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Newspaper Page Text
wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmimm m . at I it "4 4-UMMOND WOMAN'S CLUB t HEARS A "VICE REPORT" x . Houses and Disorderly Houses. "It is true that Town the Foss - place. Esher and I are interested ' in it together. The records show -that. It's a saloon' and boarding rhouse. I don't know much about it. Foss runs it. I uess'if the people of this town didn't "warif h places like Foss' here they could t easily get-rid of thenrV-William Thompson, police commissioner ,. of. Hammond, Ind. ' ' h Z, An echo of the ChicagOivice in vestigation was heard in Ham mond last night, when Ktiss Vir- ginia Brooks, 'in an address be vfo the Hammond Woman's tjclub, directly charged .that three avLake county public afficialswereJ owners ot gambling nouses ana disorderly resorts. Miss Brooks' address was, in - the nature of a "vice -report"," but she made no effort to conceal j:he "key" to her remarks. - . She declared that John Becker,' a township trustee, owns a bund ling on State. street, West Ham- " mond, which is devoted fo the lowest forms of vice. The place, says Miss Brooks, is managed by "Con"Tolty, a notorious charac ter, who went to Hamomnd after Tbeing driven out of Joliet. 2, William Thompson, a police " commissioner, was the next per son whose connection with the uiiderwold was' exposed by Miss , "Brooks. She said he was "the, ' owner of thenotorious Foss place a on Plummet avenue. Then she .mentioned s. jh. Jisner, county "Esher," she said, "is Thomp son' partner. He tries to con- cealjt, but fie shares in the profits of the place. His moral responsi bility for what goes on there is just' as great as Foss' is." ' Mrs. Esher, wife of the accused qfficial, was in the'audience. -She sprang to her feet, angrily. "It is not true. The place is owned by Thompson. It,'s Hep, liesj ,. My , husband doesn'town that place. He has nothing to do with it. You are trying, to -ruin him; and you are humiliating me." There was great excitement ajpong the women, and several of them . attempted' to quiet- Mrs. Esher." Tbe meeting broke fip-in . confusion. . " r Mjss' Brqoks, in describing con ditions in 'West -Hammond, - told of untrammejed vice and gamb ling, and related disgraceful seenes whiclushe had seen in Hammond's tenderloin. She said she .had found a 7-year-old boy drunk-on the street, and he told Her he knew "a lady who gives me all the whisky I .want." Thonipson 'last night admitted he was owneE,of.the Foss place, and asserted that Esher was in terested in it with him. Esher 'said the charges of Miss Brooks were absolutely -'false, and inJLhe face-of Thompson's admis sionof joint ownership, declared he had no interest w.hatever in the Fo'ss place. , t Trustee Becker admitted he was interested in the State street place, but said he merely repre- -snted tfie owners-, whose names fe?asE sSilxsK&staW jiaikirs!w& && a 'aUj-