The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-08-05
Trust OFFICER.
IN KANSAS JAIL
sweters> In Temperature Of
100 In the Shade For Form
ing a Wheat Corner.

LA CROSSE, KAN, Aug: LIN a lit
tie tin-roofed stone Jail, with the ther-
r1ometer standing at 100 degrees In
the shade for six hours of the day, E.
J. Smiley Is paying the penalty here
Trust law. To those who understand
the manner in which the old-fashioned
Dutch oven works, it is needless to say
that Mr.. Smiley is "sweltering" rather
than serving his sentence Of ninety
days.
Mr.. Smiley is the first victim Of the
Kansas Antitrust law, and is said to
be the only man In the United States
who ever suffered imprisonment for
men have been convicted Of crimes
similar to Smileys, but have escaped
actual imprisonment. As secretary of
the Kansas Grain Dealers association,
Smiley was arrested in 1902 charged
with having formed a pool among the
millers at Rison, q small wheat sta
ton q few miles east Of La Crosse.
He was convicted in the district court
here after a trial which was hard
carried the case through the courts to
the United States supreme court. and
that court affirmed the decision OF the
Rush county district court. After
vainly trying for a pardon from the
governor, Smiley came here early IN
May of this year and surrendered to
J. II. Purcell, the sheriff Of the county.
Nearly every farmer in Kansas re-
garded the conviction of Smiley az q
personal victory. The farmers had
been convinced for some time that
trust Of grain dealers existed, but had
been unable to get the proof neces-
cary to convict the leaders in the COM
bination. The farmers in this county
ure very proud of the fact that the
arrest and conviction occurred here,
and they have seen to it that the pun
ishment Is thorough. Sheriff Purcell
Is inclined to do what he can for the
comfort Of his prisoner, but he rea-
lizes that In a county the population
Of which is 10 distinctly rural as Rush
any lenity toward 20 important a
OF total population of 6,688 in the
county, 5000 are farmers.
So interested were the farmers Of
the county in seeing that the sentence
imposed by the court was carried out
that for the first month and q half
there were from three to thirty farm
ers gathered about the jail every day.
To have in their county seat Jail I'M
used to occupants other than an occa-
sional vagabond, in which there is now
the man above all others that they
binary affair.
In fact, the affair is so unusual that
1t Is believed that every farmer in the
county has had a look at Smiley
through the bars. Those from dis
lance even brought their dinners and
their families and made a picnic of the
visit, eating their lunches in the court
house yard under the shade of the lit
tie honey locust trees, which may some
day grow large enough to shade the
red-hot tin roof Of the little stone jail.
ers to put the duties of shopping on to
their wives and start for the jail, with
the remark. i x..;-% :&+.@;/:4.:N7. a. T..
~. II: CO j, Farmers Watch Him. <.s5.y.
I'm going over to- take a look at
that trust Teller" -. -:
The scrutiny of the curious became so
unbearable to the trust feller'' that
he purchased heavy black curtain,
which hangs from one end to the other
Of the little Jail and far enough from
the door. so that it cannot be pulled
aside by the spectators. The curtain
however is seldom used except in ex-
IRENE cases, and even then it has not
been sufficient at all times.
the prairies when the hot winds are
blowing the little Jail with no pro-
tecting shade trees would seem like
torture chamber, the secretary Of the
Grain Dealers association conducts the
business of the association from his
cell. He has a typewriter and a desk
In the Jail, and works there for sew
eral hours day. He is still secre-
tary Of his association, and there Is
work enough to keep him busy at
tending to it. Occasionally he finds 1t
at the north side Of the building and
get breath Of cooler air.
Mr.. Smiley lis not greatly humilia-
ted by his imprisonment. He regards
himself as q martyr to his cause.
When 4 visitor from Topeka called
on him this week he came cropping
from the gloom of the interior, and,
putting his hands through the bars,
said:
well, how are you? How is every
thing in Topeka. and how is the bank
failure there? I had all my personal
account in the bank and some of the
funds of the association. sent $500
up there the other day, but it got there
too late and was returned to me-"
After a short conversation on gen.
eral affairs Smiley was asked how he
liked his quarters.
"Well," was the reply, III man has
to be in La Crosse ! guess he had as
we'll be in Jail as out of It,"
The prisoner looked paler than
when he left the office OF Gov. Hoch
three months ago, where he had been
seeking executive clemency. He looks
thinner than he did and is a trifle
more unkempt in appearance. He
needed shave and wore no collar. but
in these respects he was not different
from ninety nine out of every hun
lred of the curious who came to gaze
through his cell door. There was no
remorse in his conversation and no
inquiry as to how the people on the
outside regarded his affairs. In fact,
he acted as much like the secretary of
the Grain Dealers association in his
office at Topeka as he ever did. He
refused to allow a picture Of him to
be taken. He was willing that his
quarters should be photographed, but
beasted of the fact that the news
papers have been unable to print his
photograph because he has not had
one taken in ten years.