The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-10-17
A REPLY TO noon.
George L. Cooke Reports .inotj,er 1fid. Il oad
Faisehood

chass Of Pottawatomje county
warrants while connected with th,
United states court in This district
over which Judge } r Kcatol. pre-
sided al constrained TO answer that
part OF the charge made 10y thc COM
mitteeman OF the midle of.the-roadcrs
Of Pottawatomie county. Ssnator
Doom, ard the other suiscribers 10
such manifest, feeling 80 to be q duty
to Judge Keaton, the clerks Office, and
myself
The Stuteman murder case was
brought from Pottawatomic comfy 10
Oklahoma county on change OF
venue. In order that both the terri.
tory and the defence could have O fair
trial, there were subpoenacd a great
many witnesses who were put To much
ex ense in coming such distance,
some having to travel as far as one
hundred and fifty miles or moro. The
majority Of these witnesses were poor
people, some as | understand, were
comp He'd to mortgage and sell their
horses ard wagons in ordes to raise
money sutlicien % defray their expen-
ses while attending court. Some were
so poor that, after being subpoenaed.
1t was necessary that attachemouts be
issued in order that their ATTENDANCE
could be had, all at the exp nse OF the
territory. Such was the deplornble
financial cond tion Of the majority OF
those witnesses.
Legally, Pottawatqmic county was,
and still is, liable and responsible f.r
the expense incurred in the trial OF
this case. The coun clerk refused
to issue warrants on the court fund for
the reason that the county commits
sioners were not in session at the time
and had not authorized him to do so.
As the witnesses were discharged the
district clerks Office issued them orders
on the county clerk OF Pottawatomie
county for their time. Not being able
to realize anything on these orders
from such county, they sold them to
different parties purchasing them in
this city. They were bought, il is
true, for small per cent % their faee
value-the price paid bDnr rot less,
however, than 55 and a. cents, some
selling for 75 cents ON 'nc $50. lar. IT,
parties buying these t.r were not
in any way connected viii. The clerlts
office or the court. This / know posi-
lively. Nor did they receive any aid
in the purchasing Of same from the
clerks Office, or any one connected
Herewith These orders were subse
quently sent by us to the county clerk
Of Pottawatomie county, ana he issued
warrants for them; but these were not
issued upon any particular fund, hence
Of no value. The warrants were re.
turned to the district clerks Office, and
we delivered them to the parties who
had purchased them. At the following
term Of court held by Judge Keaton in
Pottiwatomie county he ordered that
a special levy be made for the purpose
Of paying these warrants, and that
such levy be extended on the tax rolls
for the last half Of 1897 When this
order was made the county clerl, ssued
new warrants in lieu Of the old ones
on the court fund" These warrants
today remain unp i'd When they will
be paid rema ms - be seen That they
will be paid there is no doubt IN
my mind, for Pottawatomie unity,
through its county officials, has ac.
knowledged such Indebtedness, and IL
is it's intention and desire to pay same
AS an evidence that the county looks
upon this debt as absolutely legal and
binding, and expects TO pay IL out Of
this special levy, then mem Der OF the
board Of county commissioners Of Pot
,awatomie county during the trial Of
! the Mclaughlin murder case, and when
| was no longer injected wish the
court, called upon me ia behalf OF wit
nesses brought to this county FROM
Pottawotomie county, and assured
me that the warrauts being issued
in this case would be paid. as well
as the " srrants in the stutsmau case,
and, In a way, insisted that uccomo
date those witnes es by buying their
warrants. At the time / was with the
court, and during the trial OF the
Stutsman case, two friends Of mine.
living in adjoining towns, offered me
as much money as was needed with
whicq purchase these warrants, but
knowing that IL was Judge Keatou's
express d wish that no one in the
clerks Office or anyoue in any Is ay con
rected with the court purchase these
warrants. / refused 10 buy them even
for these friends, or to assist them in
obt aiming them, and admouished the
other employees of the office about pur-
chasing them.
Advocating Judge Keaton's cand.-
dRcy and election as delegate TO con-
gress, can conceive Of no cause or
res on-other than political oues-for
this unju-g and false attack npon the
ones sccused 10 this manifesto, but
feel that it is prompted by desire "a
mislead the voters and taxpayers Of
Pottawat mic county, vino, ann sure,