The Judge Who Gambled Away His Office: Soderberg’s Dramatic Resignation

SODERBERG AGAIN.

Trial for Grand Jury Indictments of Extortion and Malfeasance in Office.

District Attorney Joseph Soderberg appeared before the grand jury yesterday afternoon and was indicted on five counts of extortion, malfeasance in office, and suspending judgments in various cases. The grand jury alleged that for over a year he had been extorting money from gamblers by threatening to prosecute them unless they paid him fees.

Soderberg promptly appeared in court this morning, evidently labored under great excitement. He asked for copies of the indictments and three days in which to plead. He stated that if he was found guilty of malfeasance in office he had no desire to hold it. His request was granted and he withdrew on his own resignation in the sum of $1,000.

Soderberg spoke to a reporter: "It would have been as easy to have found me a hundred indictments against Soderberg as five if there had been any necessity. There were a large number of gambling cases that had been upon the docket of courts, and one whose terms so varied in several cases the names were changed and the books really showed a pretty bad state of affairs. In these five cases he had no right in the world to charge fees for suspending them or to allow them to go out and run the money to pay their fines."

Regarding the specific case involving David and Noreen, Soderberg explained that David owed $100 to a man named H.R. Devitt. "David failed to pay any money or find a purchaser for the place and Noreen failed to get the woman who was in collusion with her and knocked her down and made a violent assault. She then went to the prosecuting attorney to have him indicted and the woman indicted, but by some diplomacy David and his wife were induced to come, reconciled and paid together against me."

Noreen called to the witness stand and swore that David and Arthur had taken him into the back room of the saloon and offered to pay his debt and put a man in the saloon to run it if he would proceed. Noreen claimed that such an arrangement was unconsummated. He proved a very recalcitrant witness and persisted in shifting the questions asked him and bringing himself into humiliating charges of matter to the case. They finally saw fit to answer that Chief Justice Jones committed him to jail until 9 a.m. today for contempt of court and continued the hearing until that hour.

More Indictments Under Soderberg.

For the next two or three days the grand jury has been indicting Soderberg, and last yesterday afternoon filed these five indictments against him for extortion, malfeasance in office, and suspending judgments in various cases. The grand jury alleging that for over a year he had been extorting money from gamblers by threatening to prosecute them unless they paid fees.

Soderberg is now under arrest.

Justice Soderberg promptly appeared in court, evidently laboring under great excitement. He asked for copies of the indictments and three days in which to plead. He stated that if he was found guilty of malfeasance in office he had no desire to hold it. His request was granted and he withdrew on his own resignation in the sum of $1,000.

Soderberg spoke to a reporter: "It would have been as easy to have found me a hundred indictments against Soderberg as five if there had been any necessity. There were a large number of gambling cases that had been upon the docket of courts, and one whose terms so varied in several cases the names were changed and the books really showed a pretty bad state of affairs. In these five cases he had no right in the world to charge fees for suspending them or to allow them to go out and run the money to pay their fines."

Regarding the specific case involving David and Noreen, Soderberg explained that David owed $100 to a man named H.R. Devitt. "David failed to pay any money or find a purchaser for the place and Noreen failed to get the woman who was in collusion with her and knocked her down and made a violent assault. She then went to the prosecuting attorney to have him indicted and the woman indicted, but by some diplomacy David and his wife were induced to come, reconciled and paid together against me."

Noreen called to the witness stand and swore that David and Arthur had taken him into the back room of the saloon and offered to pay his debt and put a man in the saloon to run it if he would proceed. Noreen claimed that such an arrangement was unconsummated. He proved a very recalcitrant witness and persisted in shifting the questions asked him and bringing himself into humiliating charges of matter to the case. They finally saw fit to answer that Chief Justice Jones committed him to jail today for contempt of court.

Justice Soderberg is now under arrest.

Justice Soderberg promptly appeared in court, evidently laboring under great excitement. He asked for copies of the indictments and three days in which to plead. He stated that if he was found guilty of malfeasance in office he had no desire to hold it. His request was granted and he withdrew on his own resignation in the sum of $1,000.

Soderberg spoke to a reporter: "It would have been as easy to have found me a hundred indictments against Soderberg as five if there had been any necessity. There were a large number of gambling cases that had been upon the docket of courts, and one whose terms so varied in several cases the names were changed and the books really showed a pretty bad state of affairs. In these five cases he had no right in the world to charge fees for suspending them or to allow them to go out and run the money to pay their fines."

Regarding the specific case involving David and Noreen, Soderberg explained that David owed $100 to a man named H.R. Devitt. "David failed to pay any money or find a purchaser for the place and Noreen failed to get the woman who was in collusion with her and knocked her down and made a violent assault. She then went to the prosecuting attorney to have him indicted and the woman indicted, but by some diplomacy David and his wife were induced to come, reconciled and paid together against me."

Noreen called to the witness stand and swore that David and Arthur had taken him into the back room of the saloon and offered to pay his debt and put a man in the saloon to run it if he would proceed. Noreen claimed that such an arrangement was unconsummated. He proved a very recalcitrant witness and persisted in shifting the questions asked him and bringing himself into humiliating charges of matter to the case. They finally saw fit to answer that Chief Justice Jones committed him to jail today for contempt of court.

Justice Soderberg is now under arrest.

Justice Soderberg promptly appeared in court, evidently laboring under great excitement. He asked for copies of the indictments and three days in which to plead. He stated that if he was found guilty of malfeasance in office he had no desire to hold it. His request was granted and he withdrew on his own resignation in the sum of $1,000.

Soderberg spoke to a reporter: "It would have been as easy to have found me a hundred indictments against Soderberg as five if there had been any necessity. There were a large number of gambling cases that had been upon the docket of courts, and one whose terms so varied in several cases the names were changed and the books really showed a pretty bad state of affairs. In these five cases he had no right in the world to charge fees for suspending them or to allow them to go out and run the money to pay their fines."

Regarding the specific case involving David and Noreen, Soderberg explained that David owed $100 to a man named H.R. Devitt. "David failed to pay any money or find a purchaser for the place and Noreen failed to get the woman who was in collusion with her and knocked her down and made a violent assault. She then went to the prosecuting attorney to have him indicted and the woman indicted, but by some diplomacy David and his wife were induced to come, reconciled and paid together against me."

Noreen called to the witness stand and swore that David and Arthur had taken him into the back room of the saloon and offered to pay his debt and put a man in the saloon to run it if he would proceed. Noreen claimed that such an arrangement was unconsummated. He proved a very recalcitrant witness and persisted in shifting the questions asked him and bringing himself into humiliating charges of matter to the case. They finally saw fit to answer that Chief Justice Jones committed him to jail today for contempt of court.

Justice Soderberg is now under arrest.

Justice Soderberg promptly appeared in court, evidently laboring under great excitement. He asked for copies of the indictments and three days in which to plead. He stated that if he was found guilty of malfeasance in office he had no desire to hold it. His request was granted and he withdrew on his own resignation in the sum of $1,000.

Soderberg spoke to a reporter: "It would have been as easy to have found me a hundred indictments against Soderberg as five if there had been any necessity. There were a large number of gambling cases that had been upon the docket of courts, and one whose terms so varied in several cases the names were changed and the books really showed a pretty bad state of affairs. In these five cases he had no right in the world to charge fees for suspending them or to allow them to go out and run the money to pay their fines."

Regarding the specific case involving David and Noreen, Soderberg explained that David owed $100 to a man named H.R. Devitt. "David failed to pay any money or find a purchaser for the place and Noreen failed to get the woman who was in collusion with her and knocked her down and made a violent assault. She then went to the prosecuting attorney to have him indicted and the woman indicted, but by some diplomacy David and his wife were induced to come, reconciled and paid together against me."

Noreen called to the witness stand and swore that David and Arthur had taken him into the back room of the saloon and offered to pay his debt and put a man in the saloon to run it if he would proceed. Noreen claimed that such an arrangement was unconsummated. He proved a very recalcitrant witness and persisted in shifting the questions asked him and bringing himself into humiliating charges of matter to the case. They finally saw fit to answer that Chief Justice Jones committed him to jail today for contempt of court.

Justice Soderberg is now under arrest.

Justice Soderberg promptly appeared in court, evidently laboring under great excitement. He asked for copies of the indictments and three days in which to plead. He stated that if he was found guilty of malfeasance in office he had no desire to hold it. His request was granted and he withdrew on his own resignation in the sum of $1,000.

Soderberg spoke to a reporter: "It would have been as easy to have found me a hundred indictments against Soderberg as five if there had been any necessity. There were a large number of gambling cases that had been upon the docket of courts, and one whose terms so varied in several cases the names were changed and the books really showed a pretty bad state of affairs. In these five cases he had no right in the world to charge fees for suspending them or to allow them to go out and run the money to pay their fines."

Regarding the specific case involving David and Noreen, Soderberg explained that David owed $100 to a man named H.R. Devitt. "David failed to pay any money or find a purchaser for the place and Noreen failed to get the woman who was in collusion with her and knocked her down and made a violent assault. She then went to the prosecuting attorney to have him indicted and the woman indicted, but by some diplomacy David and his wife were induced to come, reconciled and paid together against me."

Noreen called to the witness stand and swore that David and Arthur had taken him into the back room of the saloon and offered to pay his debt and put a man in the saloon to run it if he would proceed. Noreen claimed that such an arrangement was unconsummated. He proved a very recalcitrant witness and persisted in shifting the questions asked him and bringing himself into humiliating charges of matter to the case. They finally saw fit to answer that Chief Justice Jones committed him to jail today for contempt of court.

Justice Soderberg is now under arrest.