The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-09-27
HOW IT WAS DONE
CLEARING AWAY THE DEBRIS OF
THE PROHIBITION WRECK.
Whole DAY is Required to Get the Business
of the District Court in Order-Politics
and Personal Spite Caused Campbelrs
Defeat-Law and Order League Did the
State Fair-Court Wants to Know About
the Harry Hatton Speech which Causes
Mich Merriment.

When district court convened yes
terday morning Judge Reed and the at
torneys put in the whole day clearing
away the debris of the wreck which
the assistant attorney general had
wrought
He started in more than two weeks
ago to try Albert Kunkle and Jack
Davidson for the crime of selling a
glass Of beer each and he told the
court that a day and half would suf-
flee TO try the two cases and if he had
said weeks instead of days he would
have very nearly estima ted the exact
time.
The buildings in which these men
were charged with sellingl iduor are
situated on one of the most public
streets in the city and nobody will
blame the assistant attorney general
for Understanding the time 70 try the
case for if the charges in the Informal
ton filed by him in the district court
were true one would have supposed
that the first two or fifty men found
on the streets could have given evi-
dence that would have sustained his
charges.
There was however, politics involved
in the issue. Mr. Campbell boldly an
nounced that c. NJ. Jones. George L.
Pratt and A. c. Husey the prominent
and substansial business men whom he
had forced from the police commission
were on trial as well as Albert kunkel
Jack Davidson and Matt Wall.
Then men who loaf around saloons
were not subpoenaed as witnesses in
the case. The law and order league
had some old scores to pay off and they
selected for witnesses citizen who
were prominent in the citizens meeting
held in the auditorium 70 protest aga
inst this senseless crusade.
Nearly all of these men knew Jack
Davidson and Mat Wall and they knew
that 220 East Douglas avenue was
called Mat and Jacks" place but that
was only by report and they did not
know of themselves that Matt Wall
and Jack Davidson were the keepers
of the place and so the prosecution
failed.
The assistant attorney general saw
the failure before the case went to the
jury and he tryed to make Revenue Col
lector Henry Huffman say that Jack
Davidson told him that he was the
keeper of the place at 220 East Douglas
avenue, but young Huffman hid be-
hind the United States court and when
Bill Campbell went after him the round
fat judicial fist of Judge Williams
knocked the assistant attorney general
clear out of the ring.
Judge Williams hated to do it be-
cause he was schooled among states
men and jursts who are jealous of the
reserved rights of the states and the
people but when he was compelled TO
hit this representative of the state of
Kansas second, and the law and order
league of Wichita, first, he hit him
square between the eyes and he hit
hard and it is supposed that not anoth-
er prohibitionist Will want to try the
experiment in fifty years to come.
1t is not strange then that the bust
ness of Judge Reeds court was all in
a tumble and that litigants in a num-
Der of cases set for trial last week
were put at great inconvenience and
expense and that now the court and at
torneys Were anxious to set the wheels
of justice to running in their proper
grooves again.
1t was no easy task and the court
had no sooner begun to assign cases
than the attorneys suggested that there
ought to be no court on the big days of
the state fair, and Judge Reed broke
the attorneys and spectators all up
by asking which day was set for the
speech. This was con-
Meeting Judge Hatton and Coin in a
way that sadly interfered with the
dignity of the court proceedings for
and everybody else saw the
hit, Judge Hatton having been one of
the first men in Sedgwick county to
come out for free coinage of silver
The attorneys Were all anxious to get
matters in shape for business as il
Is now thought that there will not be
any more liquor cases this term of court
and that more important cases await
ing trial will now be given a chance.