Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-11-01
The County Attorney of Decatur
County speaks.
Office of A. G.. MCBR1DE.
COUNTY ATTORNEY, DECATUR Co.,
OBERLIN, KS, Oct. 28th. 'S9.

5CLtLOI II SfLbLt4s ne vigorous ug1G !
you are making against the re-elec- /
ton of l.. Il. Pratt has attracted my /
attention and while / fully endorse /
all you have said, yet, / feel con
strained to say that the half has not /
been told, and if space Will permit I /
would like to give the voters Of Phil /
lips county a few pointers" among
whom I lived so long.
Mr. Pratt has been Judge of this !
District for about four years and who !
are his supporters? Can they be {
found in the bar? Can they be found /
among those who attended his court
and who have observed his manner of |
conducting court? Can they be found |
in the Republican party? Is he look
ing to Republicans for a reelection? /
Now if Mr.. Pratt Is what his friends
claim for HIM, why all this cOmmO- /
ton? Why after one term only is not
a second nomination accorded to him
as is the custom? It is, Mr.. Editor,
because L. K. Pratt has been tried
and found wanting. Where are the
twelve men composing the jury that
tried the Is year old girl at his first
term of court in your county. Be
| cause they would not render a verdict
of guilty against her for protecting
her virtue and good name. MIR. Pratt
opened up a TRADE of abuse against
those jurymen until one Of the twelve
/ arose from his seat and defended the
action Of the jurors who voted not
guilty. Those who were present at
that time will remember it as a dis
graceful proceeding and should of
itself deter every lover of honesty,
decency and dignity IN judge from
voting for L. X. Pratt.
But says one man chat was his
| first term in Phillips county, he has
| improved since" Well let us see
about that. Let us take a few illus
tratiOns from the Decatur county
court.
The second case on the docket
The State of Kansas VS.. Thomas j.
GOOdin; charge, embezzlement while
! Treasurer of Rawlins county. In
| court about one year and the venue
was changed to this county. 1t was
! the first case for trial. The RaWlins
! Co. Clerk and Treasurer and numer-
! GUS witnesses were promptly on hand
on Monday M. A. Wilson, the chair
man Of Pratt's convention, was one of
the attorneys for the defense. Wilson
! said he arranged before court that the
case would not be called until Tues
/ day-until he got there. Well, Tues
day came and the chairman of Pratt's
convention arose in court and asked
that the GOOdin case be continued
until the following Monday. The
county attorney Of RaWlins, Mr.. j. @.
Cole, protested and objected. He
gave as a reason for a speedy trial
that the Clerk and Treasurer were
present with their records; that bust
ness was suspended in those Offices
until the return of the books He
urged the useless expense that it
would cause besides giving other rea-
sons. But the GOodin case was con
tinued to the second Monday on the
bare naked verbal request Of the man
who acted as chairman Of the Pratt
convention. The witnesses returned
, home and that continuance will cost
RawIins county about eight dollars
mileage for every witness the State
subpOened.
/ I wish the space of your paper
- would permit a publication of the full
proceedings of the case, but [ must
be brief and will refer to only few
S points occurring. After the evidence
4 was before the jury the case was ad.
r jOurned until 9 a. N. the next morn.
ing. The instructions were prepared
=, on type writer. Mr.. Pratt submit
j ted them to the man who acted as
d chairman of the Pratt cOnYentiOI
y while the attorneys for the State
y searched the town to find the author
y and custodian. At length Pratt was
. found and the attorneys for the State
|, objected to the instructions upon thu
j. question of intent. Mr.. Pratt theI
J. and there claimed that under the Law
of embezzlement, a county treasurer
could take the county funds, iOaI
u them out or invest them in business
/, and if all was lost the officer could no
3. be found guilty of embezzlement /
- the treasurer at the time he lOand GU
- or parted with the funds had the in
. tentiOn Of returning them. Mr.. Pratt
n was then told that his instructions
q unmOdifed, would acquit in 20 min
,f utes and turn a man free who ha(
i embezzled SIG, 100000 and he was ad
" vised to read page PSI and 283 of tn
e 18th Kansas Report. which he did
r and then modified his charge, but no
T. sufficiently and the jury disagreed
upon the very question upon which
X he failed to properly instruct Thi
conversation took place IN the pres
ence Of Judge Hayes, J. @. Cole ant
r J. 3. Nichles, chairman Of the Boar,
n Of Commissioners of Rawlins county
OF the disgracefu1 proceeding tia
Is took place before the jury were dis
e charged I will not speak for lack o
IS space, but many were present and cal
II state the facts and know the trial wa
e disgrace to the judiciary.
% Let me refer briefly to the Turb,
U casa- Tha dafansa bad Is aars h