The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-17
THIRTY YEARS VAR
In St. Clair County, Missouri,
on an Old Bond Issue.
1T MAY BE COMPROMISED
County Judges in Jail or in
Hiding These Twenty Years

Osceola, No, May 15.-Some of the bes
| hiding places in Missouri are in ST. Clail
! County. That is one Of the good reasons
why Sam Peedan and his two colleagues
of the bench Of st. Clair County's Judges
are able to disobey writs, mandates, sum
monses, and warrants Of the federal coUr
| and continue to enjoy the blessings Of lib.
/ erty among Nhe wilds Of the Usage hills.
! Every now and then the figure of a mar
may appear on the crest Of a hill in the
Bear Creek or the Cosh Creek country. He
may be dressed like a farm hand or re-
| spectacle pedlar, Out every native Of the
hills who sees him wiH know whether ne is
a Deputy United States Marshal. The ma
tives have learned by long experience tC
tell a federal officer as far as they can see
him. That is another good reason why
Judge Sam Peedan is not dragged off II
Jail in Kansas City for open and notorious
and violent contempt of the federal court
Deputy United States MarshaIs are sc
common in the Usage hills whenever the
County Court is in hiding that the keen
eyed denizens are afraid to shoot low wien
they go squirrel hunting for fear of hitting
enc Of them.
Nobody in st. Clair County, No, wants
to Kill a Deputy United States Marshal
They don't want to even hurt one Of them
The citizens in that part of the United
States concern themselves with these off,
GERS of the law so far as to keep every
body else in the county informed as to
their movements and Whereabouts at all
hours of the day and night and to keep
them from getting too close to the Judges.
Judge Peedan has advised the people as 10
their duties concerning these interlope:s.
On this timely subject ne said:
Don't shoot no United States Marshal
|. unless you ketch him in the act of violat-
ing some law of St. Clair County"
The forbearance of Judge Peedan is no
greater than that of the people of the
county generally. This is indicated by the
fact that of the hundreds of federal officers
who have gone down to ST. Clair County
not one of them has ever been reported
missing for more than three days at a
time. If one Of them ever takes another
shot at Sam Peedan, however the record
in this respect is sure 10 be broken.
At the present time the citizens of St.
Clair County have no desire to be revenged
on federal courts or their officers. 1t is
true that for nearly fifteen years the Jud-
ges Of the county have been passing their
terms of Office in jail, but no i'll feeling has
been engendered even by that.
These people do not want to pay the rail-
road bonds outstanding against the county,
and they say they won't pay them, and
that is all there is to il. They are salts
fed to have the archives Of the federal
court glutted with writs and warrants
gaainst them; they are satisfied to have
their judges so TO Jail whenever the Mar
shals can cathch them without shooting
at Them they are satisfied to let the out
side world talk Of them as it pleases. They
say the bonds were acquired dishonesty
and they will not be coerced into paying
them. The bonds are the cause Of all this
trouble.
The present bench Of the county Judges
assumed the duties Of office last March. 1t
consists Of Judges Sam Peedan, Tom New
fit, and Dave Walker. They went to Os-
ceoia, the county seat, one night. while
seven Deputy United States Marshals were
on the front steps Of the courthouse, wait
ing to take them before Judge Phillips Of
the United States Circuit Court at Kansas
City. They slipped into the courthouse
through back window, took the oath Of
office, and then took 10 the hills. The Mar
shals were told about it the next day.
Those sacrificing citizens who had served
as Judges the term previously were reIeas-
ed from Jail when It was shown that their
successors had been qualified in Office. The
present Judges said they would rather hide
out taan so to jail and they are hiding out
yet, While the MarshalS are vainly looking
for them. Every now and then they meet
and hold a session Of court.
Sometimes they meet in one Of the many
caves along the Usage River. the Sac
River, and along the rugged banks Of Bear
Creek. When it Is a fair. sjInshinv d3v
they sometimes hold court in the open.afr.
Whenever there 5 any business of impor-
lance TO be transacted they hold a session
Of court, and in all these years the Judges.
whether in jail or being hunted in the hills
and caves of the county, have never ne
e.ected their duty, except that part of it
which requires that they should levy tax
for tho payment Of the railroad bonds.
This railroad bond question in St. Clair
county began in the year 1870. There was
m railroad in the county then, and the
people thought they would Ike TO have
one y road was projected from the Teho
River in Boone County soutlweser,v across
the state 10 Empor.5. Kas.. on the Neosbo
RIVER 1t was called the Te5o and Neosho
l-'i.'oAd- In after years the Missouri
Kansas and Texas railroad was construct
e1 along the line marked out for the raa, !
and Neosho railroad. This line. however
oie not run through $. Clair County. The
nearest pom, 10 s. Clair County vas On !
ION. IN henry County, 70 the nor;h.
some en1erprisins citizens in Clinton
conceived the idea Of building a branch ar
me Keno and Neosdo road t-9m Clinton d, (
'S1ae-a This statement IS dls1,-.5 T.
IAoSe who dispute il say the coace1-5n Of
me Clinton men Vas not The building or .
railroad 20 OSceo.a. but The getting ~ a !
larse amount OF bonds from the : CO (
County people
After some delay. The County Court in /
o'Sls2.a decided 10 Issue bonds Of ire I
county TO The amount Of S253.l,q To the pro
motors OF The proposed road. which WAS
c~.-ed the clinton and MenDris branch 1e 1
me Ieoo and Neosho railroad. The frs.
or1er az The court on the Suafec, .p~,y-i,5z5
ihat t2e bonds should be issued vbsn --a /
road Was builI Of me amount. - dsa ,
worm OF them was % be eiven o. the COM /
Pa'y NAen the raad coming down from +
N-l-oA was sratcI Go Che $ CLAIR county /
Inc; l-5,eo when il was graded IA ne
Usage River az CS--1Is and -,s -4,-.-