The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-03-22
"a CARD FROM ;lR. REED,

/ A. II. Reed, one of the jurors in the
| Spindle inquest, called last night with a
card concerning the action of the majority
report of the inquest. Mr.. Reed certainly
cannot be accused ofpartisanship as he was
one of Governor dwellings, warmest sup
porters in last falls campaign. Mr.. Reed
is respectable citizen and owns one of the
best business buildings or Main street and
not the kind of a man, as everybody knows,
that would be likely to violate his oath
for to help party whose standard bearer
he refused to vote for five months ago,
while at the same time he voted for the
man who appointed the police commits
sioners and dictated the appointment of
Irish. At any rate Mr.. Reed is one of the
jurors who has been attacked by the
mouthpiece of the police force and the
politicians connected with it, and he is en-
titled to hearing in defense of the major
ity of the jury. He says:
Iu justice to myself and the other Jour
jurymeu who signed the ''unlawfully used
verdict" in the Spidle case, l would like to
say that while We five were no doubt the
most contrary set of men ever on a jury,
yet before the Beacon or any citizen OF this
city casts his insinuations Of scornful dis
approval aud partisanship upon the other
gentlemen and myself, they should care
fully and honestly Investigate and weigh
tue testimony in the above case.
AT best the case Is a sad one, Spidle's
body now lies in the cemetery. True he
erred when he crept out that cold and
chilly night and took from the Santa Fe
cars a small sack of coal to keep his poor
sick wife from freezing" We would in no
case attempt TO give approval to this act,
but let the Beacon and others who have
L H.. 4
place and see whether or not their sense of
honor would have prevented visit to that
car of coal.
How many of the few persons censuring
our verdict would have been willing 10
have signed verdict of accidentally
discharged" in the face of the testimony
of Mr.. Skinner, who swore that when con-
fronted with the statement of the wounded
man, "Oh. you have killed mer' Officer
Irish replied, well, my man, you should
have stopped and l would not have shot
YOU" What is to be done with his reply
to Adams when, in reply 10 the query,
"What right had you to shoot him?" Irish
said, He would not stop when L told him
tor Is not Mr.. Skinner reputable and
trustworthy citizen. What would our
critics have us do with the statement of
Irish to Adams, corroborated by
Skinner: He started to run; | ordered
him to halt. he did not do it and [ shot
him." Are not both Adams and Skinner
honorable citizens OF this city and should
not their evidence be of as much worth to
a jury as that of Irish, the accused?
What about the wounded mans state
ment to Irish. G. d you, you shot me
on purpose and you were not over ten or
fifteen feet from me. What about the
statement Of the dying man who said TO
the physician that he was stopped when
shot. Thus proving that the man Irish
could have been standing erect and the
ball have taken the upward range as it
passed throught the body.
What about the conflicting testimony OF
officers Scully and Irish, the former testi-
flying that he was $50 feet from the TRACE
dy, the latter abou, so or 40 feet.
From Monday evenings paper we learn
that, Mrs. Spidle is nevertheless better
off without Spldie." Has it come to the
condition that because a man NAV be poor
and unfortunate and maynard that his
life is of less worth than sack of Santa
Fe coals Because be is worsted in the
desperate struggle for existence and steps
into slightly forbidden paths, shall he be
shot down like dogf
Before the Beacon or any OF its readers
condemn the position taken by the four
other jurymen and myself, and accuse US
of bringing partisanship into this decision
We would advise that they investigate our
partisan records and fiud whether either
Jones, Draper. Vanzant, Rogers or my
self have ever allowed our partisanship 60
take the direction OF an appeal 10 either
the voters OF this county or city for official
positions. Having done that, do likewise
with the other gentleman, bu. don't GEN.
sure without an honest Investigation.
A h REED