The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-03
First Attack on the Joints Made
Today.
Crowds of Witnesses Are Sum.
mOned to Tell
ILL THAT THEY KNOW
Not One Tells Anything of Any
Value.
County Attorney Jetmore Says
He Can't Make Them.

The examination today before County
Attorney Jetmore of persons subpoe-
naed on information furnished by the
prohibition element in this city in ref
erence to the joints, is proving fruit
less
AtnoOn today half of the persons sub
poenaed had been examined, and yet
not one iota of evidence which would
form the remotest kind of a basis for
complaint had been gathered in by Mr..
Jetmore.
Ten of the persons examined this
morning acknowledged to having visit
ed joints, and stated that they had pur-
chased cigars, but nothing else. abso-
lutely nothing else.
The remainder simply refused to give
any information of any kind, and there
the matter stood, as the county attor-
ney has no power at his command to
force them to answer his questions. The
law makes it his duty to subpoena per
sons on information as furnished him
by the prohibition element, but refuses
him the right to commit them il they
fail to answer his questions.
Il didn't think this plan would prove
effective" said Mr. JetmOre with a
weary ring to his voice as he settled
himself in his Office chair after dismiss
sing his last morning visitor at noon
today.
1T was my duty under the law, how
ever, to- subpoena these persons when
I received information, but this is about
the only power the law gives me Un-
der the supreme court decision L can't
commit them if they refuse to answer,
and they all seem to be onto the decis-
ion of the court. Only about ten of the
persons examined this morning would
say anything at all, and they stated
| that they knew nothing about any Vio-
IatiOn of the law.
Mr.. Vance told me that the men who
worked these names up we're included
in the list subpoenaed, and when they
came up before me they would furnish
sufficient information on which to nle
| a number of complaints. They evident
| ly haven't appeared yet, or else they
| have gone back on their promises. If /
receive any information of violations of
| the law at this examination, can at
! tach it to a complaint, and it viii serve
| the exact purpose of a sworn affidavit
But if these men are among the num-
| Der subpoenaed, how much better it
| would have been for them to come to
me and swear out complaints.
There is a right way to go about
| this thing, and that is for these men TO
work up the matter themselves and
| then swear to the complaints. If they
know where the joints are located, let
| them go there and see who is there, and
| then swear to what they have seen.
| That's all that is necessary. 1t isn't the
duty of the county attorney to go out
and hunt up this infOrm2tiO any more
! than it is the duty of any private citi-
| zen to do it. am here to prosecute
these cases. not to hunt them up
| tOrney JetmOre commenced at 10 o'clock
| this morning, and Al Mooney was the
| first man in the office. It didn't take
| him long to tell all he knew, or rather
| didn't know, he came out again in
! about three minutes. By that time
| there was a crowd of 20 or % men IN
| the hall outside of the office, and they
| followed one another in and out of the
| office in a continual string until after y
| o'clock.
While waiting for their turn, the men
n hall freely discussed the matter
that brought them there. I don't
know anything, do you Bill?" remarked
one of the men to another. mo, and If
did they wouldn't find it out, III tell
you that" replied Bill. There's no law
compelling me to talk, and I don't pro-
pose to. It's nObOdy's business what
[ know or what don't know
From the conversation carried on in
groups, it was evident, as Mr.. Jetmore
said, that the men had been posted by
| some one on the decision of the supreme
court and knew there was no way
of compelling them to answer the coun-
ty attorneys questions.
The examination is continuing this
| afternoon and about as many as were
| examined this morning are booked for
examination after o'clock. Those
| who were examined this morning are
the following:
P Paramore, Francis Brown Ed
Baker, Marion Lamar, Chas Holcraft.
| Scotty Kane, II. W. Moore, Tom Col
Inns Billy Frazier. P. A1dener. Frank
Knox, Jesse Longton, Al Merritt, Tom
| ShillinglaW, Ed Lyman, VIM. Miller
| Arthur Bunce, VIM. Kidney, Ed Ira
vers. VIM. Travers, Frank Kingsland,
Rube Bucher, Bud Petty, James FergU-
SON. Jack Harris, Bill Miller, Bud White,
Pete Watson, Amos Schwalm, VIM
| Johnson, viii PETER. Lew Blacl1man,
| Frank Ellison, Chas. Lindsay, Link Nc
Caslin Chas. WilkersOn, W. II. Keep
ers Archie Lord, E. Grimes, J. b
| Grimes, Ed Kidney, Fred Jewell, Frank
| Quinton, John Whitlow, Joe Wether-
holt.
The following are booked Tor eXafnlh-
alton this afternoon:
John Gill, Jack Fleming, Jas. Tur-
! ner, Ed Moss. Logan Tincher. John NC
Bee Milt Stoker. VIM. Harris. Joe VIII
| son. Jr Nick Chiles, Fred Mitchell, A.
| Schermas, w. H. Williams, Pete Schra-
| der Frank Cunningham, -- Nesper,
| Jim Smith, VIM. Bell. Pat McCarty,
| Fred Jeltz S. E. GriswOld, Geo Gayton'
( Chas Mcmillan, Geo. Gay, Chas. Ia
ker, Ed Baker, Vim. Prim, Dick Reed
! Hod Newcomb, J. NJ. Love, Geo Surg
/ hart F. P Roper, S. L. Fulton r. NJ
| Graggs. Walter Schwartz, Old Man
| Comstock, Major Shreve, Al Mooney
| Ed Mcdonald Geo. Elliot, Newman
| Hord Harry MoultOn, Ed Branner'
| las Beeler Mike Thompson, Joe Rost'
| Bob Pigg Guy Pier, John SchwalIIl'
| Joe Shutter Ed Price, w. F. Harris, d
| Wilkerson. P. Pearsley, John Woody,
| sam Campbell, w. G. Crawford, WIl-
| Clark. Simon Greenspan, .. Caruth-
ers.