The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-08-09
GOV, CLICK EXPLAINS.


The following letter from Governor
Click, first published IN the Atchison
Patriot, explains the governors action
on the pardon question:
sFA9E OF kansas, EXECUTIVE DKP'F..l
TOPEKA, July -, 1883.
Hon. H. B. Dickson, Neosho Falls, Kas:
DEAR 6IR: Your letter Of July 16, in
curing how many DardOas have issued
% persons convicted Of violating the
prohibltory law. ETC., Is at hand. In an.
swef, / have 70 inform you that par.
dOned one woman out Of the county Jail
from Marion county, who was sentenced
there, as thought, wrOngfullY, and, as
the evidence was furnished TO me, very
unjustly. She was 3 widow, very
poor, and had only q short time
previous buried her husband, and also
q child. She had three email children
being taken care OF by charity, one very
small and young, that needed her spec
ial attention. She had two trials, and
es was represented to me, it was a case
where an improper course was pursued
TO procure her conviction. She was SEN
her out after remaining in Jail twenty
three days. / thought that the interests
of decency and humanity required that
she should be pardoned. That is the
only pardon that have issued in any
case under the liquor law. / have is
sued two combinations of SEN
fences, one in Pottawatomie
county, where it was alleged by minis.
tiers Of the Methodist church at that
place, and all the members and leaders
Of the church, and active prohibitlonists,
that the conviction was had through 9
conspiracy entered into by the county
attorney and another defendant with the
attorney Of the party convicted, for the
purpose OF securing his cenvIcIion, and
by that means securing the release Of
another party, and also TO affect the cleo
ton pending for voting money TO build
a court house in PottawstomIe county.
In addition TO these signers that ] have
mentioned, ali the leading pro-
hibitionists In WestmorelAnd, Pot.
teUstomie county, where the con-
ylctt0P VAS hHd, recommended the
pardon, and oth6r petitions were signed
by about 500 ciGizens Of POttawatomie
county. In this case commuted has
sentence to thirty days in the county jail
and IS fne.
In the other case, from Borton county,
. one-armed soldier was convicted Of
selling beer on . day during Q county
fair. commuted his sentence 20 Q fine
of s., on condition that he pay the costa.
which was done, after laying in jail
petitioned by over six hundred persons.
Amongst those petitioning for his release
was MI. HOsington. editor Of the paper
ct that place, with other prohibi.
tioaists. The county attorney and
the judge seemed TO be especially vicious
toward this defendant He applied TO
the county board for his Felease, sad
they were going 70 release him On &C.
count Of his poverty, IS they we're au.
thorlz0d to do by law. The county at
torney went privately before the probate
judge and got him 10 issue an injunction
prohibiting the county board from dis
charging the prisoner, then an spplica-
ton was made n the district judge TO
dissolve the injunction. He Set
. day for bearing the af
pllcation 70 dissolve the In.
Junction, and before the day arrived
he adjourned his court and left the coun-
~, with the discrimination, &C represent
from being heard, and TO keep the in
diyldual In Jail until he was released by
Q pardon. These are the only three
cases In which have exercised execu-
flve clemency IN cases Of this nature,
and were the same cases presented
again I should do the same thing over.
I am aware that the par
don OF the woman has been
mAenified into about one thousand
cases, but # the parties instrumental In
SecuFIg her arrest and conviction have
any ahame about them should think it
was time 70 suppress any Teterenc0 20
the cass-it Wes prosecution OF 9 woman,
simply because . man oyer whom she
he'd no ocatTol drank glass Of beer in
'1leT house. and that not In her presence,
and unknown to her.
/ am, my dear SiT,
Your obedient servant,
@. w. CLICK.