The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-09-21
DID NOT ANSWER
HENRY HUFFMAN DEFIES PRISON
BARS AND BILL CAMPBELL

License-Judge Reed Orders Him Com
mitted and then Observation-Disclosures
Huttmann Shows His sTeiegram-Assist-
ant Attorney General Strikes snag-
Interesting Scenes in the Court Room.
United States Revenue Collector Hen
Ty Huffman yesterday in the district
court defied the assistant attorney gen
eral and fatty and positively and def
antly refused to answer any questions
in the Jack Davidson liquor case that
would reveal the fact as TO whether
the defendant had secured a govern
ment license to sell liquor.
II is doubtful if a more exciting scene
was ever witnessed in a Sedgwick
county court than when this little ep
isode took place. The court room was
crowded and the people in their excite
ment rose to their feet and many rush
ed inside the bar and craned their neck
to get a good view of young Huffman.
who as a representative of the United
States was defying the states attorney.
It was supposed that when Judge
Reed quashed the subpoena duces te-
could not be compelled to produce their
books in court that that would end the
case but the assistant attorney general
never allows himself to be headed off
by a ruling of the court.
When he gets knocked down on one
line he gathers himself up and ap-
proaches his object on some other av-
enue and if he encounters an unpassa-
1.1 hoy, -ieay- 1an LOT
to his destination.
What Bill Campbell wanted to do
was TO ascertain from Colonel or Henry
Huffman whether Jack Davidson
had secured a revenue license to sell
liquor and when he failed to compel
them to bring their books into court
he undertook to put them on the vii
ness stand and make them tell what the
books contained.
There was a good deal of indignation
expressed at this last proceeding and
the crowd understood that Mr.. Camp
bell was trying to circumvent a decis-
ion of Judge Reed and that they
thought it was an insult to the court.
Judge Reed has claimed all along
that he would be governed by the law
and not by, the overpOwering Sent
ment of the public. He seemed to
think that notwithstanding he had de-
cided that the revenue collectors could
not be compelled to produce their books
in court that Judge Campbell had
perfect right to raise this new question
as TO whether he had a right to prove
by parole testimony what were in the
books after having shown that the
books themselves were not within the
jurisdiction of the court.
This was evidently just move for
the judge to take but after proceedings
showed that the assistant attorney gen.
eral did not want to test that point
in Judge Reeds or any oher court but
rather sought to take advantage of the
situation to worm something out of the
revenue officers that could be used TO
prejudice the jury against Jack David
son; but in the language of the street
they did not worm worth a cent.
Colonel Huffman was called to the
stand short time before the adjourn
ment and was questioned by Ny. Camp
bell:
What is your name?"
william E. Huffman"
What, if any, official position do
you hold?"
Il am deputy revenue collector for
the Fourth district Of Kansas"
DO you. know Jack Davidson?"
Il have seen him about his place of
business"
Did you ever have any business re-
iations with him."
Il don't know as L want to answer
that as an official"
"Well have you done any business
with him?"
Il refuse 20 answer that question:
The attorney general here argued
that the witness ought to be MADE to
answer but Judge Reed said he would
not try to force the witness to answer
any questions which were intended to
show that a license had been issued
to the defendant for the reason that
he had already decided that to be d
privileged question.
The attorney general here made a
lengthy argument to show that he mad
a right to ascertain what business this
witness had with Jack Davidson. He
claimed that if Jack Davidson wanted
To go into the liquor business and ap-
piled for a revenue license there was
nothing compulsory about that and
that there was no privileged question
about it and that he ought to be COM
PEELED TO tell what that business was
the same as Chief of Police Massey had
been compelled to tell
Mr. Amidon replied to the effeot that
the filing of an application for a rev.
enue license was a forced commupica-
ton because a dealer was bound TO give
it 70 avoid punishment
Then the assistant attorney general
asked a great many questions to find
out if Colonel Huffman mad ever drank
any liquors in Davidson's place or saw
anyone else drink any but he could not
remember to have done So he finally
asked:
Did Jack Davidson ever tell you
that he was in the liquor business
''That l will refuse to answer"
Mr.. Campbell demanded an answer
but the defense objected on the ground
that il was a privileged question which
was sustained by the court. And as
a further reason for not answering Col
pnel Huffman said he wanted counsel
and that the United States attorney
had gone To Hutchinson and cou,d not
get here until late in the afternoon
and he showed a telegram from. the
United States collector which Informed
him that the assistant United States
attorney had been requested 10 appear
for him.
Judge Reed offered out of respect to
the United States to adjourn court un-
Ill the United States attorney arrived
but Mr.. Campbell would not consent
Immediately after court convened in
the afternoon Henry Huffman was
called by the assistant attorney gener-
al amid the interest above stated. Hen
ry Huffman is quite a young man and
some OF his friends feared that he Nigh,
fall into some OF the attorney gener.Is