The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-03
HELD FOR CRIMINAL LIBEL.
j. B. Moore Arrested Following a
Warm Judicial Contest. N-


Garden City. Kan. Dec. Al
though the official returns of Finney
county and the Thirty-secOnd judicial
district election have long since been
handed in. the after election phases of
the political campaign have been more
warmly agitated each succeeding day
In this district and county and this
discussion has come to a somewhat
sensational head with the arrest of ].
B. Moore. who Is charged by the most
prominent defeated candidate for the
highest Office within the district, with
criminal libel. It is not unlikely that
other arrests will follow of those i'm
plicated and concerned, and although
the Democratic candidate for the
judgeship of this. the Thirty second
district came out victor in a hotly
contested campaign, he now finds a
heavy proposition on his hands in the
matter of himself and certain of his
constituents.
AS is known pretty much. all over
this state. the contest for this judge
ship was an unusual warmly contested
one. Col. w. r.. Hopkins was the Re-
publican nominee. and up to within a
very few days of the election it was
mot doubted by his friends for one mo-
ment but what the colonel would win.
An opposite outcome was thought to
be impossible. The colonels opponent
w H Thompson, was one of the new
corners, and supposedly knew little or
nothing about the political situation in
Finney and the Thirty-second judicial
district.
one unprecedented feature of this
memorable campaign here, was the mud
singing. 1t had never before been in
dulged in But 1t became a salient. fea-
ture OF this 1906 campaign, and at the
close, was of the intensest variety.
Apropos to this, Judge Mason of To-
peka and Colonel Hopkins himself took
occasion at a public rally held at the
opera house, where Henry Allen was
~
made against the colonel, who was the
Republican nominee for the judgship.
Believing that the voters of the Thirty
second district were ignorant of the real
character and qualifications or lack of
the same, possessed by the Republican
nominee, w. H Thompson, as the
Democratic nominee, made use of in
formation of which he believed himself
to be possessed. against the character
and record of Colonel Hopkins. It is
affirmed by the friends of the defeated
Republican candidate that this attack
came too late for a successful refuta-
ton throughout the district. There are
nine counties comprising this district,
five of which are not reached by any
line of railroad, therefore mail facilities
are extremely poor.
The arrest of J. B. Moore, who is in
vOlved in these charges. the warrant for
which was sworn to by Richard J. Hop
kins, son and partner of the colonel, is
made on the charge Of criminal libel. He
is charged with swearing to falsely and
a published statement of I'M
truths which involve and impugn the
character of Colonel Hopkins, this state
ment being used mal1ciOusly in the cam
paign just closed and circulated by the
Democratic nominee, inclosed with 9TH
err campaign literature. The affidavit
referred to, signed by said Moore. was
also printed in the Daily Reflector a
local sheet of Democratic persuasion.
Friends Of Colonel Hopkins state that
the influx of so many new voters with
in the past year made 1t possible for
this ibelous literature to win the cam
paign for the Democratic nominee, be-
cause the newcomers, unacquainted
with the real situation which involves
almost the whole. history of this county,
were ready 'enauRlhuto believe such as
sertions as were made; there being not
sufficient time for the accused to ex-
plain the charges and justify himself
in the eyes of the newcomers.
Colonel Hopkins fled complaint on
the. grounds that the sworn statement
Of Moore was 1ibelous.