The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-08
He WANTS PEACE
Sheriff Paxton Of Montgomery
County in Topeka.
Came to Confer With Attorney
General Jackson.
CAUSEOF HIS TROUBLE
How Judge Flannelly Caused
Explos ion at Independence.
County Attorney Quit-Sheriff's
Scalp Is Wanted.

AollCl III dAIOi1 VI V1Oill6OIlCly NOoAhSJ
was in Topeka Tuesday trying to make
peace with the attorney general.
But the attorney general had disap-
peared, and it is supposed that he is at
present in Montgomery county looking
for Sheriff Paxton.
The explosion which took place in
Montgomery county, resulting in the
sudden resignation Of County Attorney
Charlton may result in some sensation
al prosecutions. There seems to have
been deep plot in existence there, in
which public officials were conniving
with violaters of the law. 1t is sup
posed that Attorney General Jackson
has gone there to investigate.
The situation in brief was this: in
Coffeyville there was hotel kept by
H. M. Levan. 1t was notorious place,
combining a saloon, gambling house
and disorderly resort all under one
roof. Judge Flannelly sent the sheriff
and county attorney together to raid
the place, arming them with search
and seizure warrant. They made the
ing back liquors. they found a little
crap game in progress at some other
place and arrested the players.
Judge Flannelly knew that there were
liquors at the hotel. He summoned to
his office constable, and gave him the
ing him to swear in deputies and con-
duct the raid with the utmost secrecy.
The raid was made, and the result was
that two carloads of liquor and gam
bling paraphernalia were sent to lnde
pendence, the county seat. Levan was
arrested charged with ten serious Of
fenses.
County Attorney Charlton at once
resigned The sheriff, Paxton. says he
will fight. His first move was to come
to Topeka today to see the attorney
general
A. c. Stitch, the we'll known Inde-
pendence banker, was in Topeka today.
He condemned severely the delinquent
public officials, who have been caught
with the goods"
charlton Will be appointed by Judge
Flannelly 1t is understood that the
place has been offered to Tom Wag-
staff, former county attorney. but II
is doubtful whether Mr.. WagstaH Will
accept While Wagstaff was county
attorney, he closed up the saloons
and was beaten for reelection by
Democrat, because people wanted
more liberal policy. The people seem
to be getting what they wanted all
right.
The Coffeyville Journal says in dis
cussing the matter edltorialiy;
The raid upon the Eldridge hotel in
this city last week by constables act
ing under orders from Judge Flan-
nelly and eliminating in the seizure
of a carload of liquor. a wagon load
of fixtures and the arraignment Of
the proprietor, Mr.. H. M. Levan, on
no less than ten serious charges, ought
to bring about the most sweeping dis
closure of official corruption ever
known in southern Kansas.
1t is impossible to believe that
man of Mr.. Levan's well known as
tuteness and familiarity with the pen
altfes of the law would for one mo-
ment establish such a place right in
the heart of the city unless he had
some kind of an understanding or
deal with some of either the city or
county officials-and perhaps both
by which he was to be immune from
punishment. There is a world of cir
that he was assured of protection.
There can be no other conclusion con-
sidering the fact that certain city Of
ficia1s charged with enforcing the law
frequented his place until strangers
often mistook the hotel for the city
ficers were seen there with almost
equal regularity. 1t is preposterous
to assume that these city and county
officials did not have positive and
personal knowledge of the violations
of the law that the raid disclosed. 1t
is an insult to their intelligence to
say that they could not draw such
conclusions from what they saw and
heard.
Now it is up to Mr.. Levan to pro-
tect himself since these officials can
no longer do it. In protecting him
self he could render the greatest SER
vice to the common good of the city
and county that any man is capable
Of What he ought to do is to expose
the whole deal. telling the absolute
unqualified truth, exhibiting to the
public gaze the corruption of every
official who entered into such '.ar-
rangements' as this, whether the
official be Republican or Democrat,
city or county.