Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 98, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 April 1912 — FINED ONE BOOTLEGGER AND SCARED ANOTHER. [ARTICLE]

FINED ONE BOOTLEGGER AND SCARED ANOTHER.

Bill Messenger Will Lay Out a SSO Fine and Nordyke Will Be Tried in Newton Connty. Bill Messenger, pardoned for the murder of a man at San Pierre after he had served several years in the penitentiary, was found guilty by a jury here Monday and fined SSO and costs for having sold two half pints of whisky to George Platt several weeks ago. Messenger will lay out the fine. His partner in business, at least the officers allege that they were partners, was James Nordyke, decided that Jasper county was a poor place to try a man who had a box full 'of bad booze in his sleeping quarters, when officers were willing to testify that they saw a channel of business visiting his room during the afternoon before his arrest and found several empty bottles scattered about his room, decided to ask a change of venue and this was granted and his case sent to Newton county for trial. Attorney W. H. Parkison was the special prosecutor in cases and acquitted himself very creditably. The men were defended by A. Halleck. One of the witnesses here was Charles Preston, clerk of the White circuit court, who came over to show that Nordyke was not unknown to the bootlegging business, having been found guilty and paroled from that county recently. Both Nordyke and Messenger have been in jail here since their arrest and Messenger has 50 days yet to remain. Nordyke will be left until the May term of the Newton circuit court when he will be sent to Kentland for trial.