The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-02-21
OUTSIDE COURT ROOM
incidents in Connection with
the Dewey Trial.
HISTORY OF THE CASE
Cost of Trial in Cheyenne
County, $4,000.

BP Walker writes the following side
lights" on the Dewey case for the Topeka
Capital:
The cost Of the prosecution of the Dew
ey case is just now an item of consider
able interest It will all have to be borne
by Cheyenne county. A careful estimate
Of the cost of the case. based on talks
with court officials who have given the
matter attention, places it at about $4,000.
The population of Cheyenne county IS
5000, which would make the cost amount
TO FIVE dollars for every man. woman
and child within the borders of the coun-
ty The number Of property owners In
the county, that is persons who pay tax
es. IS probably in the neighborhood OF
500. so II will at once be seen that the
taxpayers out here are facing serious
proposition. Taxes are already high In
northwest Kansas and Cheyenne is no
exception. The present costly case comes
at the most favorable year for the tax
payers The county has had era of
good crops for the past three years and
the people are In better circumstances
than at any other time in their history.
c. P Dewey owns hundreds of acres OF
land in Cheyenne county and will have to
pay eocdly sum for the prosecution
of his own son in the present case.
Cheyenne county has always been noted
for its exceedingly economical admins
tration OF its public affairs. Nothing
like extravaganza or waste has ever been
Il.
Every item Of cost in the present case
will be closely scrutinized before being
allowed and il is only reasonable to as
sumo that litigation will grow out of it.
IL will be years before the affair is set
tied up and everything wiped from the
records OF the county. The great cost of
the Jessie Morrison case In Butler coun-
~ caused CONSERVATION among the tax
payers there. Butler county has seven
OF eight times the population of Cheyenne
county. The farmers are wealthy and the
county's resources vast Here then comes
q county with a case equally as costly
TO a county, which by comparison is al
most a beggsr.
But Cheyenne county will not go into
BANKRUPTCY. 1t is not the mettle of the
Kansas pioneer 10 quail before adversi-
ties. Cheyenne county VIII go even fur
sher If necessary. 1t will order the other
indictments against the Deweys prose
cuted But there win be lots of bowling
the next time the taxpayers call 10 set
tie with the county treasurer.
A true story of the doings in northwest
Kansas since it was invaded by the Dew
isys would read like a novel. The public's
knowledge Of the story dates from the
day OF the great tragedy the third OF
last Juno. The real story is the history
OF the months before the rifles cracked
on that day. What was the real begin
ming Of the Dewey-Berry feud that re-
suited so disastrously for the latter?
What was the fuel that famed the sparks
of prejudice into flames of hatred that
ended in bloodshed? The elder Berry's
were of Quaker extraction and not given
TO war and the son Alpheus is said TO
have been a pious man. No one who
knows Chauncey Dewey will entertain the
notion that he is given to rashness and
would put his neck into the moose Of the
law by staining his hands with human
blood. The court records show that there
was litigation between the factions. The
Deweys did not always win their point
there. The Berrys could not compete
with the Deweys in wealth nor in mum
bers, in power nor in law. But they could
harrass. The Dewey cattle could eat the
crops of the Berrys. but their thick hides
were not proof against the unerrInS aim
of Berry rifles. So the feud grew. Here
in town today is an old woman whose hair
is as white as the driven snow. There is
a young woman with a soden-haired
blue-eyed baby. The other woman now
mourns the loss of husband and two |
sons. the younger a husband and the |
babe a father. There is still another old |
persona man-who is grieving over tho |
possible outcome of an only son. There |
have been overtures of peace between the |
factions Indeed, il is said that at one |
time but fifty dollars stood between |
them and a peaceable settlement of diff |
ferenceS. But the proper person. he with 4
a cool head and wise tongue, was not /.
there to plead the Berry cause and the 1
opportunity passed on and returned no /
more. There Will be conflicting evidence |
on the stand In a case OF this magnitude |
no two pairs of eyes see alike from oppo- /
site vantage points. The most damaging |
witnesses will not be here. They are 1
sleeping in three separate graves in Chey- I
enne county. grim reminder OF the /
battle will he on the stand in the shape !
OF that ugly scar across the side Of Roy ]
Berrys face. 1t is well understood that
Chauncey Dewey Will go onto the stand. /
For the first time the public viii then
hear both sides Of the controversy. BE .
the verdict Of the jury what it may, it .
Will never heal the wound The feud, .
baptised in blood. Will not fade from the I.
old factions The olive branch will only .
be waved by new generations.
Should Sheriff Hatcher Of Norton col /
iect all the fees allowed him under the 4
statutes for summoning jurors in the /
Dewey case he will have a snug sum of +
money. At the present time he has serv- (
ed papers on something over 500 Venire- !
men in Norton county. The law allows
an officer I'VE cents mile and fifty I
cents for each person served. Most Of the .
Jurors served by Sheriff Hatcher lived n 1
considerable distances from the city. so .
the mileage fees VIII lie well upward or
more than a thousand dollars Sheriff .
Hatcher is on stated salary and SC the
fees would not enrich him personally.
Hatcher will claim that the present work
n extra and will ask Cheyenne county
to pay the bill. 1t is expected that Chey-
enne will kick and claim the duties are
obligatory upon the sheriff and refuse TO
pay them without a suit There is some (
question about II. and litigation is ex-
pected over the matter. Most OF the .