Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 283, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 November 1913 — RACE TRACK CASE CONTINUED TO DEC. 15 [ARTICLE]

RACE TRACK CASE CONTINUED TO DEC. 15

Defendants Ask Continuance After Day pf Sparring Over Various Issues in the Case. After a day of sparring over legal points in the case of the Manhattan Lumber Co. vs, Peter Crumpacker, et al, in the Jasper circuit court Tuesday, the defendants asked a continuance and Judge Hanley granted it and the attorneys agreed that Dec. 15th would be a suitable time to reopen the case. This will be in the vacation following the regular Npvember term. Attorney Whennery, of Hammond, is the'leading counsel for the plaintiff, while a number of other creditors are represented by a number of other lawyers, and the defendants, who were the stockholders in the race track property at Porter, are represented by a number of the leading attorneys from Hammond, Gary and East Chicago. The tilts over the issues were sharp and there was some evidence of personal feeling injected into the tkse. Members of the Jasper county bar enjoyed the proceedings as witnesses from the jury box. While demurrers, answers and amendments were being, prepared Judge Hanley met all comers in checker games and came out with about 100 per cent of victories.

The defendants made the Makeever hotel headquarters, while the plaintiffs and their attorneys stopped at the Dunlap boarding house. AH will be here again on Dec. 15th to reopen the case and it is probable that another delay will not be granted. The defendants admit that they saw a good thing in the race track proposition at Mineral Spirngs and that they put their money into it. They say that the races were run “on the level” and that there was no reason why Governors Marshajl and Ralston should have sent the militia to stop them. The promob ers now realize that the promising investment was a very bad one an€ they are all anxious to sidestep the payment of the lumber and labor bills. The plaintiffs have liens on the buildings, but the value of the Improvements is scarcely 25 per cent of the total claims and the aim is to secure a judgment over against Mr. Crumpacker and other defendants. One of the defendants talked boldly about the part the governors took in halting the races. He said that the hand of Tom Taggart was seen in the order to send troops there. He did not regard that Tom was jealous and wanted to retain all the sporting at West Baden, but that he was playing a high handed political game to secure for himself the support'of the moral element in case he runs for the TJ. S. senate. This same man stated that he had a friend who helped audit the accounts each year at West Baden and French Lick. He said that Mr. Taggart’s hotel was netting himself and company $400,000 a year, while the Brown gambling joints were netting $450,000 per year. He said that he was sure that no connection could be shown between Taggart’s hotel and the Brown joints, but that Mt. Taggart was a willing neighbor, to say the least, to the gaming places, and that he would not’ ask the militia to stop the gambling, which was so extensive as to make the small bets at the race track look like a game of funnies. The race track fellows were sore at the governors and said that the north end had been singled out for purposes of parading the “reform” notions of two governors who had blinked at everything that took place in Indianapolis and every other place in the state.