People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1898-03-10
REPUTATION COMPLETE
THE TESTIMONY ALL ONE WAY,
"What's the Use of Lying When Ev-
erybody Knows You Are Lying?"
Special to the Kansas City Times.

Special to the Kansas City Times.
Topeka, Kan, March 5.-Dr. A. NJ.
Hutchinson of the Hutchinson re-
formatOry has made statement as to
the 'alleged barbarity recently prac-
tlced there in subduing Wade
Thomas, a desperate inmate. Ittakes
all the wind out of the sails of the
Republican state committee, who are
sending out to Republican papers
three column articles which they have
prepared as campaign document. in
which they allege that Thomas was
stripped naked and branded with a
redhOt iron until his skin was one
great blister.
DR.. Hutchinson is a Republican
who was appointed by Governor
Morrill, as physician at the refOrma-
tory, and hence he can not be accused
of making statement mole favorable
to the POpulist administration than
the facts warrant. He says:
DIR. HUTCHNSON's STATEMENT.
"ln the discharge Of my duties.
that day, as physician, | entered the
cell house, and noticed quite a group
of officers gathered about the door of
the cell occupied by Wade Thomas. a
colOred inmate. | was informed that
Wade Thomas was 10 his cell, had
torn his bed to pieces, smashed his
furniture, and refused to come out and
submit to authority. ! could hear
Thomas loud talk, vile oaths, obscene
language and imprecatiOns before |
reached his cell. The officers made
way for me, as | approached, and
wishing to determine his mental con-
ditlon, whether insane or only vicious.
| stepped up to the cell door, held out
my hand to him between the bars
and said: Hello, Wade, what are
you doing nOw?" He was standing
in front of his cell door, with a lamp
in one hand and a chimney in the
other. He put down the chimney.
took hOli of my hand and said, Hello.
doctor, you here, tOo?' yes. Wade,
| answered, what does this mean?"
He answered nationally, but passion
ately, that he was going to kill some
of these - officers; that they were
trying to punish him, just for wear
ing his handkerchief around his neck,
and that he wouldn't 90 to the dark
cell. He mingled his talk with i'm.
precautions on two or three of the Of.
hcerS; using the vileSt OF prOfane and
obscene language.
81 tried 10 reason with him, and
urged him to surrender to authority.
aud reminded him of the trouble he
gave the other administration, be-
fore they sent him to the peni.
Tertiary. He had to yield then, and
he would have to now. lie answered.
with an oath, that he would never
surrender, and that he would kill the
first man that dared to modest him.
La the meantime he picked up and
fiOurished d piece of gas pipe about
three feet long, and one and a half
inches thick, portion OF his iron bed.
stead that he had taken to pieces.
| noticed also that he had been using
the piece Of gas pipe as a drill, and
had tried TO loosen the fasteniDgS OF
his door. While l was taking to him
Mr.. Hopkins, the assistant Superin-
tendent, came TO the door and asked
him TO pass out through the bars the
pieces of broken furniture. He turned
upon Mr.. Hopkins with the vilest OF
language, refusing to do so. Just at
that moment noticed someone from
the floor below pushing up an iron rod,
about twenty feet long, the end of
which was red hot, which was thrust
through the bars of The cell door.
Thomas lodged to one side. and in
stantly hurled the lamp, the chimney
and every lose missile he could lay
bold Of at the parties handling the
iron.
CALLED ON TO SURRENDER.
1.-THE officers asked him to throw up
his hands and surrender, or he would
get tue worst of it. This he refused
to do, and lodged into the front
corner Of his cell where the iron
could not touch him. The officers
then bent the rod into something the
shape of a fish hook, so they could
reach him, at the same time calling
upon him to surrender. He made a
grab at the rod, but it burnt his
fingers and he dropped it, and seizing
his mattress and bedding crouched in
tue corner and covered himself up
with it. One of the officers succeeded
in getting hold of the corner of his
blanket and jerked it of from him,
whereupOn Thomas jumped up and
said he would surrender. He was