Semi-weekly herald., 1908-10-26
SHERIFF, CLARKE
ANDHISMISDEEDS
Probably the Annals Of the State Of Colorado
VIII Not Reveal Such a Shocking Be.
tfayal of Official Authority

shall, on conviction, be confined In IN
pehitehtiary for a term not less tha,
iVe nor more than ten years, and snal
De nable to damages to the state
cocunty or town, and to the mapis
trate, police or other public officer :,
offended"
John Clarke. sheriff of La Plat,
county, boldly, flagrantly, without ,
shadow of excuse or apology Therefor
abducted and kidnapped two laborjn;
men from the town of Hesperus In In,
county CT La Plata. and brought their
TO durango. and there kept at least
one OF them imprisoned until some
time the next day. In total disregard OF
their rights as men and citizens.
The liberty of man has been a cues.
ton of earnest effort and considera.
tlon on the part of statesmen and the
wise men of the English speaking race
for these hundreds of years, since
King John granted to his subjects
charter of liberty at Runninggede
693 years ago, and since that time
many battles have been fought and
victories won by which the links in
the chain Of human liberty have been
welded and secured to the people.
But this man Clarke, in total dis
regard OF human rights. oppressively
shamefully and in fragrant violation of
the law, kidnapped those laboring men
upon the soil of La Plata county, and
now he and his master, David Day.
grown bold in their repeated viola.
tions of the law, arrogantly and shame.
lessly ask that this man again be put
In power over the people,
When the November term of district
court convened in La Plata county in
1907. there was pending in said court
staSaaeS of ffnptis6af ptis6afaa5G,h an5Ghs rRRaRPle elLbs
Rosa May .Yanderlip, Defendant" the
same being numbered 661 on the dock
eft of said court. and she being charged
in an information filed in said cause
with the murder Of one Charles Van
derlip. and there was endorsed on the
back of said information the names of
number Of persons whom the state
claimed were witnesses against the
said Mrs. Nanderlip in said cause,
But the names of neither L. L. Lloyd
or David Collins appeared endorsed
thereon as persons whom the state of
Colorado had any use for in the trial
of said cause, nor did either OF said
parties have even the remotest knowl-
edge of the facts and circumstances
connected with the killing of Charles
vanderlip by Mrs, vanderlip; the mur-
der took place in the city Of Durango
and these men were permanent citi-
zens and residents Of Hesperus In
the western part of the county.
But John Clarke, sheriff. had a
scheme to work out and, accordingly
he secured Mr.. Pulliam, the district
attorney, to order John Meuser, clerk
of the district court on the 18th day
of November, 1907. to issue sub
poena to the sheriff to subpoena Mr.
Lloyd and Mr.. Collins as witnesses in
the said cause Of the people against
Vanderlip.
The clerk, whose duty is to obey
the orders and demands of the dis,
trict attorney In that direction, prompt
ly issued the subpoena and delivered
1t to Mr.. Pulliam and the said sub
poena was by Mr.. Pulliam given to
Mr.. Clarke, who took light rig and
proceeded at once to Hesperus. Colo.
where on the pretended authority OF
said subpoena, he demanded that the
said Lloyd and Collins go with him
| nj once TO Durango.
Mr.. Lloyd was far In the Interior ol
the coal mine at Hesperus at the time
and the sheriff sent in the said mine
for the said Lloyd to come ou
of the mine and accompany hin
to Durango. 1t Will be borne II
mind that Sheriff Clarke did not SHOW
the subpoena to these men, but toll
them they had to come with him, ant
he informed them that he had wagoI
there to take them in and that the.
would have to go along with him.
Now, the legal way to subpoena
witness is for the sheriff to read tn
subpoena to the Witness and the vii
ness is allowed to come in Of his owl
volition by the time fixed for his az
. pearance in the subpoena. But tn
; sheriff, In no event. takes possessio
of the body Of the witnesses an
brings them along with him under tn
pretense that he has right to RI
quire them to do so.
Again. 1t will be borne In mind thi
I the said subpoena which had been 4
i sued requiring the attendance OF M
y Lloyd and Mr.. Collins in the vande
lip case, required them to appear
l. the court house in Durango. and Il
i stead of driving them to that Temp
n of the Goddess Of Justice, whose 90
n ments he was foully besmirc ching,
r took them to the Strater hotel whel
e he required them to alight from h
:, wagon and took them to a room
> the upper part Of the Strater hotel al
8, inserted them in room whore the
" ~ar~ shnnH aiuht ~ ten atpau Rnrl nj