Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1897-01-21
DISTRICT COURT.

Ou6 jury hldA Vao hoN' Nv AN"NH 80
terest ls taken in the Crawford case
that we present the main parts Of the
testimony:
II will sentence you to the peniten'
tlsry at Lansing for a period Of TWEEN
ty months, and that you pay the costs
ia this case"
Those were the words spoken by
Judge A. @. L. Geiger in sentencing
James S. Crawford, convicted of
stealing sixteen head of fat hogs
from L. A. Champlin's pens last
May. The Crawford hog stealing
case will be remembered for many a
day. 1t has been discussed in nearly
every farm house Of the county, and
there have been many stories told OF
what the testimony would be when
the case finally came to trial. A
brief review of the trial and the es-
sentlal points Of testimony introduced
at the trial follows:
Scott Handy was the first witness
sworn for the state. He testified that
on about the Sd day of May, 1896, he
went into Jack Lynch's back room
and there found Crawford with some
others drinking "hop tea" They
asked him to have glass and he
drank a few glasses with them. The
other parties then went out, leaving
Handy and Crawford there alone.
What took place between them is
best given in Hsndy's own language;
"Mr. Crawford, after they went out,
called up another bottle, and after it
came he got up and closed the door.
Then he asked me If ] wasn't &C.
quainted over the state line about
Bloomington. / said yes. He want
ed to know then if / knew of any one
who would take some stock and no
questions asked. l told him there
was a man over there by the name Of
Barber that handled a great deal of
stock who was a personal friend Of
mine. Crawford wanted to know If l
could 20 over and make arrangements
with HIM. L told him l would see.
He said there was some stock down
there, and that he wanted to get
some of it, and that if I would go
and make arrangements about dis
posing of this stock and furnish q
man to transport it that he would
give me my cut. He said i. A.
Champlin had feed lot close to his
place and we could take out a good
many head of the stock and he would
never miss them. He asked me to
come to his place on the next day,
which was Sunday, and 1 promised
to go. He said that If we took the
stock from the correl and didn't get
away with them early enough to get
them to Nebraska that we could take
them to Nick Hunsinger's and that
Nick had a place where he could keep
them out Of sight for week or two
If necessary.
"The next morning I told my faith
or, j. NJ. Handy, about it. Mr.. Craw-
ford had told me that he had taken
several head out of there during the
winter. So I told my father the next
morning that Mr.. Crawford had been
stealing Champlin's hogs, and that /
was going to tell Mr.. Champlin.
Sunday my sister drove me out to
Crawford's, and there / met Mr.. and
Mrs. Jacob Shops. Crawford and
Shops were together, but Crawford
said 1 want to talk to Scott and
Shops went on to the house with
Crawford's boy. Crawford then told
me as we was drinking some the day
before he was afraid 1 wouldn't re-
member / told him did. Then he
asked when 1 could go and see Bar
Der, the Nebraska stOckman. l said
tomorrow. He said we must hurry
no and make the raise before Cham
pin shipped his hogs out. He said
for me to find a halfway place be-
tween his (Crawford'e) place and
Barber's l told him / had q friend
named Joe Davis who would help US.
Next day, Monday, went out and
told Davis about it, l told him there
was plot to rob Chsmplin, and ask
ed him to go over to Barriers with
me. and we went over to Barber's and