The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-11-09
FRANK COPE Is FINED.
Commission Merchant Who Slammed
Joseph Raffeloch Must Pay.

1t is to laugh! Any Topeka vaude-
vile house, DESTROYS of making a hit
could crafty the desire by giving an
exact reproduction of the Cope assault
case in police court last evening.
Frank Cope, commission merchant,
church leader and anti-Sunday tnrea-
| ter crusader, was on trial for assault
| ing Joseph Raffe1och,. clothing rnsr-
| chant. Cope practically admitted the
| assault, but justified himself by prov
ing conclusively that Raffeloch had an
noyed him by using his telephone and
| asking for change on many occasions
A large majority Of the testimony bore
/ a striking resem blance to the blowers
that bloom in the spring, ira lat
had nothing to do with the case, but
| the court, ever patient and just, listen
| ed to two hours of alleged testimony
after the case had been established.
The defendant was repres ented by
Attorney Brannaman. brother in the
| church, and the complaining witness
| who felt that he was at a disadvantage
because he was Hebrew, hired Judge
Joseph Reed to assist in the prosecu-
| ton. So
The story which came, out in small
| packages, between objections by the
attorneys, is something, like this: Last
Monday Raffeloch attempted to cash
a check for a friend, but didn't have
enough money on his person. He re-
| ferred the holder of the check to Cope
& Company. Samuel Cope. senior
check for 50-cent bonus. and did not
| have the exact change to negotiate
the 5o-cent rakeoff. Raffeloch was
called into the deal to break a dollar
for this purpose, and Mr.. Cope be-
coming confused over the, transaction,
took the change but failed to return
the dollar to Raffeloch. Raffeloch
wanted his dollar. and a dispute arose,
during which the elder Cope called
into the office his son Frank, who APP
peared to be the whole works of the
establishment. After hearing the con-
tention. Cope junior called Raffeloch
into his Office, and with his left hand
handed him a dollar. At the same
time he handed the clothing merchant
brew, on account of his religion. was
not versed in the theory of turning the
other cheek, and ran out of the fruit
shop without offering the opportunity
advocated in the scripture.
The other side of the story is some
thing like this: Raffeloch tnsulted
Cope senior by sugg esting that he had
not paid him a dollar. Cope senior,
handed Raffe1och dollar and mild
push with the request that he vanish
and come no more. Cope also intro>
duced many witnesses to show that
Raffeloch had annoyed him by using
his telephone and asking for change
for many years past. -t'
Among the witnesses subpoenaed for
the prosecution was Ed Way. clerk
care to testify against his employer, so
he made shift to evade. When Detec-
tive Sauls was commissioned to serve
the writ. Mr.. Way fitted hithere and
thither-mostly thither. Finally the
officer succeeded in cornering him and
serving the paper. but still Mr.. Way
thought it all a joke and refused to
come. While the case was in progress
Sauls was sent with an attachment to
CLEAN Mr.. Way. He did so, after chas-
Ing the witness all oyer the Cope build
ing, through two a1lys and into cold
storage plant. Mr., Way, was out of
breath when Drought in on the patrol
wagon, and his testfmonyTwas of little
use He was In plain, sight of Mr.. Cope
and Mr. Raffeloch when the blow was
struck, but he didn't see much. When
Mr.. Way got through testifying. the
court left him off with a reprimand
instead of 500 fine.
"a lot Of good testimony has gone to
waste" mumbled the court as he fined
Cope a f1ve-spot. '"The only question
before the court was whether or not
Cope assaulted the complaining wit
mss. and I think the fact has been
established
Cope and his attorney then took an
appeal from the fine. 80