Burke Was In Another Saloon

Burke Was In Another Saloon

After Hours and Not In Nash's Saturday Evening.

Denies Intoxication

Evidently Willing to Take Brunt of Making Assault on Capt. Schuh While Sober.

Editor of Ann Arbor Daily Argus:

The Monday issue of your paper dated October 27, 1902, contained an article headed "Assaulted by Burke, Republican Candidate for Sheriff. In disgraceful rows. Assaults peaceful citizens and engages in street broils while intoxicated." The statements contained in the said article in relation to me are false and untrue especially the statement that I was intoxicated at the time mentioned in the said article, and that I was ejected from Nash saloon Sunday morning about the hour two thirty.

You are hereby notifies to make retraction in the time and in the matter provided by statute.

James E. Burke.

Oct. 28th, 1902.

The article to which Mr. Burke referred was the article which detailed how Mr. Burke had hit Capt. J. F. Schuh in the eye in a saloon Saturday evening, and had also about 2 o'clock, on the postoffice corner, hit Joe Clinton several times. It will be noticed that these facts are not denied. It was not stated in the Argus that Mr. Burke was in Nash's saloon Saturday evening, but that it was reported that he was. The Argus was so informed from a variety of sources and attempted yesterday to verify the report, but had not succeeded in either absolutely verifying or disproving it, although from information in our possession at the time of going to press we had reason to believe the report was correct, still we did not state it as a fact, but only a report. Today we have been able to trace Mr. Burke's movements and can now state as a fact that Mr. Burke was not in Nash's saloon after hours Saturday night and Sunday morning, but that he was in another saloon, which fact can be brought out by the most incontrovertible evidence, if Mr. Burke desires to press his threatened libel suit.

Mr. Burke denies that he was intoxicated. If this is so then all excuses for his assaulting Capt. Schuh are taken away and he stand forth as a man with a temper which absolutely unfits him for the office of sheriff, if, while sober he assaults peaceable citizens. The body of the article does not state that Mr. Burke was intoxicated. There were men present who say he was. Some of his friends gave that as an excuse for his conduct. Evidently Mr. Burke does not want such an excuse. The Argus will take him at his word and the statement of his case then reads:

James E. Burke, while sober and in the possession of all his senses, went into a saloon, took a seat at a table where several persons were sitting, uninvited, and after calling Capt. Schuh several vile epithets because the captain denied the authorship of an article in the Record, hit him in the eye.