The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-09
He Alone Of Bleaklsy Kidnapers
In Jail.
Argument Today to Reduce the
$4,000 Bond.
JUDGE WILL CONSIDER
Prisoners Aged Mother viii
Sign for $4,000.
His Attorneys Cite Case to Show
Bond Excessive.

y. N
baby kidnapping case, held in the Shaw
nee county Jail unable to give bond
fixed at $4,000, was given a breath of the
free air this morning when he was es-
corted over to the district court room
to attend the hearing of the plea Of his
attorney for a reduction of bond.
That his aged mother. 80 years old,
was willing and praying to be allowed
to furnish half the amount stipulated
for the security of her son, involving
every cent she has in the world, was
the statement of his attorney, Philip
Wilson. Mrs. Gentry lives at Erie,
Kansas. Could she have possibly RAISED
the $4,000 her son would have been out
of prison now.
Wilson argued that the bond had
been set at a higher figure than is GUS
tOmary, stating that SO far as he could
recall there had been but one bond in
the county set high for a like charge,
assault with intent to kill. 1t was his
stated opinion also that the amount set
had been Influenced at the time by the
excitement of the affair. Half the sum,
he said, would be ample to secure the
presence of the accused for triat-and
that was the object of bond.
County Attorney Schenck, on the 9TH
err hand arose to reawake the serious
ness of the crime charged against Cen
try.
for the bond" declared the county at
torney. 1.-The amount of the bonds had
been agreed upon when the habeas
corpus proceedings were dismissed in
Missouri and before the principals were
brought here. 1t was agreed that the
bonds would be $4,000 on each charge.
That sum had been named in the Mis-
souri, courts and it was recommended
here by the county attorney.
This is the man TillotSOn hired at
SIS a day to take a deadly weapon-a
As caliber revo1ver-Which witnesses
described as a gun Is or IA inches long,
to commit murder if necessary. There
isn't any doubt that he had murder in
his heart There isn't an extenuating
circumstance in the matter. Gentry
can not say that he entered into the
game for the love of the child because
he had nurSed it for years like Mrs.
Barclay could say.
'All that he can say is that he is
hireling in the case and that he
agreed to commit murder if neces-
sary for the insignificant wage of SIS
a day. I do not want the bond raised
a cent but I believe it should be left
at the figure which was agreed upon"
Ed McKeever, Mrs. Barclays attor-
ney, was present and at this point,
made a statement for the information
of the court. He stated that at the
time the bonds were agreed upon, he
supposed there was to be but one
charge, when as a matter of fact, two
charges were found to await them at
Topeka, kidnapping, and assault with
intent to kill and the amount of the
bonds were therefore doubled. He
also stated that he was not the attor
ney for Gentry at the time and had
no authority to agree upon any bond
for him at any figure.
Judge Dana announced that he
would take the motion under advise
ment.
s'Dutch Billy Favored.
1t is a fact that a moment before
the Gentry case came up, Dutch Billy,
or William Kuhrt, the Silver Lake
gun tosser, charged with the identi
cal offence was allowed a reduction
of bond from $1,000 to $500. The
county attorney had recommended to
the Silver Lake Justice that that be
the amount but the justice thought
$1,000 better.
In that case Dutch Billy had act
ua1ly shot a man in the hip causing
him to be brought to a Topeka hos
pita1 where it was feared he would
die Furthermore, he had threaten
ed to kill him If he came a step clos
er and had evidently shot with that
purpose. 1t might be doubted that
Gentry sought to murder Bellnap
of a revolver.
Why the real principals in the kid
naping, Mrs. Barclay and Capt. Tillot-
son have deserted Gentry is a matter
OF conjecture, out the TACT IndI lIey
have left him in Jail. while they
themselves have their freedom. re-
mains
Gentry. when approached by the
reporter this morning, refused to
make any statements concerning the
apparent desertion. He said, how
ever, "You can see that 1 am here
and they are not, and you are free to
draw your own conclusions. 1 have
nothing to say about the bond either,
except that 1 can not possibly furnish
the $4,000 one. I do not claim that
it is too high or raise any objection
at all, but 1 simply can not furnish
it, I would return the same for any
amount as 1 would for the large
amount were I able to supply it,
Gentry is looking well after his
six weeks confinement and finds no
complaint with the treatment or food
at the Jail. There is no indication
how soon he will know what the judge
will find concerning the reduction Of
bond.