The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-19
FIGHT FOR $1,000.
Shawnee Wyandotte CountyCOn
tentions to BE Settled.
Supreme Court Likely to Decide
Case at October Term.
OTHER DECISIONS DUE
Opal Swearens Habeas Corpus
Case Attracts Attention.
Finney County Election Contest
May Be Determined.

Among the important decisions
on cases tried a the July term of
the supreme court likely to be handed
down at the October term is that in
hte case of Wyandotte and Shawnee
counties both struggling by every
legal effort to obtain possession of
that $1,000 fine paid by Mayor Rose
of Kansas City last year. Wyandotte
claims the money on the ground that
the offense was committed and the
offender lives in that county, while
the contention of Shawnee is that the
fine was imposed on the soil of this
county.
Another important decision looked
for is that in the habeas corpus pro-
Opal SWearenS by her grandparents
The lower court of Reno county had
issued writ taking the child from
its grandparents ana giving her to
her father. Now the grandparents
are asking the supreme court for
possession of the little girl again.
1t is possible that there will be a
decision in the Shawnee county case
against Fred Durein charged with
violation of an injunction under the
prohibitory law.
Among the important cases likely
to betried at. the October term are:
The state VS.. the COOPERATIVE
Burial association of Galena is the
first custer suit against these CO.
operative concerns under the new law
to reach the supreme court. When
the law went into effect nearly two
years ago these associations were
scattered all over the state, but all Of
them bowed to the mandate of the
law requiring charters except the
Galena association.
The case against the International
Harvester Co., an appeal from the
h q will he wi hi
Wheeler VS.. Lawrence is a contested
election case from Finney county in
which the old county treasurer and
the man who claims the job are at
loggerheads over the possession of the
official records and an Injunction has
been issued in the lower courts COM
polling the old treasurer to surrender
the books.
The cases of the state vs. the In
ternational Harvester Co.. and the
standard Oil Co, have been post
poned to the November term and the
time extended for taking testimony to
thirty days from September -.
There is a murder case from Fin
ney county in which the lower court
sentenced John T. Reed to a. term of
hard labor for murder in the second
degree. The Indictment alleged muir
der in the. first degree. In this case
]. T Bassnet is charged with being
an accessory to the crime. William
H. Browning, a Finney county far
mer, was the victim. and the story
of the tragedy as told by Brownings
son on the witness stand in the first
trial was in substance as follows: His
father had gone to the field with
moving machine on the 14th day of
September. 1907, when Reed, Bass
net and another man came to the
Browning house. Mrs. Browning or
dered them to leave the place. but
they mid n attention n hnr he
sent the boy for his father Mr..
Browning drove into the yard still
riding his moving machine. He got
down on the ground and ordered the
men to leave. They again refused
and Bassnet brought Reed a shot gun
which the latter aimed at Browning
Browning started to walk away and
then Reed turned the mazzle of the
gun toward the boy. Browning was
still walking away when Reed again
shifted his weapon and shot Brown
ing in the side inflicting a mortal