Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 211, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 September 1910 — ALLEGED BLIND TIGER RAIDED BY THE OFFICERS. [ARTICLE]

ALLEGED BLIND TIGER RAIDED BY THE OFFICERS.

Charlie Bowers and Henry McNeal Arrested—Bowers Bound Over to Circuit Court Saturday afternoon Marshal Mustard and Nightwatch Critser raided the barn in the rear of the Ransford property on Cullen street a block from the court house and suceeded in capturing 25 full quarts of beer, two cases partly filled with empties, a bucket of ice water and ice, Bowers, Alva Hood and Harry McNeal, of Milroy township. The officers have been suspicious of the place for some time but were unable to get any evidence to justify a raid. Saturday afternoon McNeal was noticed in an intoxicated condition and Marshal Mustard told him he had better get out of town. McNeal gpt his team and he anti- Hood started east from the livery barn. Mustard was suspicious and getting Officer Critser to go with him they started after McNeal, who drove into the alley back of Bower’s barn. The officers went another route and passing through the Medicuß property went to the barn from the south and entered a door from the east just as Bowers was opening a bottle of beer. Bowers acted surprised and set the bottle down and called Mustard aside to explain that nothing was wrong. As they returned to the barn McNeal had the bottle to his lips and was emptying it. The story told by Bowers and McNeal was that McNeal had driven up to the barn to trade horses and brought the beer with him. When the officers made preparations to search the barn Bowers weakened and admitted he had a little beer there for his own use and showed them where it was.

The captured beer was turned over to the sheriff and Bowers was placed under arrest on the charge of running a blind pig and McNead on the charge of intoxication. McNeal entered a plea of guilty before Squire Irwin Saturday and was fined a dollar and costs, $4.80 in all. f Bowers was given a hearing befofe Squire Irwin thlß Monday morning and was bound over to the circuit court in the sum of SIOO. The penalty for running a. blind pig is a fine of not less than SSO for the first offense and a jail sentence. This placed the matter out of the jurisdiction of the justice court. The officers claim they have enough circumstantial evidence to convict, aud the outcome will be watched with interest. Only one arrest before this one has been made in Rensselaer for running a blind pig since the city went “dry” and the verdict in the former case was one of acquittal, the first trial resulting in a disagreement of the jury. It has been suspected for some time that » number of blind tigers have been running full blast here and this arrest may put a curb on the suspected places. There is altogether too much drunkenness in Rensselaer for a “dry” town.