The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-07-11
Damaging Affldavits Are Pro
duced in Court.
FIERCE LEGAL FIGHT.
Attorneys Make Futile Efforts
to Stop Hearing.
Motions to Strike Out Part Of
Charges Overruled.
Defense of the Doctor Takes q
Favorable Turn.

The legal battle between the attorneys
| in the Meffert hearing was continued all
| Thursday afternoon and no evidence
| was introduced. Judge Buck represent
| ing Dr.. Meffert first filed a motion to
quash the proceedings on the ground
| that the board of medical examiners
| has no Jurisdiction to sit as a court.
Assistant Attorney General Clad HAM
ilton argued that the hearing is an in
vestigatiOn and not legal trial; that
| the hearing is for the sole purpose of
] determining whether or not DR.. Meffert
/ is of good moral character and it is the
boards duty to investigate it.
| Every point was argued by Judge
| Buck and Judge Redden on behalf Of
| MeHert, and by Captain Hamilton and
j. Harvey Firth, city attorney of EN-
poria, for the state. The board over
ruled the motion.
| Judge Buck then moved that a por-
| ton of the charges be stricken out and
that the balance be made more definite
| and certain, and this was argued at
length. The board decided that it felt
| in duty bound to make a thorough in
vestigation of all charges. Some of the
| charges against Meffert did not state
| the names of the parties implicated in
| immoral acts with him, and Meffert's
| attorneys insisted that these names be
supplied and made public, but as they
had been left out to protect the families
| of these parties, the board decided that
| they should not be inserted.
| In fact the board showed a determi-
nation to get all the facts concerning
| Meffert's character and refused to be
| bound by technicalities.
| There were six members of the board
present when it reconvened at $3.50 this
morning. DR.. WtlliStOn, of Lawrence,
was still absent.
The introduction of evidence was at
| once taken up. but Dr. Meffert's at
torneys objected to every point but were
uniformly Overruled.
The first evidence was the affidavit of
| woman that DR.. Meffert once per-
| formed a criminal operation upon her.
Her name was known to all parties di-
rectly interested in the trial. but for
the reason that she has since moved
| away and married a respectable young
man who knows nothing of the circum-
stances of the operation, and for this
reason her name was suppressed. She
made affidavit that after performing
| the criminal operation, Dr. Meffert left
her in a building alone with no help
near, and that he left town. When she
| was found she was thought to be in a
| dying condition, and while it was sup
! posed she would not recover she made
| statement accusing DR.. Meffert of
criminal practice, upon the strength of
which action was brought against Mef-
fert. Afterwards the woman recovered,
| and she states in her affidavit that as
| she feared the publicity of the trial, she
| left Emporia and the case was dis
| missed for want of prosecution.
Copies of legal papers were introduce
ed in support of the statement that
| legal proceedings were brought against
! Meffert, and DR.. G. H. Biddle made
affidavit that the criminal operation
alleged had been performed.
A decree of the district court of
| Lyon county was read showing that
Meffert'S wife secured a divorce from
him in 1895. but they are now living to-
gether
According to an af1davit signed by a
number of Meffert's neighbors, he seems
to have been operating a good deal like
Mormon Elder without the plural
marriage ceremonies. This affidavit was
signed by Mr.. and Mrs. 1. A. Little
john Mr.. and Mrs. William Gilpin, Mrs.
Sadie Miller Mrs. J. B. Mckinley, and
H. K. Miller. They made affidavit that
DR.. Meffert is living with his divorced
wife and that he has at times had other
young women living there with him.
Probate Judge M. NJ. Mason made af-
ffdavit to matters that had never been
made public before He says that in
Alice Traylor came to his Office and ask
ed for a marriage license for herself
and DR.. Meffert and asked him to be at
DR.. Meffert's Office that evening, pre-
sumably to marry them. Judge Mason
kept the appointment and Meffert first
asked him if the marriage could be kept
secret. He was told that it could for a
short time only. Meffert then refused
| ed wife should hear of it she would
shoot either himself or Miss Traylor OF
both.
w. A. Hall made affidavit concerning
improper acts of a man and woman
| near Reading, but he did not identify
the parties 1t is understood that they
!, will be identified by oral testimony.
Mrs. Kate Littlejohn has made aff1-
! davit that DIR. Meffert made advances
| towards her unbecoming of a gentle
man 1t is said he tried to kiss her.
A statement signed by those who were
members of the board of education OF
| En- poria in which it was stated thai
! the board asked Alice Traylor who was
. then a teacher in the city schools, tc
| desist from aSsOcfating with DR.. Mef-
fert because of his immoral character;
, that she refused and the board asked
| for her resignation, which was given.
An extract from the minutes of the
faculty of the state normal in last May
ly stated that the faculty formally re-
fused to include DR.. Meffert in the list
| of physicians recommended to normal
students, because of his reputation fol
| immortality.
| The following statement by Emporia
physicians was also introduced:
I'VE, the undersigned physicians OF
Emporia. Lyon county, Kan, being
regularly registered and practicing un-
der the Kansas medical law. have
Emporfa, Kan. We have good reason
| to believe that he is grossly immoral
. and we know that he is guilty of othel
, unprofessional conduct to such de-
, gree that we will not meet him in con
| sultatiOn or recognize him as a member
of the medical profession. We hereby
urge the state board of medical regis
| tration and examination to revoke ht'
license"
: The statement was signed by Drs
j. necker. PAGE. Wright. Parrtnkton. HiE