Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 20, 1930.
JURY LENIENT WITH SECOND TIME VIOLATOR
Big Horace Lee, Once Convicted in Local Court on Liquor Charge, Gets Minimum Dose.
COMPANION ENTERS PLEA OF GUILTY
“Big” Horace Lee, notorious bootlegger of north Porter county, whose joint on the Porter-Lake county line was the rendezvous for holdup ganges and other like gentry, of the underworld, escaped with the minimum sentence Wednesday night when a jury in Judge pro tem Mark B. Rockwell’s Porter circuit court found him guilty of a charge of liquor possession and fined him $100 and costs and assessed a 30 days’ jail sentence.
It was the third appearance for Lee within the knowledge of Porter county authorities. Once he was fined and jailed in Federal court at Hammond, and again in the same court in which he dramatically made his appearance yesterday.
Attorney J.A. Fleshbein, for Lee, sought to show that Lee was not in possession of the premises, but Lee Dillion, also arrested by local authorities at the time of the raid on the alleged premises of Lee, held the lease to the property. According to Attorney Fleshbein, Lee leased the property. According to Attorney Fleshbein, Lee leased the property of Frank A. Turner, renting agent, but later leased it to Dillon. Both men were charged with the possession of liquor found by the officers.
Prosecutor W.W. Bozarth and Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Dye charged that Dillon was merely a catspaw for Lee, and was ready to take the “rap” in case of a raid of the joint. Dillon was merely a catspaw dor Lee, and was ready to take the “rap” in case of a raid of the joint. Dillon, who is known as “Little Lee,” because of his scrawny size, appears to be a man of 70 years of age, whereas he is only 57. This, the prosecutor said, would elicit the sympathy of the jury.
Lee’s case was given to the jury at 3:45 p.m. and a verdict was reached at 5:20 p.m.
Following the verdict, Dillon, when he saw the jury was lenient, changed his plea of not guilty to guilty, and Judge Rockwell assessed him $1000 and costs and gave him a suspended jail sentence.
The arrest of the two men followed a tip obtained by Sheriff Burney Maxwell from Otto Meier, Jr., and Sylvester Adams, nabbed for a series of holdups in Porter county, that they planned their robberies in the Lee place.
ー
Think It Over
Most of the shadows that cross the pathway in life are caused by standing in our own light.
