The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-08-28

half dozen newspaper men and officials
sat in the telegraph office, half hour
after the Peck incident had closed.
Col. Adams was endeavoring to get
the ear Of the governor. The prosecut-
or had just come from a telephone
booth, and announced that the train
had passed East Akron in safety. Col.
Adams had succeeded in talking to the
adjutant general, but the governor was
at Upper Sandusky, dedicating a new
court house, and Col. Adams said he
didn't see any necessity for interrupt
ing Nash's speech.
"The plan had been in contemplation
two days." said Prosecutor Wanamaker,
continuing his story. THE county Of
ficials were anxious to get their man
here, get him sentenced and out of the
county while the military were still in
the city. We were in conference over
two hours this morning and at that time
discussed plan of taking the Judge to
point up the railroad, and stopping the
train long enough to hold court, thus
avoiding the necessity of coming to
Akron. But we could not legally hold
criminal court that way. Such session
would not be legal, and hence the plan
was abandoned at 3 o'clock this
morning. The next question was TO get
the court here. I finally caught Judge
d. j. Nye, at his home in Elyria. He
had 10 minutes to catch the train,
and he reached the station on the run.
/ told him to tell people whom he met
on the train that he was going to Can
ton. He was to ride through the city
and drop off the train at East Akron.
The plan succeeded. A carriage was
in waiting for him there, and he was
driven back to town. Prisonkeeper
Washer and DR.. A. X. Fouser, who was
made a deputy, went to Cleveland in
the forenoon. The negro Immediately
consented to plead guilty when DR..
Fouser explained to him the evidence
that the state could produce against
him. Meantime, the special grand jury
was to be convened. That was the
most delicate thing about the whole
business. I come down town immedi-
ately after dinner, and stopped in front
of the Buchtel house. I quietly spoke
to six men, all my friends and all men
whom l could trust. If you would do
me a favor / said to each of them,
drop up to the court house, and see
me in the recorders office. Say moth
"Then telephoned Sheriff Kelly. I
said had secured six men, and told him
to drop quietly out on the street from
the court house and pick UP nine more
to complete the Jury. By 2 o'clock the
grand jury was sworn in, but not one
of them knew when they entered the
court house what they were wanted
for. They were left in the building till
the negro was on his way to Columbus.
"The blinds were closed AMI the mill
tary authorities in the hall outside did
not know what we were doing within.
No evidence was submitted to the
jury outside the confession which Feck
made to Prisonkeeper Wanamaker,
which was read to the jury. At Few
minutes Of 8 the grand jury returned
an indictment against Peck, and all
was ready for the, reception OF the
prisoner.
at was inadvisable to send body of
troops down to the station to escort
Peck from the train. We decided.
finally to put the company half block
away on the railroad, and allow the
sheriff alone TO receive the prisoner.
To have marched a company down to
that station, with the stories there We're
afloat yesterday, would have been
equivalent to notifying the city at large
that Peck was coming. So we risked
bringing him down without escort, and
it proved to be the luckiest thing we
ever did"