The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-29
Office Shaped Careers of Men of
Marked Ability.
HORTON WAS FIRST.
George II. Peck Made a Record
for Peace.
A. L. Williams and Thomas
Ryan One Time Assistants.

In thirty-four years, dating back
from 1903, eight men have occupied the
Office Of United States district attorney
for Kansas. This being an appointive
office, the terms are not of a specified
duration. and the intervals of service
Of these several attorneys vary consid-
erably. Most of them were in office
for a period of about four years EACH
That the United States district attor-
ney's office has, for the most part. been
filed with good material is demon~
strated by the accomplishments of the
incumbents either during their period
in office or after it. Most of them
were young men who built upon the
foundation of their attorneyship years
of valuable public service.
When Albert H. Horton was appoint
ed to the Office in 1869 the federal court
was conducted at Atchison He was 81
years OF age. and had been in Kansas
but a short while, having gained his
legal education at Ann Arbor, Mich.
He served in the Office three years, ana
in 1872 when he quit it was TO become a
member of the legislature. Serving
four years, he was elected to the state
senate in 1876. but resigned in the fol-
lowing year to accept the enviable APP
pointment as chief justice of the Kan
sas supreme court That office had
been vacated by the resignation or
Chief Justice Samuel A. Kingman. and
Horton was selected as successor by
Governor Osborn, Judge Horizons
career is well known in Kansas He
was elected for the unexpired term III
1875 and was reelected in 1884 and in
1890 In 1855 he was given SO votes
against ingalls, Sc in the election of
United States senator. In 1895 Judge
Horton resigned the office he had held
so long to go into private practice, in
which he continued until his death in
1902.
Kansas has had her share of official
scandals. but less odium connected
itself with the principals of most of
them than there attached to the name
OF Cyrus /. Scofeld, about whom the
cloud of disgrace gathered soon after
his installation in the attorneys office
ScOtield in later years made what ap>
pears to have been fairly sincere
effort to live down his disrepute He
sought other fields, and became the
personal friend and associate of the
Rev. Dwight l. Moody, whose funeral
service he preached in 1899. Scofeld as
an ofilcial was a creation of John J.
ingalls, By birth he was a Tennes-
seean and fought for the confederacy.
HIS wite was one of the heirs of a
trenchman. Regis Loisel. who held
tlement of which the heirs were
allowed to select 3S, 900 acres of land il,
Nemaha and other Kansas counties.
ingalls, acted as attorney for Mrs,
oSOiieiu III erecting the settlement, and
an acquaintance arose between the two
men. Scoheld came to Kansas in 1872
IN time to run for the legislature from
Nemaha county. He was valuable
supporter of ingalls, for the United
states senate. and was paid for his
work by the appointment to the United
states district attorneyship
Not long after taking his Office he be-
gan borrowing money. ostensibIy for
ingalls,. He said that. owing to ingalls,
pubic position, he did not like to secure
loans In the open market Several thou
sand dollars were secured in this man.
ner before the matter was brought to
the attention of Ingalls, who started an
investigation. Scoheld left for Canada
before his first year in office expired In
1881 he turned up al his old home in St.
Louis where for several months he was
continually in trouble as a result of
populations Of one sort or another but
he was each time extricated by q
wealthy sister. Finally he landed in jail
after particularly reprehensible trans
action. in which he forged his sisters
name.
TURNED TO THE MINISTRY.
Then came his conversion. A number
q praying women visited him in his
Jail Among them was a young girl
who fell in love with him. Having de-
clared his reformation he was helped
out of jail by his fOrgiving sister. and
he announced his intention of entering
the Congregational ministry He pushed
ms claim upon the aHectiOn of the St.
Louis girl, saying that he was. divorced
from his wife in Kansas, whom along
with most of his other acquaintances
he had defrauded out of money The
divorce proved mythical and the St.
Louis girl declared the matrimonial pro-
5ect off Scofeld afterward went to
Texas where he became the pastor of
an aristocratic church in Dallas and
having secured divorce from his wife
married a member of his congregation.
Scofield was en- able man and had been
in the pulpit but a short while before
he attracted notice as an able expositOr
of the Bible. Moody noticed him AMI
attached him to the Moody Bible school
IN the chair of Bible history. Scofield