Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 218, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1912 — INMATES OF FOSS DIVE HELD AS WITNESSES. [ARTICLE]

INMATES OF FOSS DIVE HELD AS WITNESSES.

Dissolute Women Tell Stories that Fasten Two Deaths on Daughter of Roselawn Citizen. There are no new developments of especial Interest connected with the crimes that have taken place in the heirHbles in West Hammond. Last Sunday Virginia Brooks, the young lady who is delving into the corrupt tion in West Hajnmond, accompanied by two detectives, visited Roselawn to look up the record of “Frankie” Ford, whose maiden name was Ethel Baxter. They learned that she had been raised in a good home by Christian parents, but had become unruly when very young and had caused her parents much shame. Her mother was a good Christian woman and died when Ethel was only about 17 years of age. Ethel had no shame, it seems, and the most wretched stories are related by Roselawn people about her conduct. She became a dope fiend soon after leaving home and is now regarded as mentally affected. Helen Lapere, who was wanted as a witness to testify about the occurrences at the Foss dive, surrendered herself to Miss Brooks in Hammond Tuesday. iShe was a waiter in the Foss resort and told that she served drinks to the patrons of the place. She will be taken to Chicago to be quizzed by the police. Another witness, Kittie Clark, was located in a dive at Gary. She told about the sick-' ness of Esther Harrison at the Foss (live. She thinks it was the morphine shots by the Ford woman that caused her death. She blamed the Ford woman also for the death of Messmaker and said Frankie had told her that she gave Messmaker four or five “shots” during the night. Gradually all the dissolute characters who occupied the Foss joint at the time of the deaths are being rounded up and will be retained at witnesses. So far no evidence has been procured to couple Foss with the crime. He knew what was going on, however, and has given the authorities what trouble he could to get information. He can probably be prosecuted for a number of minor offenses.