Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1914 — DR. PAUL C. CURNICK AT ROBERTS’ TRIAL [ARTICLE]

DR. PAUL C. CURNICK AT ROBERTS’ TRIAL

Pastor of M. E. Church a Witness In Trial of Terre Haute Mayor— Donn M. Roberts. Dr. Paul C. Curnick, pastor since last September of Trinity M. E. church in this city, was called to Terre Haute Monday and there testified in the ease against Mayor Donn M. Roberts, charged with flection frauds. Dr. Curnick was for some time pastor of the First Methodist church at Terre Haute, where he was always in the thick of the fight against law violations. Dr. Curnick was called to Terre Haute to relate a scheme of politicaf sagacity on the part of Donn Roberts. Two of Roberts’ workers went to Rev. Curnick and urged him to run for mayor on either the prohi-, bition or independent tickets, claiming that they were in the election of some one who would clean up the tity and make it a good moral place to rear families. One of the men was John M. Roper and the other was a lawyer named Phil Long, who is now indicted for participation in the election frauds. Dr. Curnick was interested in the statements made by Roberts and Long and did not realize that they were trying to bring him out in order to split up the opposition to Roberts. He did not give their scheme to nominate him for mayor any great encouragement, but informed them that if they could secure a petition signed by 1,500 citizens asking that such a ticket be placed- in the field he would bring the matter to the attention of the Ministerial Association with a view to securing a candidate.

It developed in the trial that Donn Roberts had sent Roper and Long to Rev. Curnick as one of his schemes to get several opposition tickets in the field. Rev. Curnick w-as searched to see -if he carried any concealed weapons as he entered the court room, this precaution being taken with all who enter the court room. The judge, the lawyers and all are searched every day. The corruption at Terre Haute is remarkable in its extent and the boldness with which it has been carried on. Crawford Fairbanks, the head of the brewery, has managed to hold the reins of government through carefully selected candidates and a shrewd plan of getting a large number of opposing

tickets in the field. One scheme last fall was corrupt registrations. Mr. Fairbanks’name has not been associated with theses but since the object was the election of Roberts, who was to carry out the Fairbanks’ campaign of a corrupt and wideopen Terre Haute, it. is presumed that Fairbanks was really at the bottom of the entire scheme. A man named Chastain testified Tuesday. He said that his family consisted only of himself and wife and their daughter and husband, but from the residence where they lived at the time of registration there were registered Ellsworth Wood, Ross Howard, Clarence Simpson, Max Howard, Elmer Jones, Albert Weston and Albert Westoniz. These names presumably were fictitious, but some of the repeaters voted under them on election day. Dr. Curnick reached home Tuesday evening.