Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 248, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1915 — COMRADE CHARLES FOX NOT GUILTY [ARTICLE]

COMRADE CHARLES FOX NOT GUILTY

Newton County Jury Decides That Mail Carrier Was Not Guilty of Selling Whiskey. Comrade Charles Fox,' government mail carrier, who was charged with sellnig whiskey, was vindicated by a Newton county jury Monday when his case was called for trial and he is as jubilant as. a boy wearing his first pair oPboots. Oct. 15th of last year a raid Was made on Comrade’s domicile facing the railroad and near the old depot location. The officers found five quarts of whiskey. The raid had been prompted by reports that had reached the ears of Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Sandajthat Comrade was running a sort of “speak easy” at his place. It was supported by the fact that he was receiving packages of express every few days that had all the earmarks of whiskey and which seemed too much for one person to consume. The officers, however, were unable to find any one to testify that Comrade had ever sold any and the evidence was therefore wholly circumstantial. After his arrest Comrade talked with considerable freedom

about his rights and said that he had just as good a right to sell it as any one else and that others were selling it about town, but in no conversation did he admit that he actually did sell any and the jury probably did the only thing that could have been done, for there was not the cinching testimony needed in a trial of this kind. Attorney William Darroch, of Kentland, heard the cast. Moses Leopold defended Comrade, who is today wreathed in smiles. In defending himself to a reporter for The Republican he said: “I’m too d smart for them. If I gave a drink or sold a drink of whiskey to any person and they told on me they would be a pretty cheap s.. of a b.., wouldn’t they ? People talk too much. That damned prosecutor said he didn’t have anything but circumspectional evidence and he didn’t have. He tried to make fun of my place of residence and we beat him at his own game, but I’ve learned a lessen and that is not to talk too damned much.” Comrade pursued this line of talk as long as the reporter remained to listen. The chief burden of his argument was that the standing of a man in the community would be ruined if he induced him to either give or sell him a drink of whifekey and then informed the officers about it. Such ingratitude, according to Comrade, would just naturally ruin a man forever.