The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-22

| The other day when the tax assessor
called upon ex-State Treasurer Frank
| Grimes for a statement of his property
for taxable purposes the latter perpe-
trated a bull worthy of the best story
told on him in his palmy days when
| he was in the thick Of the Kansas
political fray, and that is saying a /
good deal.
After Mr.. Grimes had given in his
personal property and real estate, the
assessor, as is his custom ran down
| his list of questions. When he came
| to the inquiry about the possession of
any stocks and bonds Grimes frankly
admitted that he owned some stock in
certain corporations but calmly in
formed the assessor that this stock was
not subject to taxation. The assessor
could not see it that way and a heated
argument was held over the matter.
| Finally Grimes went to his desk and
produced a bundle of stock certificates
and spreading one of the shares upon
the table triumphantly called the as
SCISSORS attention to the wording, This
stock shall be worcestershire" The
maintained his gravity. listed the stock
for. taxes and went away.
4 John Dawson, secretary to the gov
ernor, has reduced the correspondence
/ pertaining to pardons to a science.
Most of the letters received by the gov
/ ernor in relation to state prisoners and
their liberty refer only to the grief
OF some old mother or sorrowing wife
and helpless children. There is no
/ practical information whatever about
/ the prisoners crime. conduct and trial.
Now John has prepared a blank form
which he will send hereafter to any
person writing plea for pardon for
a state prisoner and ask them to fill
/ 1t out in business fashion. The gov
&c -,Ix od Nv
/ timent that enters a case of a man of
family confined at Lansing, but
statement of facts that tend to show
the prisoner did not get justice at his
trial, or that it was a first offense, or
any extenuating circumstances or proof
of good conduct will go a long ways
further toward securing a parole than
anything else. This blank contains all
the leading questions relating to the
prisoners incarceration and once filed
out the governor will be in possession
of the information upon which he is
most likely to base executive clemency.
Frank Merrill, representative from
Miami county, stopped off at Topeka
this week on his way home from trip
through the western part of the state
and visited awhile at the governor S
Office. While waiting to see his excel
lency, Frank told a human interest
story in connection with his visit at
the Hutchinson reformatory.
While visiting at the institution he
entered the library and there found a
young man he had known back east
many years ago. This young fellow
had spent three years in Yale college
and comes from an excellent New York
family. He was reticent about his mis-
fortunes but Frank learned something
of the details of how he came to be
an inmate of the reformatory and the
story is a commentary on the abuse
OF our penal CODE SAStE
This ex-Ya1e man came west to make
his fortune, but things broke against
him and one fine summers day he
found himself walking east along the
railroad tracks of western Kansas. He
was hungry and ragged and dead
broke. At noon he came to the bunk
broke into the place and got square
: meal out of the workmen's dinner pals
He was trying on some old clothes he
thad found there when the men return
ed and caught him with the goods or
! his person. Well, they sent him te
| the state reformatory, and that is al
there is to the story. But after all II
$ Twas hard luck and a short road from
Yale college to the Hutchinson re-
: formatory for this young man.
S The attorney general received a let
> ter one day this week from a citizen OF
g a certain Kansas town in which pro-
test was made against the habit of GER
tain boys and men of the community OF
| calling out insulting and annoying re-
marks at the passersby on the streets
At least that Is the way the commune
cation was translated by the office in
terpreter The writer, 1t seems, had
= appealed in vain to the city authorities
to stop the practice, and as last re-
sort now addressed the attorney gen.
eral praying for relief The letter was
a masterpiece, of which the following
extracts are sample:
Pardon me for the liberty but suf-
fee to say that cat-cal1ing and change
4 Of voice on part Of certain persons OF
= this place has reached a stage that
must be called unbearable. Many not
satisfied but innoculated others into
the habit. ~ia
This is a hard undertaking, or re-
! qufres nerve to address one in SO high
! an office, but the desperate case ir
hand has driven me to it. I ask
forbearance if I am drawing on your
{ good will Some of the Offenders
! belong to would-be respectable families
filed with intelligence. I hope
: | to get results at once from this and see