The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-08
PATTERSON PARDONEO.
Defaulting City Treasurer Will
Not Go to Prison.

Governor Bailey issued an absolute
pardon Tuesday afternoon to A j.
Patterson, ex-city treasurer of Clyde.
who was convicted in the district court
OF embezzlement and sentenced TO )
years in the penitentiary. Patterson
will never see the inside of the peni-
/ tertiary. The pardon came in time to
save his transfer to that institution
Pattersons friends rescued him. Be
sides that, his father is rich, ana
stood back of him with plenty Of fl
nancial resources. The embezzlement
was all made good by Patterson's faith
er and brother and not until that was
done would Governor Bailey even con-
sent to listen to an application for =
pardon. The application was backed
up by petition signed by 400 people Of
Clyde and vicinity, and in addition
nearly 100 personal letters were written
to Governor Bailey recommending the
parGen.
1t was while Patterson was serving
as city treasurer of Clyde that he got
into trouble. He was running a shoe
store, and instead of depositing the
city's money as q separate account. he
simply added it to his personal credit,
and checked against it Unfortunately
for both personal and civic purposes.
The first thing he knew, he had lost ali
the money, and his shoe store failed.
Then the city authorities came down on
him for the money belonging to the
city. lie was arrested, ana plODaply
would have made good the deficit with
out any fight had his attorney not ad-
vised him that as nearly all of the $4,
200 which he had lost was joint
money, paid over to him as licenses by
the city marshal, he could not be held
liable for it.
The theory of his attorneys was that
as the city had no right to collect this
money, Patterson could not be held re-
sponsible for it. The case was tried in
7 r,+4 &c
convicted and sentenced to three years
in the penitentiary- He appealed to the
supreme court, and the verdict was af-
firmed. Mr.. Patterson was on the di-
rect route to the penitentiary almost be-
fore he realized that he was in any SER
ious danger.
Up to this time he had refused to
make good his defalcation according
to the advice of his attorneys. They
held that while he might go to prison
for it, there was no law to compel him
to make good the money.
But at this time, Patterson'S friends
took the matter in hand. and tried to
get pardon for the young man, who
be taken to the penitentiary. They
proposed to Governor Bailey that if he
would issue a pardon, Patterson's
father would make good the defalca-
ton. The governor is said to have
been indignant that such a proposition
should have been made. He informed
the parties who proposed it that he did
not have pardons to sell or bargain for,
and turned down the application
Then a new tack was adopted. Pat
terson, realizing his desperate condition,
! Immediately made good the deficit to the
full amount. and threw himself on the
mercy of the governor. This succeeded
better and it was decided that owing to
the previous good character of Patter-
son, and his apparent lack of wrongful
intention, the pardon should be allowed.
1t will cause general satisfaction at
Clyde that this should be the outcome of
the case. Nine-tenths of the business
men there are said to have favored the
pardon. Patterson has young wife and
little daughter who win be saved from
the grief of having their husband and
father in prison.
Young Patterson will continue to live
at Clyde. He viii go to work in a large
implement store which his father keeps
there.