The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1902-04-04

tIle peace lOOk tilc dohhoWicu6ohiohe
of G. G. Lees as above certified to and
at the time from my observation be-
lieved him to be competent to execute
the same and if he was under the in
fluence of liquor at the time | did
not notice the fact and believed nm
to be sober at the time.
j. RINEHART,
Justice of the Peace.
This should have completely
settled the controversy rela-
tive to the matter, but cal
umny is hard to throttle, and
venom is deep rooted. 1t did,
however, satisfy every thinking
man in Cherokee county.
But this is not all. Below
we present the affidavits of Z.
A. Mcneil, who was police
Judge of the city of Columbus
at the time Mr.. Wheatley was
CITY clerk, and who is an attor-
new and a gentleman of UNI
questioned integrity. Mr.. Nc
Neill swears that:
STATE OF KANSAS
Cherokee County.
G. A. Mcneil of lawful age being
first duly sworn on oath deposes and
saws. that he was police judge OF the
CITY of Columbus, at the same time
that Geo. w. Wheatley was an Official
of the said city, and atiant was ponce
Judge after said G. w. Wheatley went
ont of Office. Affiant says at or after
the said Geo. w. Wheatley went
ont of Office there come up a question
as to what had become OF some
amounts that had been collected IN
the way of occupation tax. Aihant
says he fully looked into the matter
with several other parties and city
officials and it was by all OF them
learned and fully understood that MI.
Wheatley had in no way misapproprl-
ated anv funds of said city and he was
nv said city officials fully eXonerated
and held to be entirely blameless In
the matter. Affiant says 1urtller
that as soon as Mr.. Wheatley's atten'
tion was called to the fact that IL mad
been said that some occupation TAX
had been collected and his receipt given
therefor. but the moneynot accounted
for. this affiant with Mr.. Wheatley look
ed the matter up and found that one
&C. Lees. then city marshal OF said
city, had collected said tax and report
ed the same to Mr.. Wheatley, and as
Mr.. Wheatley supposed had turned
the same in to the city treasurer, ana
he. Mr.. Wheatley, issued his receipt
for the same and gave it to Mr.. Lees
to give to the tax payer.
Tn this investigation afiiant and Mr..
Wheatley found that Mr.. Lees mad ne
elected to turn over some of the money
which he had collected and which he
had procured Mr.. Wheatley's receipt
for. and we at once called on Mr.. Lees
who secured Mr.. Wheatley by giving
him note secured by a mortgage on
his entire personal property to settle
the shortage in question and MI.
Wheatlev then settled with the city
promptly and without a word except
to saw that he had no knowledge oil
the conditions until his attention was
called to same by the city authorities.
c. A. MCNEIL.
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this the goth day Of March, 1900.
GUY COOTER,
Notary Public.
SEAL commission eX-
- pireS Nov. u, 1900.
But there is further testi-
mony to conclusively prove the
truth of Mr.. Lees affidavit.
The following affidavits of Mr..
7 w. Taylor and Mr.. Callahan
McGinnis are offered in sup
port of Mr.. Lees affidavit.
STATE OF KANSAS
Montgomery County
J. w. Taylor, of lawful age, being
duly sworn on his oath says: am "a
wears old, and served in the And Hi
nois Infantry for more than four and
one-half years in the civil war; L lived
in Spring Valley Township, Cherokee
County, Kansas, from November, 1880,
until the spring of 1889. l was super
intendent of the Cherokee County
Poor Farm, nearly three years, COM
mencing my term in the spring of
1889.
In the fall of 1892 / moved to Weir
Citv Kansas. and lived there until