The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-28

The friends Of the four men have re-
Eorted to every means of preventing the
trial. Emissaries of the gamblers have
attempted to induce County Attorney
Hungate to stop the prosecutions of the
cases with the understanding that the
gamblers would close their estab blish-
ments and not open them again during
Mr.. Hungates term as county attorney
Mr.. Hungate positively refused to lis
ten to the proposition and informed the
members of. the gambling fraternity who
visited him that he had sufficient evil
g dence to convict every gambler who
was arrested and that he meant to
prosecute them with all the vigor he
Finding that the compromise PROPOSE
tion would not work the gamblers then
enlisted the sympathies of the political
bosses on the wide open side of poll
tics. The wide open bosses and their
political neutenants decide to issue
their ultimatum to Hungate. The re-
suit was that a delegation waited on
him at his home and after demanding
tnat he stop the prosecution of the gam
blers, threatened to defeat him at the
coming county election. unless he did
Hungate refused to be frightened by
the threats and he announced that he
would prosecute the gamblers as he had
planned to do and that the gamblers and
their friends might fight him to their
hearts content at the next election The
ward heelers and political bosses who
visited him endeavored to persuade him
by pointing out the fact that if he con-
tinued to prosecute the gamblers as
well as the liquor dealers, that the wet
crowd would desert him in a body
throw their political strength to anoth-
er candidate and that as a result Hun
gate would surely be defeated at the Re-
publican primaries in 1904 or if he won
at the primaries would be defeated at
the election in the coming November bv
a WI m
support of the vets.
County Attorney Hungate said: II
Drought the cases against the four per-
sons charge with gambling after I had
good evidence submitted to me- 1 still
have that evidence and have secured
additional evidence since the cases were
brought. 1 intended to prosecute when
] brought the cases and I still intend
to and shall prosecute. intend to con-
Vict all the defendants charged with
gambling"
The theory was also advanced that if
Hungate continues to prosecute the
gamblers that the result will be a split
in the Shawnee county Republican DO
litical machine and that the machine
candidates may be defeated by solid
opposition ticket put out by the inde-
pendent forces.
Some prominent citizens have been
particularly strenuous in their efforts to
have the gambling cases dismissed. They
have urged that the cases be dismissed
they would stay out of business so long
as Hungate is in office.
1t was evident soon after the four
men, Mike Thompson, Wood Fowler.
Tobe Tobias and AL Hurst, We're arrest
ed that they did not treat the move on
the part of the county attorney as light
ly as they have previous arrests. The
arrests were made on November IA and
the preliminary hearing was set for
November "a.
When the hearing was called the at
torney for the defendants, c. A. Ma gaw,
applied for a continuance until Dscem-
Der 4. The plea was made that the de-
fendants were not ready for trial and
that Aagaw had not been able to give
any attention to the case. 1t seems
that the defendants were badly frighten-
ed and wished to gain time in hopes
that the matter might be compromised
and the cases dismissed.
With the gaining of time the friends
of the d1fendants renewed their efforts
to have the cases dismissed and the
compromise was suggested to Mr.. Hun
gate and then the threat of political ex-
termination was made.
That the local gambling fraternity
was frightened by the move of County
Attorney Hungate was evidenced by
the fact that the day after Thompson
and the others were arrested that sew
eral gamblers suddenly disappeared