The Topeka state journal., 1898-04-02
EACH FINDS CAUSE TO KICK
Late Developments in the Joint Busi-
ness in Topeka

4
When Capt. Dan Wyatt used his best
eHorts to knock out the odious practice
| of taking dispositions to prevent a lapse
| of memory in joint witnesses. the Joint
| lists were to pay his attorneys. They
| nave not done so, and the ATTORNEYS are
now looking to Capt. Wyatt for their
| fee.
When the dispositions were taken by
| the lawyers representing the Committee
| OF seventeen, Capt. Dan Wyatt was
among those subpoenaed. He refused to
give testimony unless his fees were
| paid in advance. He was represented
| by Attorneys Pagan and Alexander,
who were also attorneys for Hoffman
wyatt was arrested for contempt of
court, but was released on a habeas
corpus proceedings, heard before Judge
Hazen.
Hoffman then made a canvass among
the Jointists to raise money to pay the
attorney fees of Wyatt's trial He rep
resented to the different jointists that
wyatt was martyr to the cause and
that 1T was but just that they assist
him. He readily raised the money and
received on the average of $3.50 from
each jointiSt.
Now the contributors to the fund
claim that Hoffman did not pay the
money to the lawyers, but that he used
1t in settling an old account with Chief
Steele.
When questioned about it, Steele
said:
was arrested Dy the DOI1CG
on complaint about eight months ago.
He paid his fine of $780, He has not
been arrested since by the police
When told that Hoffman was suppos-
ed to have used SIS to pay him, he said:
I don't know what money he might
have collected to use in paying some
one else's fine, but he has not paid any
of his own
Lon Townsend, king of the jointists,
said:
Il contributed 81 so to Hoffman. He
said he wanted to use it in paying the
attorneys who defended Wyatt. A half
hour after 7 paid the money I kicked
myself for doing it. He ought to fight
his own battles. 1 have to fight mine,
and don't ask others to help me"
I received no money from Hoffman
att. Il had no agreement with him that
he should pay my fees, and 1 did not
know that he was collecting money for
that purpose until met man in
received the SIS Hoffman had collected
for me. 1 told him I knew nothing
about any SIS, and he said he had con-
tributed $3.50 to Hoffman, which was to
go toward a purse to be given me. 1
know nothing about the money raised.
What 1 did, did on the advice of my
lawyer"
Conrad Mayer, who runs a barber
thoroughly disgusted with Hoffman, the
jointists and the police.
Hoffman did not do right, said
Mayer, who was friendly to Hoffman
during his troubles and helped him.
.'ITe got the money and he did not pay
the lawyers as he agreed to. am done
with him 1 will help him no more. The |
whole business is done wrong. I let a
man run a joint in the room behind my !
barber shop. He was to pay me SO |
much per cent Then he comes to me |
and says he has to put up $100 to the
police and that must pay half. L tell
him I will not do it. Then Steele he tel |
ephones O'Brien that he must move his
bar out of the place. [ tell the man that
unless he pays me what he agreed TO,
he must move. He would not, and
made him move. Then 1 think that as
long as these fellows have come mere
from Missouri and are running joints
on both sides of me, I might just as well
make a little money myself. Then Chief
Steele sends me an order that L shall
NOT open a Joint Why did he do that?
Because 1 am the only Republican in
town that wants to run. The rest are
like Steele made Re
nrhIican speech once, and that is why
Steele will not let me run. have lived
here a long time and have paid taxes,
and if these fellows come in from Mis-
souri, and make money, why shoulo not
r. This is a free country