Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1905 — Fair Oaks Toughs Get Good Dose. [ARTICLE]

Fair Oaks Toughs Get Good Dose.

Fair Oaks has long been afflicted by a gang 0t young toughs and smart Alecks, who have no respect for themselves nor anything else, and it is pleasing to record that some of them are now where they have long needed to be,Xnamely in the county jail. They have long been in the habit of raising particular hades at all kinds of public affairs, and seemed to have taken special delight in spoiling the pleasure of all decent people at church, school and Christmas entertainments. Thus Monday evening, at a Christmas tree enterainment, at the Fair Oaks Christian church, they were unusally persistent and annoying and practically ruined the entertainment, ’"hey raised a very Bedlam, with shouting, clapping and whistling at every feature of the performance, and were especially demonstrative over the the opening prayer. They also were very annoying to the young ladies present. Foreseeing, from past experience, that this gang would be out again, a man had been appointed to keep order, Harry Kendall, by name. He spoke to some of the disturbers several times, requesting them to keep order, and finally told Bill Marlin to keep still, or he would put him out. Arthur Dewitt took it up for Marlin and defied Kendall and w’anted to fight him then and there. They crowded out into the entrv and there Dewitt got hold of Kendall and they began scuffling and fighting there. Then George Brohardt pushed both men outside telling them that the church was no place to fight, but, seemingly, seeing no objection to their fighting outside the church. The two men were separated with no great harm done to either.

George Brohardt, his son, Roy Brohardt, Arthur, or Dewey Dewitt and Bill Marlin were arrested for disturbing a public meeting, and the three last named for drunkenness in a public place, and their cases were disposed of Wednesday before Squire S, C. Irwin, of this place. The young men all plead guiltyl to the disturbance charge and the senior Brohardt not guilty. His trial was held at once, and it appearing that he had done nothing worse than to push the men out of the church door he was acquitted. Young Brohardt, Dewitt and Marlin were then tried on the drunkenness charge, and though the evidence on that line was not very strong, it did give the Squire a good line on the roughness of their conduct, at the entertainment. He therefore acquitted them of drunkenness, but fined them’ S2O each and costs, on their pleas of guilty, on the disturbance charges. The total of fine and costs is $34.80 in each case. In default of which they were all committed to the county jail and are likely to stay there for the next five weeks.