Sooner or later I was going to get to a story about "Poker Pete" Olsen. I'll probably feature Poker Pete a couple times in the future. This one is from a newspaper clipping from 1912 in the Eastern Utah Advocate.
Olsen is Acquitted
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Green River Editor Sore On the Good "Bishop of Woodside"
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After hearing positive proof by direct testimony of three witnesses, who swore that they had bought liquor of "Poker Pete" Olsen at Woodside, the case against Olsen was dismissed last Thursday by T. S. Turner, justice of the peace in this precinct, who sustained the argument of W. H. Frye of Price, attorney for the defendant, who maintained that all evidence not favorable to his client was irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial, says Green River Dispatch.
Prosecuting Attorney Powers could not produce documentary evidence that Woodside is in 'dry' territory and in the absence of this testimony Judge Turner refused to admit the evident. Court records showing that Olsen had been convicted for the same offense before were shut out and notwithstanding that the judge had himself assessed the bootlegger a fine only a few weeks previous, he gave credence to the argument of Attorney Frye and took the stand in the matter as stated Counsel for the prosecution attempted to place witnesses on the stand that Olsen himself had admitted that he violated the law, but this too, was overruled and an old offender was set scotfree.
Everybody knows that Wooodside is in dry territory and by virtue of the state law providing that no liquor shall be sold outside of cities and towns, therefore the Dispatch feels that in justice to the saloon men of this city who are paying a high license, there should have been a conviction in this fragrant case, the testimony being so positive.
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Eastern Utah Advocate
June 6, 1912
This Attorney W. H. Frye also figured in the post about the Coach Stallion. He was one of the purchasers and when it went to court he was also one of the defendants.
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