The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-27
SHIRLEY is TAKEN
HE Is ARRESTED At CRIPPLE
CREEK, COLORADO

Ohbhh, OUbUhdDO
os3oers and Attorneys Claim That TIT
Charge Against Him and &. w. Roger
for Burning the Records of Harve,
County was Promised to be Dismissed
Providing That His Wife Would GiV'
Testimony in the Celebrated Case-Thi'
was Done and They Believe He Will be
ReIeased-OId Case Revived
The following dispatch from Cripple
Greek caused considerable commouon
among the many acquaintance OF Geo.
r. Shirley Of this city, and leaves them
IN doubt as TO whether or not the county
attorney OF Harvey county has fulfilled
his agreement made with Mrs. Shirley,
wife of the man who is now confined N
3ail at Cripple Creek awaiting trans
portation 10 Newton, in case he is TO be
transferred at all The dispatch reads:
Geo. Shirley was arrested yesterday
by Officer Dawson. charged with being
q fugitive from justice. Shirley IS
wanted at Newton, Kan, for burning
the county records in 1892. In that year
he was a member of the firm Of Rogers
& shirley. abstractors. This firm was
the only one that had a complete set Of
books of the county records Ihey
made a proposition TO the county com
missionerS to sell the books 10 them for
S25. OOO The commissioners refused this
but offered $4,000. Shortly afterwards
the court house was burned TO the
ground and all the county records de-
stroyed. The fire was or lncendIary
origin.
Detectives arrested Shirley and Ros-
ers for the offense. Rogers was tried,
convicted and sentenced TO five years
In the penitentiary at Lansing, Kan,
srd is at present serving out this SEN
tence. Shirley was admitted to bail on
SO, 900 bonds. When his case was call
ed he failed TO respond and was after
wards located IN Canada. He was
watched for a long time. but the officers
concluded he had gone there to stay and
gave him up.
Shirley has evidently gone out of the
abstract business for when his grip was
searched a lay out was found that would
cause an ordinary sure thing man to die
of envy. His grip contained besides d
few articles Of wearing apparel, three
Shells" Sanded and marked cards, "a
poker holdOut, and endsqueeZe faro box,
en- innocent looking book with a small
mirror embedded in the edge of the
cover, a deck of humps or shippers,
and many other articles used by his
class of men. He thought dealing the
odd" was never heard of in this section,
and when arrested was looking for a
room In which to start a big nit
foint-"
Sheriff Cone was met at the court
house and shown the dispatch and said:
81 was satisfied that Rogers could
have been convicted without the evil
hence of Mrs. Shirley, but the Harvey
county officials we've afraid to try it,
and the county attorney told Mrs. Shir-
ley that if she would take the stand and
give all the information in her possess |
sion that the case pending against her
husband should be nollie pressed.
with this understanding Mrs. Shar- |
ley took the stand and produced letters |
written to her husband and gave i'm |
portant Testimony. OF course L can not
say whether or not the case was dis |
missed. but know that that was the |
understanding"
w. Z. Stanley, who was Sharley's at |
torney, was shown the dispatch. and |
said:
We'll, that is funny. The county at |
torney took the stand in the Rogers |
case and testified that he would dis |
miss the case. and believe he has done
60 L rather think that Dan Crawford |
who was formerly a deputy sheriff of /
h ar-Vey county did not know Of the ar
ransement and had Shirley arrested.
end think he Will be released when they
hear from the Harvey county officials
George Shirley was In Wichita a few
weeks since and no attempt was made
20 arrest him, and people here who were
spoken to OF the case We're inclined to
me Delief that Shirley would be dis
charged or else the Newton county Of
lN1afs had trumpet UP a new charge
against him and that while the former
case was dismissed he may be brought
back to answer to another cbarea