The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-07-10
DISTRICT GlJRI 8IHlHHS.
The Present Session Proceeding Under the
Rev Court Rulings.
The Jury Finds Verdict OF "NOt Guilty"
in the Wallace County Rape Case
A Plea OF Abatement In the
Bank Gases OverFuIed.

Court convened Monday and under
the new rules nov in force the day was
spent in determining the status Of
eases on the docket, the considerations
of demurrers aud motions, the setting
Of cases for trial and the renditions Of
judgments on default.
The first case called for trial Tues
day morning was that of the State VS..
R. A. Stevens, being a second trial, and
a change Of venue from Wallace coun-
ty. The ofense charged against the
defendant was the committing of a rape
upon the person of his step daughter
The forenoon was occupied in getting
jury which consisted of the follow
ing: JudsOn Hollenbeek, George Pat
ton, NJ. B. Turner, Thomas Butt, Joe S.
Williams, I. E. Hill, D. B. Dinwiddie,
William Richardson, G. F. Knott, W.
A. Umbarger, A. L. Palmer and J. W.
Kipps.
The evidence introduced by the state
was very damaging, but pervaded with
spirit of vindictiveness that upheld
the defendants plea of spite work.
Stevens some years ago married
woman by the name of SnoBberger, the
divorced wife of Andy Snowberger, ex-
register of deeds of Cheyenne county.
Mrs. Stevens, having by former union
two children, a boy and girl, took
them to live with her on the ranch in
Wallace county. Disagreements we're
common between the two, and at last
the woman and her children, including
the one born of the latter union, left
and went to Missouri. They returned,
however, and again domestic infelicity
caused a ruption in the family, this
time Stevens, taking his child with
him, left and went back to Missouri.
Mrs. Stevens thereupon swore out a
warrant charging Stevens with raping
her daughter some time previous, while
she, the mother, was away on visit.
Stevens was brought back, tried and
convicted, and sentenced to four and
one-half years in the penitentiary. An
appeal was taken to the supreme court
which granted a new trial, change of
venue being taken to this county.
The evidence introduced was Of ma
ture improper to print. but, summed
up, the girl declared that her step.
father had accomplished the crime
with which he was charged, and had
otherwise abused her, and that she had
informed her mother of the commits
sion while they were absent in Mis-
souri,. The mother corroborated this
testimony in the main.
The defendant denied the testimony
in toto, and introduced letters from
both his wife and the alleged victim,
written from Missouri to him, after the
crime was alleged to have been COM
mitted and the mother notified, in
which no mention of the occurrence
was made and every line teemed with
affection and regard for him as hus-
band and a father, and expressing a
desire to return to his home again.
The jury quickly found a verdict of
aequittal for the prisoner, who has al
ready spent two years in Jail for an
Offense of which he was no doubt en-
tirely innocent, the charge probably
being brought in a spirit of revenge,
aud for the purpose of recovering the
child then in the possession of Stevens.
A plea of abatement and motion to
quash proceedings was argued before
the court Wednesday evening and
Thursday morning in the cases against
the Sherman County bank officers. The
court Overruled the plea, however, bat
had stricken from the information the
charges of ''conniving and abbetting."
The cases are now on trial
Some of the best legal talent in the
state is connected with these cases and
the fight will be hard one.
Last summer one of cur grand child
rem was sick with a severe bowel troub-.
le. Our doctors remedies had failed,
then we tried Chamberlain's Collie,
Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy. which