The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-26

He Remained Only Long Enough
to Have Preliminary.
officers Used Extreme Precau-
ton With the Pris Oner.
Hearing Held in WilkersOn Farm
House Near County Line.

For time Monday Sheriff Cook of
Shawnee county, Sheriff XIII Of Atchi-
son county, Slick Slater. criminal, JUS
tice Taylor II Wright of Soldier town
ship. and Lawyer J. H. Guy were lost in
the wilds Of Shawnee and Jackson coun-
ties and could not be found.
To avoid any danger to the life Of Sla-
ter, who is charged with crfminally as
saulting Lottie Goerbrick, Sheriff Cock
arranged to pull off a little private pre-
liTninary examination for him as FAR
from Topeka as possible Sheriff k1f-
was to bring Slater from the Atchisssn
Jail to Elnont, a little station on the
Rock Island in Shawnee county, about
eight miles from Topeka, while Sheriff
Cook with a justice of the peace, court
docket and a lawyer for Slater was 10
drive to the same place. Sheriff Cook
carried out his part and was at Elnon-
before the train arrived. The court, the
sheriff, the lawyer and a State JOurnei
reporter were waiting on the platform
when the train pulled in on the Rock
Island from st. Joe. the train that Shec-
eff Eiff and his prisoner were to have
taken The Atchison sheriff and his
prisoner were not on the train, at least
they did not get off. Sheriff Cook tele-
graphed to AtchisOn to know what was
the matter and received an answer that
Sheriff Kif and his prisoner had driven
across the country to Pierce Junction to
meet the train and that was all that the
AtcnisOn people knew about it.
The little crowd at Elmont stood
around and waited and wondered what
to do Sheriff Cook did some more tels-
graphing and in the meantime freight
trair ran into a man named E. Poppy
at EimOnt. The sheriff and his followers
helped to care for the injured man until
help arrived from Topeka. The sec
ond telegram received by the sheriff
brought the information& that Sheriff
Kin and his prisoner would be on the
trair which reached ElmOnt at eight
o'clock in the evening BY that time the
entire population of Elmont and tie
farmers for miles around, SO it seemed,
knew all about what the sheriff s bust
ness at Elmont was.
Sheriff Cook decided to take the train
for Holton, meet Kif and have him aid
the prisoner get off at Hoyt, IA miles
from Topeka. Sheriff Cook took the
train for Holton and Lawyer Guy and
Justice Wright drove overland to Hoyt-
Then, Cook had left Elmont Kiff had
passed Pierce Junction and all were lost
SO far as people in Atchison and Topeka
knew.
The people of Atchison telegraphed to
Topeka and to Elmont to know where
Sheriff Kiff was. Nobody could give the
required information. The sherif's force
in the court house at Topeka telegraphed
to Atchison and to Elmont to know
where Sheriff Cook was. Nobody could
and Elmont could inform the people that
the sheriffs had left those places but for
where the officers had not told the OPP
orators. Sheriff Cook and his followers
and Sheriff Kiff and his prisoner were
lost.
The arrangements were carried out.
Justice Wright and Lawyer Guy drove
to Hoyt, six miles further. Sheriff Cook
took the train at >Elmont, rode through
HOyt to Holton, got Off met the train
from Pierce Junction, found Sheriff Kiff
and his prisoner. had them get off at
Hoyt and at 7:3O O'Clock the principal
parties were all together.
Hoyt is not in Shawnee county SO an
other carriage was secured and Sheriff
Kfff Sheriff Cook and "Slick' Slater,
heavily handcuffed, Justice T. T. Wright
and Lawyer Guy were driven four miles
east across the line into Shawnee coun-
ty At the farm of ex-Sherin J. NJ
Wilkerson the party stopped and in the
Kitchen Justice Wright opened court
Skaters lawyer, ]. H Guy, waived the
preliminary examination, the justice fix
ed the bond at 81, 900 and Slater and the
party left the farm house The two
sheriffs with the prisoner went back to
HOyt and the lawyer and the justice
drove to Topeka, IA miles, reaching home
a midnight.
The sheriffs took Slater to Hoyt There
was no jail there and no train for Atch1-
son before breakfast time. The only
place where the officers could safely keep
the prisoner was in a hail which was be-
ing used for show" The performance
was allowed to proceed but when 1T was
concluded Sheriff Cook, Sheriff F<iff and
the livery stable man guarded the pris-
oner until train time. Slater was taken
back to Atchison and Sheriff Cook came
to Topeka. Slater will have to be brought
to Topeka for trial, probably, during the
April term of the district court He
didn't seem to mind the proceedings last
night except that when he got off at
Hoyt he saw the usual crowd at the
depot and thought it a posse there to
capture him and he was scared.