The Cairo bulletin., 1909-12-17
STORY OF EXHIBIT NO. A."

justice in murder cases in his cour'
there to low public sentiment in this
community, declared that he found nj
|such evidence of low public senti
Iment" elsewhere in this judicial cir
cult, where he was called upon to hole
lcourt. The Bulletin has taken ocea
sion to deny that these miscarriage
! |of justice were due to 'low public
''Isentiment" here, because TO admit Il
would necessarily carry with it the
: tconelusion that these miscarriages o.
Justice were approved by the people
lhere-and that this is not true has
Ibeen proven repeatedly by the gen
Ieral and most emphatic, not to say
violent denunciations OF each AMI
Ieyery one Of these miscarriages
(which swept over this community for
Idays after they became known.
/ Perhaps this disposes Of that por
Ition of the Judges extraordinary
statement, which relates to this com
immunity, but 1t does not dispose of tina
Iportion which relates to other part
Iof this judicial circuit" The Bulletin
| has hal little opportunity to ascertain
whether or not there has been any
lglaring miscarriages Of justice in muir
der cases in other counties in this cir
Icnit, where Judge Butler has presided
las judge Of the court, and it woult
mot now presume to question his state
Iment in that regard, but a story
(which came to this paper yesterda'
Iseems to indicate that in the matte
Iof pnrging his court of corruptionists
Tor using the power which the lay
leIearly gives him to promote clear
proceedings in his court in order that
Justice might be done. he has not full,
come up to the mark reasonably Il
be expected Of him, in other counties
| in this circuit A story was told
yesterday to the editor of this pape
lby Mr.. A. F. Miller Of Belleville. Ill
who was in Cairo in his capacity as
i an insurance adjuster, and the seen
NHS III tht tlhCHt IouAt dt @4t HhyS
boro. Jackson county, Judge Butler
tpresiding.
| Mr.. Miller said in substance: A
fire occurred some months ago in thu
Hundley House at Carbonate, which
| the insurance adiusters felt they had
| some reason to believe was not alto
gether right 1t was claimed that at
1.-THE books and invoices which could
Throw any light on the character
quantity or value OF property de
Istroyed, had been consumed in the
fire Mr.. Ledford, one of the pro
lprietors of the place, was directed t
secure new invoices, etc, which woul3
Ioffer the adjusters some basis fo
their calculations When these docu
Ements were produced the adjusterl
saw what they believed to be proc
of tampering with the figures. The
figure Il" seemed to have been place.
in front of, say, 1926" making it real
SIPS" some items seemed to have
been added and the footings changed
accordingly. The adjusters induced
Mr.. Ledford to write and sign a note
declaring the bills thus presented tt
lbe correct, which note was attached t.
1.-THE bills. A comparison of MIR. Led
lfords writing with the seemin
changes in the bills satisfied the all
busters that the same hand had writ
Item both The bills and the not,
possession of by the adjusters an
Ithey refused to settle the policy or
the Hundley House. Suit was brought
by the proprietors of the hotel t.
lcompel settlement by the insurance
companies, Attorney Lightfoot of Car
hondale, representing the plaintiffs
I When the case was called for hear
J ling in Judge Buffers court, the de
PENDANT insurance adjusters offered il
evidence, among other things, the bill,
! and the note written by MFR. Led
ford, marked Exhibit A." The paper;
! were shown to Judge Butler, to the
Jury and to the attorney for the plain
tiffs, who examined them carefully
J and they We're placed with othe
? documents, upon the attorney
/ table. There was no suspicion
that any harm could come 4
these important papers, for the,
We're the property of the cour
! and admittedly part of the record o
the trial. A few minutes later At
. torney Lightfoot left the table an,
Q Invent to the door of the court room fol
I lowed by Mr.. Ledford; the two were
a lseen to converse confidentially at tht
$ Idoor, and the latter went out, while
Q the attorney resumed his place at the
attorneys table. Mr.. Ledford re
2 turned little later. When, short,
. after this. the attorneys for the insur
7 anee men looked for their preciou,
. Exhibit 4" 1t was not to be found
and 1t has not vet been found.
Q Mr.. Miller says Judge Butler saw
/ the maneuvers of the plaintiff and hi
+ lattorney, and that he strongly sus
! lpected the latter Of having done ava,