Omaha daily bee., 1883-01-08
KNOX COUNTY LETTER.
A Corrupt Ring of Office Holders
Shown Up.
A Frisore r's Influence Gusts
the County Sheriff.
Correspondence of The Bee,

- NA@At'~ ADaAAlt, ldNlOt
It's headquarters ut Nj brara. Among
its prominent members may be- named
Benz min f. Chambers, L. S. REGIS
ter; Vac Randa, county clerk; Il.
Weatermar, ex.trsasurer; Policy Bill
Saunders, county commissioner, and
last. Blu. not least, j. @ Santee, post
master. Around these greater lights
revolve a number of satellites. Santee
Is the boss of the QUIT, and is SUP
PGed to nave the private ear of and
hold the position of county adjUtant
to "Our Nal," all communications
passing through his hands In a double
sense of the VOID. The entire crowd
.ars loud III their protestations of pure
love anG affection for "Esl." to
whom they all pray for their daily
bread Nor is this happy family al.
ways harmonious - each one fears dis.
trusts aid lies about the other by
turns, and, when in their cEos, curse
Santee roundly, and, if very full"
thump the worthy p. NJ, as Ben
Chambers did, the other day. The
name of Val brings them all to their
marrow bones, and they dance to
Johns music, though sometimes with
wry faces, la the fall of 1881 the
people succeeded in defeating a por.
ton of the ring candidates, Neal Wal.
tiers being elected sheriff by a hand.
some majority, and Charles Kadish
defeating Westerman for treasurer.
Every method, no matter how disre-
reputable, was resorted to by the ring
commissioners to prevent these gen.
tlemen from qualifying, and thus
defeat the Will Of the people,
but without avail. From that
time both were marked men,
every falsehood and scandal that the
malice of this vile outfit could invent
was put IN circulation by word of
mouth and by the county pipers, The
News and Times. During last sum-
mer by come means peculiar to the
ring, Treasurer ksdish was induced
to desert his friends and shout for
Val, but Sheriff Walters remained
with the ''antis," and refused to bow
the knee to Val, the devil or any of
their chums. After having exhausted
both threats and %persuasions on Wal.
tiers, who fatty tod them he should
stand by his friends, the ring now 20.
sorted TO holder and darker methods
d. M. Cunningham, a deputy of
Sheriff Walters was found willing to
cast aside what little Of honor an
manhood remained to him and play
the part of Judas. AS an inducement
he was promised by Van Harden, one
Of the COME %tsioners, and it lie
thought also by Loeber, another of
the board, the appointment of sheriff
if Walters was removed. Cunning
ham at once became q rampant Val
entine man and proceeded to work up
q job to oust Walters. During the
absence of the sheriff in the morgan
lied territory after horse thieves, Can.
ningham WAS left in charge of one
Oscar Bloom, q prisoner charged with
the larceny of $l19, from the person
of Robert Staub. This criminal was
induced by threats and the promise Of
being allowed to escape to charge
Walters with having taken from him
at the time of his arrest a large gum
of money to permit him to go at large.
Bloom also made affidavit to the same
effect, and was by Cunningham al
lowed to escape.
On his return home Sheriff Walters
found the prisoner gone, and this
charge standing against hin and re-
ceived intimation from those in
authority that he could either become
a Valentine mar and be white washed,
resign or stand a trial and be removed.
Walkers Indignantly told them to do
their worst. John G. Ssntee, post
master, now appears on the stage as
accuser, and signs the complaint,
while ex Judge Sprague who had
been kicked out of Office Ie year be-
fore by this ring and Vas willing
to do dirty work to get baek-ap-
peared as prosecuting attorney. The
commissioners held a trial, or rather
went through the form of one, which
was characterized by the most shame
less disregard of both the law and
rules of evidence. found MIR. Walters
guilty, and on December 10Th re.
moved him from the otiic &c, The long
delay was not occasioned by any de-
sire to review the evidence but be-
cause the ring could not agree upon a
successor Van Harden had, at the
inception of the plot, promised the
position to Cunningham for his vile
services; Bill Saunders had promised
1t to Henry Oleson If the Norwegian
vote of the county could be turned
from Turner to Valentine and Eoeber
did not know what he did want. ,0n
Thursday Santee went out by Blossoms
and on his return the matter wal set
tied and Oleson appointed. Thus far
the present ends the most high hsnded
and Infamous outrage ever perpe-
trated on a long. suffering people. in
effect the ring have served no.
tioe on the people that if
they dare to elect any n not
IN sympathy with the powers that he
will be removed at their sweet will and
sovereign pleasure. Mr., Walters is q
lifelong republican, served with credit
during the late war, and the most
prominent citizens OF the county, tes-
tilted, at the trial, in the highest terms
as to his character for honesty, truth
tulusSs and steict integrity. But this
availed nothing, nor did they teel that
bis innocence was proved beyond all
doubt, Independence in palltics must
be furnished and Walters must 90.
The ring demands IL. The commits
slona.s decree it.. The people are in
dignant aud MI. Walters he's taken