The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-08

II W1 Wb SO p I e m o
f. ~ term of the
EG41aszs< Lewis county
circuit court in 1886. It was peculiar,
not so much on account of the crime
(mayhem) as it was because of the I'M
heard-of conduct of the sheriff and pris-
oner after conviction.
The particulars of this odd case Chat
have furnished amusement food for
several generations of lawyers were
gathered from an interview with ex-
Congressman George NJ. Thomas, Of
/ Vanceburg, and from the records of
the case now among the archives OF
the Lewis circuit court. AS the details
4 OF the case have never before appeared
in print, your readers, especially among
the legal fraternity, will doubtless be
interested in the following narrative: 81,
/ In the spring of 1886 Larkin Lyles
and Edward Campbell, two prominent
citizens of Lewis county, engaged in a
rough-and-tumbl fight at Vanceburg.
| They were both powerful men phys
/ ically, and, as witnesses afterward
testified, they "hit one another like
bosses a-kicking." Finally, after each
! contestant had registered a number of
Touchdown blows Campbell got his
| opponent down and proceeded to pun
ish him in harmony with the most Up
! proved methods of the old-time fstic
art. Lyles, who had worn the belt"
for several generations, grew desper-
ate at the awful prospect of being
licked" and, raising mis- head with
bulldog ferooity, he seized the neither
lip of the prospective victor between
his teeth, and eliminated large chunk
from the inner part of it. At the sue
ceedirg term of the circuit court the
grand jury indicted Lyles tor the crime
of mayhem, and trial was at once ac-
corded the defendant Many amusing
episodes occurred during the progress
of the trial. jay bird Lyles, the
brother of the defendant, when being
questioned as to how he obtained such
a perfect view of all that transpired
during the tussle on the ground, said:
cause, when they got down onter
the ground, l wuz standin' in about ten
steps Nv 'em. l then advanced three
steps backwards till got in a diana
lily pcESiLlOu "ndF cuA nave perfect
octangetor view"
The jury, after liste ming to the testi-
mony, retired, and, after prolonged
consultation. returned a verdict of
guilty. Judge Walker Ried, therefore,
sentenced the defendant to the peniten-
tiary for one year. And now come
the features of the case that constitute
til 1xy in, ~
tory. The sheriff. w. B. Parker, nick
named Buck" was a lifelong chum
of the sentenced man. Accordingly,
instead of taking possession of Lyles'
person, he told him to go on home,
and he would see him the following
day" Lyles, acting on this liberal
suggestion, mounted his old black horse
and LEFT for home, seven miles south of
the county seat.
The next day Parker rode out 20
Lyles' home, and found the latter cut
ting up corn"
Hello, friend Larlin!' shouted the
sheriff, riding up to the rail fence, q
few steps away from the prisoner ~.
Hello, Buck! Good mornin'."
Hard at work, see?"
Yep; gittin' my hand in, We see, SOS
it won't go ser fox-laked hard win me
when git ter Frankfort"
"Er, haw, hsw, baw, haww merrily
shouted the sheriff. when do you
think you'll be ready to start, Larkin?'
Il can't tell jist yit, Buck" returned
Lyles, coming to the fence and resting
his arms on the top rail
Wal, about when do you think?'
"Lemme see, now" returned the
sentenced man, scratching his head in
puzzled cogitat:on. I'm try ter git
ready two weeks from ter day. Ye see,
Buck, I've got err heap sight o things
ter see TO sfore kin possibly git off.
The con is all ter cut up, my stray
hogs must be hunted an put up. an
dead coolies Nv luther matters to see 20;
but III be ready by that inc II thar's
no providential hindrsnces."
'All right, friend Larkin; don't
want to discommede We no way, shape
er form er fashion. Thar amt no big
hurry fer We down thar ter Frankfort
that / kin see. It's got along very well
so fur without ye, an guess it can do
leetle while longer. Go right ahead
an fix up yer matters SOS Polly Ann
will hev as little trouble as possible,
an when we've got perfectly ready, If l
don't see ye tween now an then, list
come on in an We'll go"
"All right Buck. Come around 70
the house. I hear the dinner horn
a-blovin'."
IN do it. Larkiu. fe- 7 hearn yer
son John killed q fine fat deer yister-
day, an ter git few nouthfuls Of It
Is mostly what brought me over to-
day"
Two weeks later LarAin Lyles came
in and reported 20 the sheriff
Well spoke the sheriff. II you're
ready, LarIzin, an. Which route 90
rn, want ~ -alSe2"