Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-09-11
HIS DUTY AS HE SAW IT.
Assitant Prosecuting Attorney
 Merritt Interviewed.

<NfSSAOttHb EEOSecubl0E Attorney
 Merritt Interviewed.
 Several dnys ago the police au- thorities of Pine Bluff arrested two white men who gave their names as Jack Whitney and Patsy Ryan. These men had in their possession a quantity of razors and pocket knives. After the men had been put through sweating" process, one of them confessed that the cutlery in their possession had been stolen; that they had burglarized a store at Crowley, La. The Louisiana off cials were notified of the arrests and Sheriff E. ". Lyon, of Arcadia par ish, in company with Mir. T. J. Toler, whose store had been bur- glarized, started for Pine Bluff, armed with reouisition papers, after the burglars. Before they reached Pine Bluff, however, the burglars were taken before a magistrate. tried and convicted of the charge of bringing stolen goods into the state. The fines and costs against the two men amounted to about $90, and now the Louisiana officials can not get possession of the burglars with out paying these fines and costs. The sheriff has travelled about 1,500 miles to get possession of the men, and says that with them he could break up a gang of robbers and thieves who have been operating in Arcadia parish for many months. He Is willing to pay $50 10 secure them, but the 800 is little tc o steep for his purse.
 A GRAPHIC reporter, this afternoon, afterviewed Assiatant Prosecuting Attorney Merritt concerning the status of these cases, when he said;
 "On the day following the arrest of these parties by the police, was informed by Mir. A. J. Stewart, the chief, that he had such parties under arrest and that they had confessed to having burglarized store at Crowley, La; that they had been peddling pocket knives around the city, and when arrested had in pos session about ten or twelve pocket knives and razor, which they con- fessed were a part of the goods stol- en from the store burglarized as aLoye stated. I told Mir. Stewart that they had violated the criminal statutes of this state in bringing the stolea property into this state, and 1 had preferred a charge against them under section l949. Sandel & Hills digest, which reads as follows:
 Every person who shall steal or obtain by robbery the property of another in any other state or coun- try, whether the same be within the jurisdictional limits of the United States or not, and shall bring the same within this state, may be in- dicted, tried and punished for lar ceny, in the same manner as if such property had been feloniously stol- en or taken within this state; and in any such case the larceny may be charged to have been committed in any countl Y into or through which such stolen property may have been taken
 "On the trial Whitney plead guilty to the charge, and exonerated his confederate by stating that he tWhitney) brought the goods here and incidentally met Ryan and gave him part of the stolen goods to sell that Ryan knew nothing about the manner in which he got possession of the goods. At this iuncture I re- alized that I was about to lose my grip on a very tough looking char acter, when Mr. A. J. Stewart, who was present, came to my relief by suggesting that Ryan vas guilty of peddling without license, whereupon I made this charge against both Ryan and Whitney, to which they both promptly plead guilty"
 "On yesterday morning the Louis jana sheriff appeared at the sheriff's office with q warrant from Gov. Jones for these parties. issued upon q requisition of the Governor of Louisiana. Mir Triplett, the sheriff, called me in consultation with the Louisiana sheriff. and l told him that the parties could not bereleased and that Gov. Jones would not have issued his warrant had he known the parties were under con- viction. Whereupon Mr. Trlplet tclephoned the Governor. informing him of the facts; and the latter rep'i- ed that his jurisdiction or power to deliver them to the Louisiana authorities was at an end or words to that effect"