Dec. 13, 1906 (Thursday)

JUDGE TAKES A LEGAL SWING AT "BAT" AND TWO OTHERS: Three journalists connected to coverage of the Chester Gillette murder trial were arrested yesterday in New York City.They were William Lewis and Henry Cary of the New York Morning Telegraph and "William M. Masterson," a U.S. deputy marshall and writer for the Telegraph. The latter must be Bat Masterson (right). They are expected to appear at some time before a police judge in Herkimer County. These are the journalists who, Judge Devendorf says, both exagerated and fabricated material in their coverage of the trial. A news account of the arrests in today's Post-Standard says they were "charged with criminal contempt of court in circulating false and grossly inaccurate reports of the trial of Chester Gillette at Herkimer."

NOW IT'S A KILLING: Former U.S. Sen. Arthur Brown of Utah died at midnight, a little more than four days after he was shot by a woman whom he had bedded and since scorned -- Mrs. Anna M. Bradley. She will likely proclaim that she was justified thanks to the "unwritten law." That might be thin ice. The phrase is subject to some very wide interpretations. Some -- including Ida B. Wells -- say that lynching is justified by that same thing -- an "unwritten law." In other words, a so-called "justifiable homicide."

NEW YORK SUN SHEDS LIGHT ON TACTICS OF BASEBALL OWNERS: The New York Sun warns baseball fans not to be tricked by owners of teams who claim they are REALLY TRYING HARD to spend a lot of money to acquire GREAT PLAYERS for their team so they can CONTEND FOR A TITLE. Here's an example, according to the Sun. Imagine an owner lets it be known that he offered $25,000 to Barney Dreyfuss (owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates) for the rights to star player Honus Wagner (right). Dreyfuss would, of course, refuse this, prompting the owner to say, for publication, "Well, I did my best to strengthen the team by offering $25,000 in spot cash for Wagner, but Dreyfuss would not have it. The other clubs have combined against me and we will have to do the best we can."
Dreyfuss can then brag to his fans that he is so desirous of winning that he turned down a huge amount of cash for the player.
Here's the Sun's conclusion:
It is a play that works both ways and the magnates have been working it for years. Consequently when big offers for star players are made with reckless abandon nowadays they should be taken by the baseball public with plenty of salt.

HERE'S HOW FRANK BRENNER'S REALLY BAD NIGHT GOT WORSE: Pity Frank Brenner of Bay Shore, Long Island, N.Y. Early on the morning of the 12th, he was poking around the house of Henry Hillen, a wealthy resident of Amityville. This awakened Hillen, who, suspecting a burglary, grabbed his RIFLE. He opened his window and shouted, trying to scare the person off. He saw a shadow and fired his gun THREE TIMES. According to The New York Times, Hillen heard some groans, then everything got quiet so he "retired and went to sleep." Well, all three bullets hit Brenner -- in the head and lungs. He staggered to a neighbor's house, where he entered the side door. This woke up Albert J. Burton. He, suspecting a burglary, headed downstairs and flicked on a light. He saw a strange man so he grabbed a CLUB and beat him. Eventually Brenner cried "Don't hit me. I'm shot." Burton sent for a doctor and now Brenner is at Nassau Hospital -- clinging to life.

AN ABOUT FACE FOR ROOSEVELT'S PORTRAITS IN RICHMOND: Some blacks in Richmond, Va., are showing their dislike for President Theodore Roosevelt in a distinctive way. They are upset that he discharged colored troops after the Brownsville riot in August. In some social clubs and public buildings, people have turned portraits of the president so that he is FACING THE WALL. That's being done in some homes, too. They are coming up with some replacement images, too. Especially popular are pictures of Sen. Joseph Benson Foraker of Ohio (right, about 1888), who has been critical of Roosevelt's decision.