A. A. Ames - Ames Faces The System

Ames Faces The System

In April 1902, a new grand jury came together. The jury handled many normal activities, but under the leadership of foreman Hovey C. Clarke, an investigation began into the Minneapolis city government and its officials. Through the summer, the grand jurors paid private detectives, both locally known men and others from out of town, with their own personal money to document everything suspicious that was found. By the end of the summer, these investigators submitted numerous indictments; and when the county prosecutor proved unwilling to do his duty, Clarke excused him and took over the role. The grand jurors even succeeded in tracking down a few crooks and witnesses who had fled the state. In one trial, a man thought to have been a thousand miles away in Idaho or Mexico, suddenly appeared, leading the defendant to jump to his feet in the courtroom and then, later in the evening, flee the city.

Ames was finally located and cornered; therefore, he fired his brother as chief of police before resigning and then left for the remote town of West Baden, Indiana. He was arrested in Hancock, New Hampshire, in February 1903, and was returned to Minnesota a few months later. He ended up standing trial and was convicted of receiving a bribe. Ames then was sentenced to six years in State prison on these charges. Haphazardly, the sentence was overturned on appeal and, after two mistrials, all legal action against him was ceased. Through all this, Albert Alonzo Ames served no time in jail. His brother Fred was sentenced to several years in the state prison, and many others were also put behind bars. City council member D. Percy Jones took over as acting mayor until the term was complete. Jones succeeded in cleaning up much of the mess in about four months of work and non-corrupt actions. The next elected mayor, J. C. Haynes, continued the cleanup process.