The courts
viewed certain offenses very differently back then. Conviction for assault and battery
usually resulted in a fine of $1 and costs. However, chicken thieves were often fined $500
and given a term on the workhouse. Social problems were different as well. In 1914,
the Chief made provisions for putting up 2,478 tramps for the night who were passing
through Sidney by train.
O'Leary investigated a number of notorious
murders during his time on the force. The killing of shop owner William B. Legg in 1907
attracted attention throughout the state. During his investigation of the case, the Chief
had to deal with a mob that was intent on lynching the defendants, Frank Earl and Frank Walker. Always a skillful
interrogator, the Chief secured a confession from Earl that resulted in his conviction and
subsequent execution.
Just a year later, the Chief was
involved in another sensational murder investigation when, Dr. Goode. a local physician,
was alleged to have killed a roofing contractor working on his home during a dispute over
the quality of his work. Dr. Goode disappeared from the area, and his body was found about
six months later floating in Lake Loramie.
The Chief would be the first to
admit that even during his time, some of the criminals he caught escaped conviction.
O'Leary obtained an indictment against Charles Knight for the brutal murder of his wife
with a shotgun in 1919. The evidence showed that Knight had beaten her before and had cut
her throat on one occasion. The jury found Knight not guilty on June 30, 1919.
Although some convictions escaped him, the "Chief was noted for
"getting his man." The Chief boasted he could track a criminal anywhere. He once
followed William Johnson of Sidney, who was charged with a burglary at People's Federal Savings and Loan,
to Chicago, where it took him just 30 minutes to capture him. Some friends chided him
about his reputation, however. Leonard DeWeese once said the Chief "could not
track an elephant through fresh snow if the man leading the beast had a bloody nose."
Overall, O'Leary was widely known and
loved. On numerous occasions when criminals would be released from prison and return to
Sidney, they would stop by to inquire how the Chief was. During the Great Depression
O'Leary would often look the other way when officials from the railroads would complain
that Sidney residents were stealing coal from the cars to heat their homes during the
winter.
The Chief was also respected by hobos and tramps who came through Sidney on the trains.
He personally made arrangements for the night's lodging on many occasions. After his
death, Sam Cole, the king of the hobos, came to Sidney to personally express his sorrow to
the O'Leary family. The Chief was fiercely proud of his reputation and the reputation of
his police force for integrity. When Glover Flemming, editor of an Ohio newspaper,
published an article about the Chief that he considered false, O'Leary filed criminal
libel charges. On July 30, 1932 Flemming was found guilty and sentenced to six months in
jail by Judge Barnes.
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