Rocky Ford enterprise., 1903-05-15
Prohibition Prohibits Where the Of
flccrs Want Il to DO So.

The success Of prohibition depends on
It's enforcement
This is simple proposition. isn't it2
But whom officers thoroughly realize this
simple truth and act on Il they often ae-
eomplish results truly worth mentioning.
There are many such officers in Kan
sas. Ono OF them is County Attorney {.
D. Misesell. Of Wilson county. now sory-
ing a second term.
Mr.. Misesell makes prohibition prohibit
in his county. Primarily the reason is
that, unlike some officers. he intends that
It shall prohibit.
This county attorney has a happy and
effective way Of conducting an inquiry.
He reads TO the witness before him the
section OF the law authorizing an inquiry
and the section OF the law making il per-
jury to testify falsely in such an inquiry.
He then encounters the witness with a
definition Of perjury and reads the law
which pronounees perjury a penitentiary
offence. He next addresses the witness
in some such words as these:
Now. my friend. II you lie tome during
this inquiry and | am able to prove that
you have lied. I'll send you to the peniten-
tiary," and his manner indicates that he
means Just what he says.
At about this point the witness who
came to the inquiry with swagger begins
to lose his bravado and to look pretty
sober.
Then Mr.. Mikesell administers the oath.
But he does not content himself with per-
mitting the witness simply to hold up his
hand and keep thinking about something
else. He insists upon the witness speak
ing out audibly his promise to tell the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth"
Mr.. Mikesell's work has not been done
without meeting difficulty. One of his
first attacks upon lawlessness in Neode-
sha was at the time Of mammoth cele-
bration. Upon the day of the festivities
he had liquor seized from certain places"
Near the close Of the day a prominent
resident, who had formerly been his
friend, accosted him on the street and re-
fusing to shake hands with him accused
him of spelling their celebration.
Mr.. Mikesel replied, why, sir, am
not spelling anybodys celebration. have
simply come here as an officer to do an
officers duty"
Then the prominent citizen, with much
gusto, replied:
Listen to me, Mikesell. We're going to
have town here, and good one. We're
going to have churches and schools and
big stores and smelters, and we're going
to sell whiskey, too. and we're not going
to let any little county attorney come
down here and spoil our celebration"
He said more than this along the same
line' using large amount of language
that in this narrative would be most ap-
propriately represented by long dashes.
Just then another prominent citizen
happened along who addressed more
dashes at the county attorney.
Mr.. Mikesel is not man of leonine
countenance, massive frame and the gen
eral aspect of Goliath, and it was
doubtless presumed that he would stink
away and from that time forward stop
spelling celebrations But, on the con-
trary, he stood his ground before these
leading citizens bent on business ad-
ministration," and said:
81 have come to Neodesha to close the
joints, and am going to do it. While
am county attorney no man, or body of
men, in this county shall tell me that
must not do my official duty"
The nerve and determination that Mr..
Mikesell exhibited that day at Neodesha
has characterized all his conduct since
his entrance into office.
Mr.. Mikesell says that prohibition can
be made to prohibit, and he knows, be-
cause he's tried it. Those that say it