The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-09
ADAMS FAMILY GUILTY.
Husband Convicted ON Six Counts
Wife ON Five.


noon today, when the jury came in and
reported that "Bee'' Adams was guilty
on all Of the six counts charged. and
that his wife, Joanna, was guilty on
all counts except the fifth count. She
was charged also with six counts,
therefore, is held on five.
Owing to trouble in securing juries,
the April term of district court started
IN two days late, but County Attorney,
Schenck caught up with the regular
schedule within a few hours. for the
reason that the half dozen first de-
PENDANTS. all charged with nuisance of
the booze variety, were anxious to
plead guilty. He permitted them to
take a plea On one count each, ana
this scheme seemed to be sufficiently
popular to continue indefinitely, until
the Adams case was called for trial.
Then the smooth flow struck a snag.
Adams and wife did not desire to plead
guilty to one count each. Net result:
they are stuck, after a few short hours
deliberdtion, for five and six counts
respectively.
The Adams case was humorous in
some of it's phases. In the first place,
it is one of the first double barreled"
liquor cases tried under the new law.
This law permits a second trial and
conviction on the some evidence and in
formation The Adamses were arrest
ed and found guilty on six counts each
in police court. Under the "double-
barreled' law, a representative of the
county attorney was in police court,
heard the evidence, and swore out a
second complaint, charging the vic
tins with violating a state law. They
appealed from the police court con-
viction, and the appealed case was
heard in district court last term. Both
defendants were easily convicted. but
secured a new trial on account of the
/ fact that the city attorney and chief
| of police had used questionable meth
| DDS in hiding some evidence favorable
| to the defendants.
| Now the Adamses are convicted be-
| yond peradventure in the state case,
and have still to face the new trial
they secured on account of the deal en-
| gineered by the city officials.
| The prosecution proved that Bee"
Adams, or F. M. Adams, as he appears
on the document, is the owner of a
| government license as "R L d. 1t
/ was proven that these mystic letters
mean Retail Liquor Dealer" and that
i Adams, at 300 Crane street, was it
The defending attorneys made the nifs-
| take of putting both Adams and his
wife on the stand in their own behalf.
This is risky business with the Adams
! family, who have the reputation of be-
| ing tough customers, but naturally
| truthful 1t is impossible for either of
them to tell a good lie, and they prac-
| tically convicted themselves last even
| ing. Adams cheerfully admitted that
] he held a government license for the
past two years, and further volunteer
| ed that he had one at the present time,
| to take the place of the one "swiped''
| from him by the officers. He said he
! had been arrested many times, and for
a time was arrested almost every day.
| Some of the witnesses for the state.
| the same used in the city case, are
! the scum of the bottoms district.
| One young negro, James Heyden, dis
tinguished himself, however. by hold
| ing out against the Influence" He
| stated that Chief Eaton, at the time of
| the Adams arrest, had promised him
| immunity If he would swear that he
| had bought beer of Joana Adams. This
| he refused to do, according to his state
ment, and was thrown into Jail for ten
days After Heyden had made this
/ statement, Chief Eaton had Heyden
arrested for perjury. Heyden gave
| bond, and the court will attend to him
| later.
Another witness for the state was
| Hat Maybee, a white woman who is
| classed with the lowest grade OF
negroes in the bottoms" district.
pie" Jordan will be tried this after
noon for burglary. He was bound over
for the theft of some old clothes from
a barn belonging to the Provident as
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