Monday, August 10, 2015

The Scandal of 1922: Part IX

Gossips' recounting of the trial of Hudson police chief John Cruise for dereliction of duty continues today with the testimony of Henry Walsh. Walsh has been mentioned many times in the testimony of the three detectives hired to investigate the sale of intoxicants and prostitution in Hudson in 1922. It is only in the report of his own testimony that we learn that Walsh was a chauffeur and therefore in an advantageous position to give visitors to the city entree to Hudson's speakeasies and bawdy houses.
Henry Walsh, a chauffeur was next examined and testified as to his acquaintance with Detective Lawson. Walsh appeared to be an unwilling witness and after a few questions by Mr Coffin Mr Herzberg objected to counsel cross-examining his own witness. Mr Coffin said it was a well settled rule of law that where a witness was hostile it was proper to cross-examine him. The objection was sustained.
Walsh then testified to his visits to various places around town with Lawson. He told of his meeting Lawson in Jack's lunch room and then they went to the Smith place, to the Brandow place, to Langlois' and Dugan Riley's. In all these places they were served with drinks. They asked for whiskey and were served. They also visited Ray Church's place and Filer's place, where the witness purchased a quart of whiskey. He did not remember of having paid for it. They took the whiskey to the Worth House where they drank about a quarter of it.
Upon cross-examination by Mr Herzberg he testified that the drinks he had made him drunk and that he was drunk when he went home to supper. After supper he went back to Langlois'. There he met Lawson and Cunningham, the detectives. At this time Lawson began to show the effects of his drinking, though Cunningham "looked good," said the witness.
Then they went to the Brandow place where they drank some more. After he had asked for a drink Mr Hogan and the witness went into the back room and when they came out they were served with drinks. When he left Brandow's the witness had eight drinks altogether and Lawson and Cunningham drank every time he did.
After leaving the Brandow place they went back to the Smith place. By this time they had eleven drinks. After leaving the Smith place they went up to the K. of C. hall where a dance was in progress. Both witness and "Jack Brown" (Lawson) danced. Cunningham (the detective) at that time was sober. After staying at the dance for about an hour they went out to the Hollowville Inn. Here they only stayed a short time after which the party came in and went to the Langlois place where the witness had a bottle of beer.
Here they had a little argument because the detectives did not "look good." Finally they got the drinks and they came fast. After that the witness said he was sent home and he did not remember anything more.
The witness stated that nearly every time he saw the detectives they were drunk and that when the witness went on rides with the detectives they had bottles of whiskey with them.
When he went over to Ray Church's place he did so at the request of Cunningham and in reply to Mr Herzberg's question as to whether they were drunk or sober, the witness replied "50-50."He did not hear Cunningham make any appointment with Ray Church to see her later and they did not leave the room.
The wet goods that he got in the old Waldron House was paid for with money furnished by Lawson. It did not seem particularly strange to the witness that these boilermakers, as they said they were, should be living at the Worth House. They told him they were waiting for material with which to work.
The witness described the curtain arrangements at the Brandow place and stated that when the curtains were down between the back of the bar and in front of the place a person could not see out into the street nor could anyone from the street see into the place. . . . 
The witness had been at the Race place but did not remember of carrying one of the detectives out and placing him in an automobile because of his drunken condition. He had left the place before that time, but when he left the detectives were feeling pretty good. 
After Walsh's testimony was heard, the hearing was adjourned. When the trial reconvened some days later, the testimony of Hudson police officers, including our own Officer Miller, was heard. Gossips will recount that testimony in the next few days.
COPYRIGHT 2015 CAROLE OSTERINK

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