The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-08-08
GONE FAR ENOUGH.
Grasping and Dishonest Justice
Court Fee System
Results in Imprisonment Of an
Aged Grandmother
And Her Two Small Grand
Children in Jail.
DOWNRIGHT VILLAINY
Appears to be at the Bottom
Of 1t.
The Poor Old Woman and
Weeping Children
B EHIN ID r II E B A RS.
The Offense Merely a Small
Neighborhood Quarrel.
The Fine One DoIlar-C0Sts Are
Thirty-seVen!
SUCH COURTS MUST GO.
An Indignant People Should
Crush Out
A Magistrate Who Will Permit
Such Inhumanity.
The Fine One D0Ilar-COsts Are
Thirty-seVen!
SUCH COURTS MUST GO.
An Indignant People Should
Crush Out
A Magistrate Who Will Permit
Such Inhumanity.

The iniquitous fee system which pre-
walls in the justice courts of Shawnee
county is responsible for the outrageous
Incarceration of an aged, gray haired
woman and her two little grand chill
dren for debt.
For some reason the reporters of the
daily papers were not informed of the
circumstances when they visited the
county all and justice court, and it was
not until the following letter was brough.
to the STATE JOURNAL office by an indig-
nant citizen that the facts were learned.
The letter reads:
To the Editor of the State Journal:
Some time since the writer noticed an
article in the JOURNAL exposing the
wrongs inflicted on applicants for Justice
in our lower courts, notably, exposing
the excessive fees of various kinds tax
ed up under the color of law, and it
struck him at the time that the subject
should be mdde a matter of legislative
action, in order TO correct these abuses;
but it remained for him to receive an
object lesson of the hardships resulting
from these practices. Last evening hav-
ing occasion to be in the Office of the
sheriff at the county JAIL an old lady
about 20 years of age, together with
about 13 years also a boy about were
in the Office. The little girl was sobbing
bitterly, and on inquiry of one of the at
tendants, who seemed to treat them with
great kindness and civilitv. it was learn
ed that the old lady in question was on
account of some petty neighborhood
quarrel found guilty of a misdemeanor
to the amount of S38. She had paid $50
of this amount and because the balance
was overdue a few days she was commit
ted to the county Jail in default thereof
The little girl being old enough to re-
allZe their situation, and who in all prob
ability never saw the inside of prison
before, would between her sobs urge her
grandma to ''oh come home" It was
case which appealed to the sympathy
and hearts of all who were witnesses
to it
One can hardly realize that the man
exists whose sympathies are so entirely
dead, as to prompt him for the sake of
few paltry dollars to cause a poor old
woman just on the verge of the grave
aud two lnnocenC children to be commit
ted and locked up in prison for mere
small debt, under color of unpaid costs
Surely the heart and needle pointed
soul of such person is not to be envied
and in this great moral city of Topeka
too.
AS soon as the above letter was re-
ceived JOURNAL reporter was sent to
investigate the facts, and found them
fully as bad as reported
The victim of this outrage on human
ity is Mrs. N. J. Bishop, 81 years of age,
who lived at 800 Sayweu street, North
Topeka. She is the widow of an old
soldier who served through the war in a
regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers,
She has lived in Shawnee county nearly
twenty-three years, and used to own con-
siderable farm property, but most of it
has passed into other hands. She is in
poor health.
Mrs. Bishops offense, if any, consisted
In not getting along with her next door
neighbors. She was tried for disturbing
the peace of Andrew Stone. Mrs. Bishop
had no one to testify in her behalf A
few of the neighbo testified that BTrs.
Bishop had used hard language to the
Stone family, although she is too old and
feeble to do any harm if she wanted to.
The trial was on July in Justice Grow
er's court, and Mrs. Bishop was fined 81
and $37 costs-total $38.
The cost of the litigation bore heavily
on the unfortunate woman. She is poor
and dependent on the utmost thrift and
economy to live. She took all of her
little savings, amounting to just $50, and
applied it to the costs She promised to
pay the rest as soon as she could That
was a month ago The remaining SIS
was still unpaid, so q commitment was
issued for her, and this week she was
locked in the county jail for not paying
the costs of Justice Grover, Constable
Davies, the witnesses and jurors.
MEs. Bishop has the sympathy Of