The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-04-25
A Card From Mr.. Blackwell.

when the pleas Of guilty we're entered
in the cases Of the Academy boys, the
entire matter would be ended and
further discussion thereof would be
stopped Inasmuch, however, as Nj.
Sellers has seen fit to publish a state.
ment in the last issue Of the News"
l think that common Justice to the
officers and TO the people Of Lexington
requires that l should make a brief
statement OF the facts.
The Academy boys we're arrested
on April 1st. The cases were set for
trial on April 4th. On that day the
defense was not ready, and the cases
were reset for April 18th. On that
day the defense was not ready, and
the cases were reset for April goth,
A few days before the goth the attor-
Eeys for the defendants served writ
ten notice on me that they intended
to take a change Of venue from
Justice P. r. Smith. 1t then became
apparent to me that the sole object
and purpose Of the defense was to
have the cases drag along in the
Justice courts from day to day aud
from date to date, and l gave out the
information that l intended to dis.
miss the cases before the justice and
file them for trial at the approaching
June term of the criminal court. So
soon as IT became general known
that / intended to do this scores of
the level headed, conservative bus
mess and professional men of Lexing.
ton came to me and suggested that a
public trial of these cases would
involve both the female schools and
the business interests of the city, and
asked me il the cases could not be
settled without trial. replied that
l had always been ready to consider
any reasonable proposition that Mr..
Sellers might make. Later on friends
of MI. Sellers came to me and asked
me what | would be willing toaccept.
[ told them that If fourteen Of the
twenty-eight boys would enter a plea
OF guilty to disturbing the peace /
would feel that the officers and the
law had been vindiclted. He agreed
to it, the pleas were entered, tn:
fines were assessed, and the fines and
costs Immediately paid. Mr.. Sellers
was then extremely anxious that there
should be no further publicity about
the matter, and l was requested tC
use my influence to keep the matter
out of the papers. / did what | coult
to prevent any further notoriety anC
any more injury to the school.
Wo0v, after the whole matter haC
been settled, after the storm of abuse
and criticism had ceased, and afte,
Mr.. Sellers had himself requested tina
the papers make no more reference tt
the cases, he himself takes an articl,
to the News" and cause it to b,
published, ia which article he say
that not one of the boys would hav,
been convicted or a fair trial; that b
was induced to compromise by tn,
consideration that the trial was goinI
to be set in June, and that tn
parents preferred that their boy
4 plead guilty rather than be kept her
after school was out to answer 70
trial.
The above insinuatl0n that tn
boys we're coerced or forced to plea
guilty is an unfair and untrue accusa
tinn and charge against the officers
Mr.. Sellers had three different date
set for trials before the justice of tn
peace, and could have gone to trial o
any one of these dates. The state ha
been ready, from the very first, to TT
these cases, and l simply agreed t
the continuances he asked for so tina
he could not claim that was forcin
him to trial when he was not read.
AS soon as Mr.. Sellers and his 81
lawyers found out that l would nj
permit them to haul and drag n
around through the various iusti'
courts OF the county, he prompt
agreed to the best possible terms of
settlement
l have had no personal feelir
whatever in this matter. | ha'
simply tried to discharge my dui
fairly and impartiallY. In settliI
the cases 10 the way | did kno
that l did what was best for Il