The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1894-10-05
SENSATIONAL CHARGES.
Ex-LOttsry Boss Kline Accuses Kansas
state OmcIals OF Bribery.


state OmcIals OF Bribery.
TOPEKA, Kan, Oct. 2.-The Repub-
lican state central committee Satur-
day gave out some sensational letters
and an affidavit concerning the al
tration with the lottery gamblers Of
Kansas City, Kan. The letters were
written by State Senator Edwin Tay-
Tor of Wyandotte county and Peter
w. Kline, once the boss lottery gam
bier of Kansas City. Kan. The affi-
davit was made by Judge S. S. Sharpe
of Kansas City, Kan, and is given as
corroborative evidence of some of the
charges made by Kline in his letter,
which was written in reply to one
from Senator Taylor asking Kline to
make a clean breast of his allege-,
connection with the state administra-
ton. The letter is especially in
teresting because it is the first utter
ance of any consequence by him
concerning his supposed dealings with
Private Seere tary Close, Attorney
General Little and other Populists
close to Governor,Lewelling.
The last part of Kline letter makes
some sensational statements He says:
"When the senatorial investigation
was made at Kansas City, Kan, Fred
Close, private secretary of the gov
ernor. and G. E. Hathaway, assistant
bank commissioner, came from To
peka and requested that / go to
Chicago where 1 could not be subpOe-
naed before the Investigating COM
mittee, and said that if 1 would keep
out Of the state of Kansas they
would see that was not compelled
to appear before that investigating
committee.
''Being convinced that Governor
Lewelling and Attorney General Lit
tie did not intend to keep their con-
tract with me in regard to protection
that they had entered into and that
they had entered into an arrange
ment with other parties to carry on
the lottery business in Kansas City,
Kan, and this opinion being con-
6rmed by the fact that 3.
Gale & Co., and VIM & Co., had
opened up lotteries and made public
drawings in the month of September,
I Immediately opened up correspond
ence with the Louisiana Lottery COM
pany and told them that I believed
that could have the lottery business
in the state of Kansas suppressed. BY
appointment l met their attorney,
Mr.. Henderson, at Chicago October
tract, which I now hold with him, to
suppress all lotteries in Kansas for
the consideration of $25 O0o to be
paid in payments of SIS, 600 each,
SIS, 600 in cash, which was to be paid
on October ii, 1898; S., 900 to be PAL d
November Is, 1893; SIS, 900 to be paid
February Is, 1894; S., 600 May Is, 1894,
and SIS, 900 July Is, 1894. Attorney
General Little was to receive $40, 600
of this money and I was to receive
$4,000
''of the SIS, 600 paid me in cash by
the attorney at Chicago, when l ar
rived at Kansas City sent 81, 900 to
Mr.. Little in crisp 500 bills as per
agreement. Mr.. Little at once, as
the records at Kansas City, Kan, will
show, entered prosecutions against
! the lottery companies. When he came
| down to prosecute the case I met him
and asked him if he had received the
81, 600 I sent him and he said that he
| had and then showed him the con-
tract which had made with the Lou
isiana lottery company, and which I
| now hold, and he agreed to and APP
proved the contract. But for some
| reason best known to himself land
| others) he has failed to carry out his
part of it and close up the lotteries as
he agreed to do. although he would
| have received S16, coo more money-in
the aggregate $50, OOO-for simply do
ing his official duty. The only nat
uraI conclusion is that it has been
more profitab BILE for Attorney General
Little to follow the course that has
been pursued in Kansas City, Kan, by
the gang in control there since that
time. And now the Louisiana lottery
company has demanded of me that !
reimburse them the SIS, 900 with inter
est which they furnished me under
the contract, "a, 900 of which Mr. Lit
tie himself received.
F"The result of my connection with
this administration has been that they
have robbed me of every dollar that
had. NY advances of money to
them, and my losses of property be-
cause of their broken promises
amounts to S23, 500. L have even been
compelled to pawn the jewelry of my
wife in order to pay them money
which they demanded. I mortgaged
my Office furniture to secure funds to
comply with their demands and when
could no longer raise money to pay
them I lost all that had and to-day
am poor and without means while
they are enjoying Illicit gains upon q
| questionable business disreputa bly,
conducted and that the public may
know the true character of these men
who have been posing for the last two
years as reformers, l am constrained
to make this statement voluntarily