Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-01-16
The Topeka War Discounted.
Rump Courts, Rump Boards
and Rump Officials and
Yet no Rumpus.
Double Headers Galore.

The Barclay-Musgrave contest over
the Office of commissioner of the First
district, Trego county, was begun
Saturday morning, January, End. III.
j. Harwi appeared as attorney for the
contestor, and David Rathbone for
the contestee. In keeping with the
tactics of officials interested in the de-
lay of the case on behalf of the con-
testee, his attorney adopted every
possible means to retard the progress
the same. DilatOry practice was his
game from the start. Motions were
introduced and objections were raised
for no other reason than delay. The
contestees hoped to gain some advant-
age by bringing on unnecessary COM
plicatiOns as Monday, January IL, at
noon of that day is the time at which
the new county officials should as
sumo their duties as such. The con-
testees also hoped to further compli-
cate the question of Jurisdiction of
the contest court whose term of exist
ence ends only with the trial of the
causes which brought about and war
ranted it's organization. All of which
delay causes great expense and great
ly interferes with the proper, legal
and efficient discharge of the public
service. The cOnteSteeS and their
POpuliSt henchmen care nothing for
the public service or popular opinion
and still less for expenses as they are
not under bonds for costs and -evi
| IDENTIFY do not expect to pay any if
they can avoid it. On the contrary
Republicans in general and particu-
| larly the cOnteStors have been ready
at every session and anxious to pro-
coed with the trial of these causes
and sincerely hoped to reach just,
satisfactory and final conclusion and
avoid all questions of dispute. These
conditions and contentious have been
apparent to all Intelligent observers
of the proceedings and our statement
| witness
As stated last week the evidence
was practically closed Friday evening.
The confession, Barclay, cndeavored to
| show four illegal votes cast for Mus.
grave, the contestee. A recount of
| the ballots in Riverside township and
Adair precinct was had without
changing the original result, but each
| side challenged a number of ballots
| which bore too many marks or were
illegally marked or defaced. Fully
two-thirds of these were Popocratic
votes. Several witnesses We're called
by the contestee and four Illegal vot-
/ ers were named, but only weak at
\ -
an illegal voter. That one was Al
fred Bailey, a well known teacher of
the county who now holds a home
stead in Riverside township and is at
tending the State Normal at Emporia
between intervals of teaching and
farming. Gineral Artz was the only
witness called to prove Bailey an lille
gal voter and of course the attempts
failed. During the course of his ex
animation he Swore that he assisted
w. J. Richardson, trustee of River
side township, in making the census
of the township last March which does
not contain the name of either the
Gineral, himself, nor of his step-son,
]. III Fordice, of Council Bluffs. Iowa,
who at the time of the election swore
to one years residence in Riverside
township. The contestee also object
ed to a ballot which was cast for Bar
clay and did not bear the initials of
Lee Greer, the judge of election in
Riverside township, whose duty it was
to mark in that way all official ballots
cast there.
Attorney Rathbone made a very
painful attempt in this connection to
show that the ballots in Riverside
township had been tempered with be-
cause the cumming of the sack in
which the ballots we're inclosed had
been slightly broken in folding.
County Clerk Udard swore that the
ballots had been locked in his vault
tsince the day of election and that be
changed the combination about that
time and that it was not known to
Iany one else He also swore that he
was Democrat That was poser
4 The court was very patient in hear
ing the evidence and argument and
undoubtedly took time and trouble to
arrive at just conclusions Their
findings were brought in Saturday af-
ternoon. Without giving an exact
copy of their findings we will say that
the court found that the votes OF j.
H. Fordice, e. X. Westoyer and H. H.
Artz of Riverside and the vote of
Henry Sherry of Adair were illegally