The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-07
HE CAME TO SHOOT
AUGUST MEISEER OF PA0LA HAD
BLOOD IN HIS EYE
sut the Police Arrested Him and He was
Very Peniteut and Calfish-He was
Fined Hundred Dollars ana Oi'en An
Opportunity to Leave Town-He Went
Richard vanta and His HousekeePer
Were Also in Troubie-They Kept House
in One Room and There is Where the
Trouble Was


Were Also in TroubIe-They Kept House
I'm One Room and There is Where the
Trouble Was
August Meisner was the first victim
called in the police court yesterday.
He stood up over neat the windoE. with
| his knees shaking. and he had very
catfish appearance.
"You are" said the police judge,
| charged with carrying concealed wea-
pons Are you guilty or not guilty"
81 don't know, judge ne said, cry
ing like great big baby who had
strayed away from his mamma.
Don't you know" asked the judge,
whether you had the revolver con-
! cealed about you or not"
CT had a revolver, your honor"
'TWell, then, you know whether you
are guilty or not guilty"
! 'T don't know, judge, but I guess 1
am" said he, wiping away tear with
the sleeve of his coat.
| 81 will fine you $780," said the judge.
| Meisner ba wled out and the judge told
him to be patient until he had heard fur
| Their from the court
al understand" said the judge. that
YOU have been making threats with that
revolver"
"Oh, no, judge" he bawled out again.
IT will give you ample time TO eaten
the train and go home" said the judge
| but the sentence viii remain standing
against you and If you ever again carry
a revolver in this city or threaten 10 use
it against anybody / will enforce the
sentence, impose another sentence OF
500, making $500, and 1 viii send you to
Jail until paid"
At the word "jail' Meisner broke out
into another bawl, but the judge told
him he didn't have to go to jail and
leave town if he promised to behave
himself.
Meisner promised. He is a great big,
soft-headed and soft-hearted young
man, who fell in love with some girl at
his home in PaOla and he followed her
over here to kill her. That was the re-
port about the court. He couldn's kill
a flea with the little revolver he had,
but the police thought it best TO take II
from him anyway.
| RIGHTS OF HOUSEKEEPERS.
There was big crowa IN the court to
hear a famous case involving the rights
1 o
the case Of the city aga nst Richard Nj.
Vanatta and Lottie Gray.
Mr.. Vanatta is middle aged business
man and a widower of seven or eight
years standing. Lottie Gray is girl
about IS years of age, well dressed and
good looking.
Last Friday night the porice--Bedford
Woods and Jimmy Cairns---with a dark
lantern in their hands. went to the dom
icile of Mr.. Vanatta at S24 East Douglas
avenue Mr.. Vanatta opened the door
for them and they went in.
where is Lottie?" said Bedford
Woods
"She is in the next room" said Mr..
Vanatta.
The room indicated was a half closet
and a half room. Lottie was there pre-
pairing her wardrobe TO meet the stran-
gers She was getting on a dress pre-
paratory to returning back into the re-
ception room, bed room, kitchen, parlor,
dining room, library, conservatory and
nursery of the Vanatta home.
The master and housekeeper were in
| formed that they had violated all the
rules of good conduct by occupying the
same house. and they were given the
alternative of putting up a cash bond OF
twenty dollars or going to the city pris-
on to be locked up. Mr.. Nanatta pro-
} tested that he had a perfect right to live
| in his own house with his two boys and
that Lottie had a perfect right under
; the constitution of the United States
the declaration of American independ-
ence, the articles of federation, the bill
} of rights, magma chaTta, the Masonic
law and the ordinance of Wichita to
} earn two dollars a week as his house
keeper without being pulled out in the
middle of the night without her face
powdered or her hair being fixed. and
taken to the city Jail. The protest
; didn't go and the result was trial be-
fore Police Judge Wilson yesterday.
; There was a big crowd present and
Hottie had not few friends. She was
, young and innocent looking and the
: spectators thought If she was guilty of
, any sin at all that it was not her fault.
Her own aunt was a witness against
her and her cousin, II is said, was anN-
ious TO push the case.
, The first witness sworn was Officer
: | Woods. who testified that when he went
: 10 the house he was received by Vanatta
| He saw nothing wrong, except that the
= | family, including the father, two sons
t and the houseleeper, were not IN sep
arate rooms. Jimmy Cairnes told about
/ the same story.
| | Mrs Nickles. the aunt of the girl, ties
titled that the girl used to live with
her and washeadstr ong. She went out
one night with a young man and that 50
far as she knew the young man was de-
= cent She said she did not care 10 tel
{ any more about Lottie.
Then came a round buxom little wild
Z ow who kept lodging house. She swore
that Lottie came there one day at heI
invitation and met young man. but
r there was nothing wrong in that, so faI
= as she knew.
William Framan testified that Lottie
boarded at his house once FOR SIX uHys
. and that a young man came there one
5 night 10 see her and sat with her On Z
sofa in his parlor.
. | WIZ Ayers. the youthful but vigor-
= Gus barrister who was defending Van
4 alta. grew indignant over such evi'
= dence He todd the court very plainly
d that II II was a crime % sit on a sofa
\ with young lady that he and the cour
\ and the police and the reporter. and. IL
Z fact. every man in the room would b
: subject to arrest. He said that II IL wa:
Z a crime 20 go out walking OF buggy
4, | riding with a young man a thousand