Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 35, Number 1, 8 November 1909 — Page 1

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RICHMOND FAIXABIUM TH AND 3UN-TKLEGRAM. VOL. XXXIV. NO. 1. KICII JIOXD, IND.t MONDAY. EVENING, NOVE3IBER 8, 1909. SINGLE COPY, 2 CENTS,

GRAFT COIlOlTlOll AT IOWA CAPITAL LIKE JILL CITIES Trail of Incompetency and Graft in Des Moines Leads Directly to Door of Old Ward Government. STORY OF CORRUPTION IN THE WESTERN CITY

But Investigation Shows That Des Moines Is Solving Prob lems for All Other Cities in America. (By Cart Bernhardt.) ARTICLE II. "What were the conditions In Des Moines?" Des Moines, Thave already said, represents a typical or average American city. I emphasize this because other wise the question would immediately arise, "The things you say of the Des Moines plan are doubtless true, but would they apply with equal force to any city in the United States?" And that is a pertinent question which should be answered with a de scrlption of the town and its temper and a sketch of the conditions prev ious to the adoption of the Des Moines plan. Average American City. Des Moines is a town of over one hundred thousand, growing rapidly. It is a "boosting town." "Des Moines Does Things" Is the slogan of the town. It is pushed ahead by the live wires of its commercial organizations ' which have reduced boosting to an exact science. I mention this because it is due to the great help of the boos ters of that town that the Des Moines plan .was adopted. But this- live wire community is simply typical of Ameri can towns today. Business rush hurry accomplishment growth. That is your average American town. But as in ail towns In which there Is constant growth and attention to business- the town of Des Moines was by no means perfect in its city government. The people were too busy with their own affairs to care any thing about the city business again a typical American municipal condition. Moreover, like all Iowa, Des Moines is solidly republican and as invariably happens where one party has a monopoly of the city government for years at a time a "ring" was flourishing nnder the most favorable auspices of incompetency, graft, corruption and the like. Here again is an average American city. When I say graft, corruption, incompetency and the like, I am well aware that those terms are vague. I am aware that most of the things which are charged as such would be very difficult of legal proof. But that is also typically American. City Hall Parasites. In talking over the previous condi tions of the city hall with the newspaper men who had been detailed to that department as their daily work, I thought perhaps some of the charges were too strong. Most of them I af terward substantiated from a member of the former board of public works. The contractors for public buildings, streets and other public improvements played ward politics with such success, that they had contracts highly unnecessarily let by their servants the - council to give them a job. They repaid the debts in elec tion times by voting their large gangs of men. Not content with this the contracts cost three or four times the present cost under the present admin istration. The bills for advertising were immense and purposely wrongly dated in order to afford re-advertising. The "inspection" charges of im provements were also sources of income to the parasites of the city building. The 'inspectors" even became so bold as to pile the bricks be longing to the city in their back yards whenever a street was repaved (and that was as often as the contrac tor needed a job). The bricks were then sold. These things were all proved tiem and time again. Photo graphs of the bricks in the "inspec tors" yard appeared in the daily papers and records of sales established. Contractors grew very wealthy with this continual sapping of the city treasury the city became in debt. Contractors had much to say about the city government they ran It with the help of the public service corporations and the professional ward healers who conducted the city business for their mutual benefit Fault of the Old System. And yet you must not get the idea that this was the startling headline "graft" of the muckrakers. It was simply the established order of things an outgrowth pure and simple, of the old form of government. It Is typical American condition the fault of a cumbersome and Impractical system which takes the government out of the hands of the people. The great trouble of all this was that there were so many petty ex(Continued oa Page Eight)

PRANK OnORTUUE Middle Aged Dishwasher Falls

Heir to an Estate Worth $300,000. FALLS DOWN ON $1 TOUCH (American News Service) Boston, Nov. 8. Edward A. Trevillyan, 50 years old, employed as a dishwasher and general utility man in a Cambridge restaurant, has fallen heir to an income of $300,000 a year, if a telegram received in Cambridge is cor reci. The telegram was dated at New York and was signed "J. G. Marshall." It said: "Estate in England left you Income $300,000 a year. Wire me a once." Trevillyan tried to borrow $1 from his employer on the strength of the tel egram, and when refused quit. IIIIIE PERISH III TERRIBLE BLAZE TWELVE INJURED New Yorkers Were Trapped in An Inferno of Sizzling and Exploding Celluloid in a Large Factory. ESTIMATED LOSS IS ABOUT HALF MILLION President of the Firm Meets Death Because He Stopped To Put Away Books of the Company in Safe. (American News Service) New York, Nov. 8. Trapped in an inferno of sizzling and exploding cel luloid, nine perished an dtwelve others were seriously injured, when a fire this morning totally destroyed the Morrison & Son celluloid factory, in Brooklyn. Monetary loss is estimated at a half million dollars. Among the dead was Wm. Morrison, a member of the firm, who was unable to escape, because of stopping to put away the company's books into the. fire-proof safe. The other eight were employes, of whom seventy men and women were in the building when the fire broke out Caught in Rear Room. Six of the dead were caught in a rear room on the ground floor, which had iron bars at the windows. Their only exit was through seething flames and they perished in the attempt The factory manufactured combs and other celluloid articles. Tons of celluloid were in stock. The injured were persons who jumped from the third story window to the pavement DRAG THE RIVER TO FIND BODIES Thought Five Met Death by Wild Plunge of an Automobile. A DRAWBRIDGE WAS OPEN MYSTERY STILL SURROUNDS THE IDENTITY OF THE PRINCIPALS IN THE CHICAGO TRAGEDY LAST EVENING. ; C American News Service) Chicago, November 8. The police today continued dragging the river for bodies of the party of men and women supposedly two men and two women passengers and a chauffeur who were drowned -late .last night when an auto plunged through an op en drawbridge at Jackson boulevard. into the Chicago river. Mystery still surrounds the identity of the passen gers. , It is practically established, however, that the chauffeur was Er nest Camp driving for the Calumet Auto Co. and the passengers are now believed to be a Sunday night slum ming party who engaged the machine in front of Kramer's saloon and were enroute to the west side 'tenderloin district where - shocking , sights are features of the visitors' sight seeing tours of Chicago red light sections. All the passengers were stylishly dressed.

SERIOUS IS THE

OFFENSE CHARGED TO THE SHERIFF Linus Meredith Must Face the Jury to Answer the Charge Of Criminal Negligence as a County Official. SCENE OF THE TRIAL WILL BE ELKS' CLUB Offending Servant of Public Is Alleged to Have Allowed the Prisoner to Escape His Trousers Too Noisy. Before Judge H. C. Fox and a jury of twelve prominent men, Sheriff Linus Meredith will be formally tried in the Elks club rooms on Thursday evening, November 11. The chars;3 which has been placed against the prisoner is criminal negligence, for allowing Frank Townsend, the desperate young criminal, to make his escape several weeks ago, and of wearing stripped trousers of the noisy variety, it being rumored in keen society that they doo't belong. It is a grave charge for which the sheriff of Wayne county will be made to answer, and the evidence against him is very damaging. About six weeks ago Frank Townsend was sentenced to from one to fourteen years in the penitentiary for burglary. With tears in his eyes young Townsend asked that he be permitted to bid his aged grandmother goodbye before taken to prison. This pitiful appeal on the part of the youthful criminal touched the heart of Sheriff Meredith and the request was granted. The home of the boy's grandmother on North Seventh street, was visited and wntie there Townsend pleaded so earnestly for the handcuffs to be re moved from his wrists, so he might embrace his grandmother once more, that again the stony heart of the sher iff was touched and completely melt ed The bracelets "(vere rem&vg Likewise the presence of young Townsend. Warned by Trousers. With the exclamation, "goodbye, I'm going now," and before the excited Linus had time to recover his senses, the door was slammed in his face; there was a wild dash for freedom and Townsend was on his way. Meredith was soon in hot pursuit but the fact that he wore those loud stripped trousers proved to be his downfall. Their uproar spurred the fugitive on. Two days later Townsend finally returned and voluntarily gave himself up and he declared that the reason he had not been captured was because he could hear Meredith coming for blocks and that as long as the sheriff kept wearing his noisy trousers he knew he was perfectly safe. The trousers, which will be shown to the jury, will be the most incriminating piece of evidence against Mer edith and will be used with damaging effect by the prosecution, which has a strong case. . The outcome of the trial will be watched with interest. Present indications point to a convic tion. Makeup of the Court. Wilfred Jessup and Byram Robbins will conduct the prosecution while Meredith will be defended by William Kelley and Ray K. Shiveley. The Hon. H. C. Fox will preside as judge. The jury will be composed of the following: Elgar Hibberd, Col. Robie. Henry Gennett Frank Land, S. E. Swayne, Samuel Gaar, Rudolph G. Leeds. John F. Thompson, John Y. Poundstone, William Quigg, Frank Taylor and Harry Jay. A. W. Rees will be the court baliff. The witnesses for the prosecution will be Albert Morel, Demas Coe, Harry Land, John Palmer, Elmer Eggemeyer, John C. Bayer, Lewis E. Iliff, O. V. Porter, Clarence Jessup, Walter McWhinney and Fred Carr. For the defense: Nimrod Johnson, Frank Braffett Charles Commons, Wallace Simmons, Arthur Burr, Benj. Price, Sam Dunlap, William Seeker, Dudley Elmer and L. P. Meredith. ONE DIVORCE A YEAR Benjamin F. Harris, a well known attorney holds a distinction which few other attorneys of the city possess. He is the only lawyer that has but one divorce case in a year and this morning in the circuit court, he asked Judge Fox to set his annual case for trial. This year, it is the case of William E. Hoover against Sarah E. Hoover for 'divorce on the grounds of abandonment. In speaking of his divorce business, Mr. Harris said that as he remembered it, his annual case was usually tried in November. No exception will be made this year as the case will be heard Saturday,. Nov. 20. THE WEATHER. INDIANA Continued cloudy Tue day; colder

Opera Singer Will Be Her

New York, Nov. 8. With 18 trunks in the hold, Mme. Tetrazzlni, the singer, arrived here Saturday on the linei Campania. She was accompanied by her husband, G. L. Harrison, and Wm. B. Northrup. The singer, who was clad in fur from hat to shoes, declared that she was going to turn cook. "I've got a home here now,' she said, "and if I feel like cooking, I can. No more hotel life. I'm going to make pies and doughnuts and all kinds of things. It will be lots of fun." She declared that American clothes are better and cheaper than Parisian gowns. MADAM STEINHEIL GROWS CONFIDENT OF ANJCOUITTAL Witnesses Heard Today in the Famous French Murder Trial Give Testimony Good for The Defense. PRISONER SHOWS JOY FRENCH FASHION Cries Out Her Praise to the Witnesses and Tells Friendly Neighbor Woman That She Spoke the Truth. (American News Service) Paris, Nov. 8. Madam Steinheil engaged in a wrestling match with Doctor Balthazar in the court today to present an exhibition of physical strength for the purpose of convincing the jury whether or not she was physically able to commit the murder of her husband and stepmother, as charged. Dr. Balthazar was a witness and he declared Madam did not use her utmost strength before the Jury. The famous criminalogist's denunciation of Madame Steinheil was so severe that the court and crowd hissed him. Madame Steinheil scored several telling points today. Interest in the case increases daily, being the one topic of interest in Paris. Several witnesses were heard. Woman Is Friendly. First came a woman, a neighbor of the Steinheils, who was among the first to arrive at the house in the Impasse on the morning of May 31, 1008, when M. Alouphe Steinheil, . husband of the prisoner, and her stepmother, Mme. Japy, were found murdered. "When I reached M. Steinheil's room," the witness swore, "l saw the marks of cords on her hand and wrists which were chafed and red. The gag with which she had been stifled, I put on the pillow of the bed." This last declaration is of great im portance, one of the main points of the prosecution being the fight to show that Mme. Steinheil was not gagged, although her husband and stepmother were. Medical witnesses have disagreed over the gag. Another physician. Dr. Acheray, who for a long time attended the Steinheil household, was the second witness called today and his testimony was of material aid to he defense. He was called to attend the victims of the crime. Steinheil Is Timid. "M. Steinheil," he testified, "was timid, and often expressed fears of an attack, but he was not sad. Mme. Steinheil was devoted to him and to Mme. Japy. "Until early on the morning the murders were discovered, I was called to the Steinheil home. "I found Mme. Steinheil suffering greatly from shock. Her grief was not simulated. I would stake my reputar tion as a medical man, she was seriously ilL "When she caught a sight of me she cried 'Save Mamma, Save Adotphe. I already knew that they were beyond hope, but I dared- not tell Mme. Steinheil. In her condition she could not have withstood the shock.' Closely questioned, by the proeecu -

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tion, the physician said that he knew Mme. Steinheil received anonymous letters accusing her husband of infi delity and accusing one of his models of being the rival of his wife. This point added to the strength of the de fense greatly, producing a natural ef fect on the jury. She Became Joyful. As she saw her case being strengthened bit by bit, every word of the wit nesses counting in her favor, Mme. Steinheil made no attempt to hide her joy. The demon strati veness which has characterized her from the first mo ment she entered the court room was exhibited again, at times with great dramatic force. At times she interrogated the witness herself. "Good," and "I told you so," she cried, when particularly Important testimony was given and when the witnesses left the stand, she thanked them effusively. As the woman neighbor who had by her testimony done much to reinforce the bulkwarks of the defense, walked through the court, the accused woman, her arms extended as if in benediction, cried, "God bless you; I thank you for the truth, from the bottom of my heart," PRINTERS TO DANCE Annual Hop of the Local Union Is on Thursday. November 18th. PROGRAMS ARE FEATURES The biggest hop of the season and the social event in nnlon labor circles, will be the dance given under the auspices of the Printers' Union Thnrsdav evening, November 18, at the Odd Fellows HalL Special efforts have been made for the event by the members of this union, who expect It to be - the best ever given. The feature of the affair will be the program. The printers have spent much time developing it and it will be an evidence of highest possible perfection of the printer's art. The members say that the program will contain a surprise and therefore are not letting any one' outside their organization into the secret, The dances, heretofore given nnder the auspices of this union, have been great successes. The money received above expenses, is placed in the treasury and used for different benefits for the union. Every member of the union has tickets and so far they have been very successful In Ptng them. the demand beins greater than usual.

O wn Cook

union LABOR III ANNUAL SESSION: MARY DELEGATES Buck Stove Injunction Case And Gompers Fight for Re election Are the Most Im portant Matters Up. CONVENTION OPENED WITH LARGE PARADE Canadian Minister for Labor Greeted the Deleaates to 9 TOrOntO LynCh IS One Of , bOmperS Opponents. (American News Service) Toronto, Ont, Nov. 8. Confronted by some of the biggest questions which it has ever been called on to decide. the American Federation of Labor opened its twenty-ninth annual sea - sion here today. The fight of Samuel Gompers, president of the federation; John Mitchell, vice president, an! Frank Morrison, secretary, against the contempt proceedings on which they

were sentenced to jail terms In thelarily successful. The local ministers

Buck's Stove company boycott case, is probably the biggest, while President . . M Gompers s fight for re-election comes next. Plans for a greater orcanizawon ana expenditure or great sums in propaganda and organization will receive deep consideration. The question of independent polit ical action; contests over jurisdiction and the struggle between factions of the electrical workers organization are Important. The convention opened today with a parade from the headquarters, the Prince George Hotel, to Massey hall. A Welcome Is Given. W. L. Mackenzie. Kin, minister of labor for Canada, welcomed the dele gates there. The labor branch of the

government was but recently estab- groups of churches win be held at the lished. but it is believed that it will de- following churches this week: East velop into one of the most important end group. First Baptist church. North offices. Eleventh street; second group, Grace) Hundreds of delegates from all over M. E. church. North Tenth street; the United States, are In town and West Richmond group, alternately hehalf the crowds on the streets, remain tween Earlham chapel and the Seooadi

to display the badge of the delegates. The leading laboritee of the North American continent are In attendance almost without exception. In the opposition to President Gom pers, T. L Lewis, head of the miners' delegation: James Lynch, of the print ers, and Frank Hayes of the Illinois miners, are mentioned prominently as candidates. There is a strong insurgent faction among the delegates, especially those irum udiu, uuowu, iuwi ana jk noma. A CHARITY MEETING The council of Associated Charities win meet Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 1

o'clock In the Y. M. C A- building, the mud and residents in that section Several matters of important business of the city must conduct an almost perwill be discussed and plans for the petnal boose deanlnc crusade it tj

winter wm ne azraBgeo

BURLESQUE SHOW

WAS OPPOSED BY LOCAL MINISTERS At Ministerial Association Meeting This Morning War Is Declared on a Show Booked for Richmond. A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN IS TO BE PREPARED Pastors Also Complain, at the Meeting, That Revival Services Are Not Being Attended by Great Numbers. Ministers of the city made a- vlfop. ous protest against the Moulin Roug Burlesque trouite, which Is to appear at the Phillips theater. Thursday and Friday of this week, at the Ministerial association meeting this moraine The association took no action but re ferred the matter to the temperance and good citizenship committee for action. An effort will be made to prevent the company showing here. It Is said. In event the ministers are unsuccessful at this, they will ask that police surveillance be exercised and that the alleged objectionable features of the play be cut out In addition the ministers will endeavor to keep people from attending a play, which they characterize one of low morals. Murray's Statement. Manager Murray of the Phillips the ater stated today that he had not been visited by the committee but that It would An thom ttn, nnH mmm if fti. did. as he intended to PUt on the show. Mr. Murray says that there are no objectionable features in the play. Previous to the Ministerial associa tion meeting. Rev. David Huntington and Rev. T. J. Graham visited the Gennett theater, where they thought the play was- to appear and protested) against it They were Informed that the play was not to be staged at that theater. When the matter was brought up at the meeting, several of the minis ters spoke concerning such perform ances. Those who did not. however. were in full sympathy with the remark8 mA br tn tMien- . The ministers characterized burleeaue performances as outrageous and imat ii was ineir amy. not as ministers. but as good citizens, and all re spectable people to lodge a protest. One of the ministers stated that it was the sentiment of the meeting that all good citizens should encourage their friends not to attend the show or like attractions which may appear here in the future. The temperance and good citizen1 ship committee will probably report in a day or so. Its report will be given to the newspapers. Appeal to Citizens. An appeal is made to the citizens to attend the union revival services. 8a far the services have been only ordinhave been conducting the services. YJtZmt SaaTIZ Ing that the ministers bad decided not to bring any evangelists here this year because of the exnense. Thanksgiving services, which plan has been in the hands of a committee, will be celebrated in each church.' The collections received at these services) shall go to the Home for Friendless. It has been the custom heretofore for .several churches to unite and hold ThMkahrtn services. The Rev. R. J. Wade, the Rev. 8. R. Lyons, the Rev. S. W. Tranm and Timotny Nicho,80n WCT e,ctd dlegates to the National Inter-ChureJa Temperance convention which opens tomorrow at the Indianapolis T. M. C A. The convention will adjourn Wed nesday evening. Union services in the different I English Lutheran church. MOT .IT IMPROVED It is evidently the Intention of residents on North D street in the vicin ity of the Pennsylvania, freight depot. . kaeB on registering a complaint against the - deplorable condition of that thoroughfare until the city takes some action In the matter, and makes the much needed improvement. The street is tn very bad condition, due to the constant heavy hauling subjected to it. There are large holes tn the middle of the road and after a rala like that of last night, the street is almost Impassable, it is alleged. . In dry weather the dost is equally as bad as