The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-10-20
Judge Smith Mcpherson Declares SUI
perfIuous Number Of "Boot-
Logging Cases Gave
Court a Name.
MCDOWELL is SENTENCED
u,ven Six Months in Jail at Davenport
Litigation in Insurance Case
Occupied Almost Entire
Day.

The federal and circui. courts of the
United States reconvened at 10 o'clock
this morning and continued until late
this afternoon with but an hour in
Permission for luncheon and Judge
Smith Mcpherson, Federal Clerk Nc
Arthur and Circuit Clerk Mason spent
q busy day. The day was featured by
the dismissal of both the grand and
petit jurors, the sentence of Silas Nc
Dowell, charged with bootlegging, ;"
and the hearing of arguments in the
insurance case.
After the opening OF court Judge Nc
P.lerson called forward Silas Mellow
ell the tramp painter who pleaded
guilty on Tuesday to the charge of
"bootlegging," which. consisted of the
selling of whisky in Winfield, Iowa,
without government license. Nc
Dowell stepped forward briskly and
while his slender and alert figure was
not that of a man Of siXty-one, yet his
face showed his age. He was gray and
hind medium growth of gray whis
kers. In answer to the judge he said:
Il have always been law-abiding cit
izen, but was drunk when l commit
ted this act, otherwise never would
have done it, You were indicted oy
the grand jury" said Judge McPher
son, for viola ton of the internal rev
enue law. Different judges have diff
feient opinions of this law, but to me
the whole thing is degrading and con-
yerts this court into common police
court, and it is often called boot
leggers convention" | have made up
my mind that not very many more
would call it that and my policy has
been to send many guilty of violation
OF the law to the penitentiary.
Owing to your advance age | am
not going to send you to the peniten-
tiary, but have decided upon six
months term in the county Jail at
Davenport
Juries Dismissed.
dismissed with instructions from the
judge to secure their fees before leav-
ing the building In Diminishing the
petit jurors Judge Mcpherson told
them they had not come to court in
vain, and that probably the one Grim
inal case would not have resulted as
it did had the court not contained the
jurors as it did.
The Judge then called the docket
and found that very few cases were
ready for hearing and continued gen
orally" was applicable to number of
them.
A case in which local attorneys are
interested las been set for Thursday
morning. 1t is a damage suit of Ber-
nett VS.. Santa Fe railroad company.
Hughes and McCoid represent che
plaintiff and Hazen |. Sawyer the de-
PENDANT. The attorneys will argue a
motion to have the case returned to
the district court
Insurance Case.
before taxing up Cne case OF "A. u
Watson, ct al, VS.. National Life and
Trust Company of Des Moines, Secur.
ity Life and Savings Insurance com
pany and the National Life Insurance
Company of the United States OF
America, Judge Mcpherson asked the
respective attorneys to arrange to com
plete their arguments by about s.: sc
this afternoon, and that in order tc
give them more time only an lour re-
cess would be taken at noon. The
case is one, as previously stated, in
which the plaintiff who is policy
holder, asks that the reinsured poll
cies now held by the National Life In
surance company be declared void and
to aave a recounting of the funds, and
also that a receiver be appointed fol
the administration of the funds.
Circuit Clerk Mason arrived yester
day afternoon to cake up his duties.
Hughes and McCoid filed theil
claims for attorney fees in the Meek
bankruptcy case.
The case of Campbell VS.. c., B. &
@. was continued generally.