liquor laws in Circuit Court.

Wilbur used to get a fee occasionally from the Anti-Saloon league but they are not help- i ing him now that he has Alpha. Wilbur’s i name appears on the criminal docket as de-

“Harry M. Daugherty—as corrupt a wretch as ever crawled across the page of time “The man who will corrupt a ballot commits treason to the United

States

These and similarly stirring

e^of thousand^ wh^hlartTunU 6 -1 fending several bootleggers whose trials are

ed States Senator James A. Reed set for the future.

of Missouri before the Indiana £ rs j. a criminal wants to know dirmer I 'at’ C tiie’ < * c)asffiooif SS Tu^tiay! wh"" he is arrested is who the “fixer” is. evening ^ yp ’ Wilbur should give the Post-Democrat the Exposed corruption credit for bringing this new business to him, Reed, the man wb ° ^ pa ^. ed : for we believe we have apprised the people last 'year^Ya^ed^his’address upon a that Wilbur is some little fixer. In fact, when plea for a return to governmental, Barlow was arraigned sometime ago in guarantee of fundamental human' cour E and as ked as t’O who his attorney would human liberty upon which Thomas,be, he said it would be either Clarence Benalefferson wrote many of the first! dum or Wlibur Ryman. Everyone knows that laws of the Nation, and then show ; g enadum wag c l oser to Ogle than any other fn fa&tene< upon j attorney, and everybody has observed some He charged that corrupt inter-: peculiarities relative to Benney s cases when est gained their strongest hold up-jthey were up for trial, if they ever got that

on the Government after the death: «

of Abraham Lincoln when protect-. ‘ r tS • u n ed industries .fattened by the warn Five days after Joe Davis became Prosecuinsisted that the tariff barrier be tor, Wilbur, according to Dave’s testimony, kept up.” They promised to let the caded X) a ve over the phone and told him that its feet They never have let go.” he had some money for him, Dave, from Reed declared. Alpha. Dave went to Ryman’s office that Citing specific instances of prov-1 nig^^ and Ryman informed him that if he

would go over and tell Joe Davis to dismiss

that stock in a bank was given j the cases against Holaday that he would pay Congressmen to vote for a banking; him. Wedmore says that he went to Joe measure sponsored by Alexander j) av j s ’ s office the next morning, and that

y, U Teapot Dome Davis told him this was not* a civil case,

and primary scandals, Reed declar-! which COUld be Compromised, but that it Was ed that such trampling upon rights a cr i m i na i a ction in which the state of Inpar^witii'tinfniort* 1 specific"infringe- diana had an interest, and that it could not ment of sumptuary legislation. be dismissed under any circumstances. So He urged the Democratic party; Ryman would not give Dave the money that

Police Department ?

Which reminds us that Pete Barlow must know what is going on. And in order to know what is going on, he must use his hirelings, the Police Department. Mrs. Henry Peterman, whose husband is on the police force, is also on the grand jury investigating the Vorhees case. A few more were added' to the grand jury, Arch Hamilton, Iva Curts and Mrs. Henry

Peterman were drawn.

The public should know that Van Ogle, former prosecutor is co-counsel with the fixer, Clarence Benadum, in defending Pete Barlow, Ogle has been Out of office six weeks, is is then hired to defend the most notorious criminal in this county. Now isn’t it funny that this gambler, who operated for one year under Ogle’s administration, should hire

Dispatches from.."Washington, D. C„ say that orders were issued yesterday by Justice Butler under

Ogle to defend him. Do you suppose this is which the mandate of the United

part of Ogle’s reward for enforcing the law?~

if prejudice against Barlow, and idded, “There are hundreds in Muncie who are doing as bad as he s and ought to be looked after. ‘Failure to remove Donovan from he grand jury was the second loss

or Barlow during the week.

Not all of the witnesses were on land when the grand jury con/ened Wdnsday morning, but the ooridor of the court house was jammed with those present. Oehers raving business in the court house, hat required their presence on the bird floor, had to wiggle their way through a surging mass of inmanity—concrete evidence that Muncie folk had been aroused and iave awakened to a sense of duty,

fustice is being dmanded.

Vorhees died at Hie Home hospi'al the evening of January 29. This was on Friday The previous Sunlay evening he was reported to ;he police as paving been injured in a fall down the stairs leading :o 604% South Walnut street, adjoiningfi the Barlow place of business. Barlow was with him at the time. He admitted it. Vorhees was sent home and later to the Home Hospital where death followed. Police accepted the account given them by Barlow and said Vorhees was an accident victim. Barlow told them he and Vorhees had been upstaids to get a drink and that Vorhees fell as they were descending the stairway . Stories of a fight in which Barlow had figured and ! n which it was said Vorhees had aken part reached the ears of the n-osecutor. They were considered vorthy of official investigation. Vt the inquest conducted by Cormer Kilgore, who with Drs. Hill aid Clauser had examined the hody of Vorhees and realized from he nature of the fracture of the ikull that the injuries could not have been sustained by a fall, evilence was gleaned that prompted he coroner asking that Barlow be deprived of his liberty pending ?rand jury investigation. Barlow said openly that he wanted to talk and tell the grand Jurors what he knew about the Vorhees injuries. He was subponaed and given opportunity to tell his story, but when he arrived in response

that the mere fact that he caused Jo the official summons he dogaming charges to be instituted [dined to speak. He was drunk, at against Barlow, he is “prejudiced” the time. The evidence heard by and incompetent to serve. They [the coroner at his injuest is now

privileges than are given any oth- wainted until after the grand jury being repeated before the grand

ers confined there. These ar e said had been convened and instructed jury.

public at noon Tuesday, the judge, after more than two hours study and research of law books and court decisions cited by state and defense counsel, concluded that the prosecuting attorney was

decision from the bench, the coroner had adopted a plan that was wrong to begin with—he should have first instituted charges gainst Barlow in some Justice , of the

E. Benadum, original counsel for

Barlow.

Ogle’s claim, put out by the machine, as “the best prosecuting attorney Delaware county ever boasted of” but looked upon by others -is a “persecutor” of any who dared to attack the machine’s reign, was defeated by Joe Davis for the nomination, with the aid of the better element of Republicans— oeople who believe in proper enforcement of law. Shorn of his official toga and out of office but a few days more than six weeks. Ogle in his uniting with the Barandpow defense, has been forced into f he open as a protector of law vioiators. In this, one is reminded of the age old saying—“The leopard

cannot change its spots.”

When a recent session of the ?rand jury failed to indict Barlow md his gang of hangerson for the operation of a gaming house, conlucted in the upstairs room above he “Capitol,” Leo Donovan, York f own resident and a member of he grand jury, walked from the ?rand jury room the day adjournment was taken and attached his signature to affidavits against Bar'ow, the two Walburns and “Slim” Edwards. Donovan is on the rrami jnrv that is probing the leaIh of Vovees Attorneys Bena■ium, Mansfield and Ogle appeared before Judge Dearth Wednesday morning, and challenged the right of Donovan to sit as a grand iuror in a case in which their client is accused. They insisted

prisoners say, is accorded more

DALE’S CASE WILL BE RE INSTATED IN HIGHER COURT

Tustice Butler Gives Muncie Editor Another Chance With His Appeal.

which had been furnished for print-[the Klan and justice could not he ing was diverted without his obtained. knowledge. 1 — o— Dale has been a hitter opponent; The thread spun into cocoon by of the Ku Klux Klan and has a silkworm is sometimes over half consistently fought the organiza- a mile long. tion in the columns of his newspa- Germny is trying iron carbonyl per. He charged that the courts; as an anti-knock compound for gasof Delaware county were ruled by oline.

A STANDPAT REPUBLICAN WARNS JUDGE DEARTH AND MAYOR HAMPTON THAT “THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH’’

States Supreme court dismissing i am a citizen, a taxpayer and a [had. To date it seems to have been

this week, to object to Leo Donovan sitting! e ? able ? ale v wh ° is under sentence ago our judge started to clean up Quick was a credit to the present as errand "nror Tt will he remembered tbat'° f contempt , of O court of a state;the city of Muncie, ’with all the!administration. There was no cib gfcuiu juroi, it win oe remernueieu md,i court t0 ask tbe supreme Court on power in his hands to perform thatjtruck deals in Dr. Quick’s board Donovan was the juror who did his full duty. Monday to reinstate his appeal. duty. His action was comended byiof works,; murder, assaults on Among the prospective jurors brought ini Dale, while on trial of what he al the law abiding people. How- night watchmen, and all kinds of

bv the Sheriff to hpar Hip ease of Alnha Hoi- charsed was an unwarranted ar-[ever there was a murmur by the oy tne snerin to near tne case ot Aipna noi rest and «p lant i ng ” of evidence for -—m mo wio- Q ™™,i,i

aday, was J. L. Black, still and heavy stock- violation of the liquor law, the holder- in the Holaday Investment Company methods of the Delaware circuit

court and the grand jury were criticised in articles in the Post-

and close friend of Alpha’s. Also a neighbor

and close friend of Dorsey McCreary who is Democrat, “judge" Clarence"r^aHh

immediately summoned Dale into court on contempt charges. It is alleged that Dale was tried on th& contempt charges without being allowed to introduce any evidence to sustain charges he had made. The case was carried to the Indiana Supreme court and the higher court sustained the sentence of Dearth, on the grounds, it was claimed by Dale “that the truth is

to stop seeking the votes of blocs by trimming its sails to catch every wayward wind and to run up the flag of true democracy, to be-

was justly coming to him, Ryman came to Davis several times and talked dismissal of the cases, saying that he could' show re-

come the champions of human Lh-j ceipts showing that Wedmore, Raymond erty, to insist that no law shall telL TT , ,, , -j -r% • a man what to eat, drink, wear, | Hoover and the other has been paid. Davis think, write or say. refused to dismiss any of the cases.

Alpha’s father-in-law.

One of the prospective jurors, when he was examined as to qualifications said'that he did not have any sympathy for suckers. This tickeled Alpha and his wife, and Wilbur, who laughted right out in court. They immediately thought that here was their man to hang the jury. Later in the day,

however, they found out that he was not for , „ „ ^

Hampton in that campaign, and discharged

him. (This was George Brass. ( jfreedom of speech and the liberty Alpha claims that Dave Wedmore loaned |of the press, many large^newspa-

him the $500. And Alpha, everytime he gave a receipt, would always put the word

“loan” on it. Pretty slick.

The bankers, merchants, burglary and life insurance companies would do well to hire a real police officer for the city of Muncie. Muncie citizens ought to be entitled to at least

pers took up the fight in Dale’s behalf. After the Supreme court of Indiana had sustained his sentence to ninety days in jail and a fine of $500 for contempt, he appealed to the United States Supreme court, but the case was dismissed Jan. 3, last because he had failed to print the record for the court

down on the job when they got to him, just at the time when he had the law violators thinking what would come next, the Judge had to go on his vacation, and when" he returned you know the rest. Since that time there has been two murders in Muncie, sporting and gambling houses running galore, the

law violations under this adminis-

tration.

The blood of Korby’s victim and that of Tiny Vorhees, is upon you, you two men and you alone, are responsible for the death of those two men—had you have seen that the law was enforced they would still live. A friend of th writer, after visiting the Home Hospital, Saturday

like of which has not existed since; evening, was returning up Mulberthe days of the old, open saloon.!ry street, when seven girls from as and I am opposed to the return of;many different windows tapped on the licensed saloon, with resorts [the windows and asked him in. locate^ on the south side of the; Then too. I would like to ask ourt House square facing the cir-|the four families who gave that cuit room. Well, bot£ the Judge party a few evenings ago, includand the Mayor are responsible for [ing some two or three teachers.

The Mayor has just about how drunk they all got,

one policeman, even if he ia not on the city the time allowed

1 Dale asserts that the

pay roll, but is paid outside.

these conditions. The Mdyor has the power to close them up, the Judge has the absolute power to both close them up and also to file charges and impeach the Mayor. Now comes the time when the city Council should act. Messrs. Councilmen, why don’t you have the nerve of the City Council of Evansville and ask the Mayor to either fulfill the promise he made to the voters that he would en-

by the [force the law the letter or resign. I time to time.) He promised to give Muncie the) Signed,

if it really was as bad as reported. Ihave never been able to find a law delegating power to a deputy sheriff to hold one man in a fight in the Court House corridor while his enemy hit him in the fa^e two or three times, then threaten to put a bystander in jail because he

protested.

. (This is the first of other articles that will appear in the Post from

money!best city

administration it ever!

ONE WHO KNOWS.