The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-08-14
KANSAS COMAENT
WHAT MONEY CAN R11Y

WHAT MONEY CAN BUY.
we Were talking with a man from
New York the other day. He was a
newspaper man. who has followed the
InaW case pretty closely. He said:
ThaW IS sane now. He was sane
When ne shot Stanford White. He
should not be in the asylum. He
should either be released or electro
cuted'
The unfortunate part of it is that
under the law it is too late to cleo
trocute him.
By means of a legal trick. and a.
tnlck saving of money. Thaw was
able to establish the fact. at the time
or his trial for murder. that he was
suffer1ng from some sort of mysteri-
Gus hysteria or brain storm when he
snot stanford White. Thaw deEber-
ately, persistently and calculatingly set
himself to work to act a lunatic's
part.
Having been acquitted he calmly
bluffing all the time; that he deceived
the "alienists,'' and that the jury
didn't think he was crazy, but believed
that Stanford White deserved what he
got.
We don't know much about law, but
it seems to US that when a man trifles
thus with the law and the courts. he
ought to be made to suffer for it.
There ought to be some exception
to the old inalienable right of not be-
ing twice put in jeopardy for crime.
Thaw killed a man. If he was sane,
1t was murder, and the law provides
the penalty. If he was insane. he
should be in the asylum But the
indications are just now that Thaw
and his clever lawyers simply fooled
the court at the time of the trial, and
having been so successful in craft, the
court will reward them by setting
Thaw free
1t was money that did all this;
money used not Hlegitimately neces-
sarily, but money to hire the best help
of every description that the market
affords.
Money can not buy some things, but
in the Thaw case 1t has bought life,
and seems to be about to buy liberty.
-Salina Journal
PLUMB DID FIGHT QUANTRELL.
During the recent visit of Cyrus Lee
land, Jr., to Washington he was enter
tanned at dinner at the Press Club at
which Senator Bristow and Congress
men Campbell and Anthony and 9TH
ers were present, and during the even
ing discussion of early Kansas his
tory came up, and especially of the
QuantreH raid at Lawrence.
Although not generally known over
the state it is fact that Cy Leland,
then a young lieutenant in a Kansas
regiment, took an active part in the
pursuit from Lawrence. Leland was
retreat from Lawrence. Leland was
that day and joined his forces to those
of Major Plumb. formerly United
States senator from Kansas.
The charge has frequently been
made in Kansas that Plumb was
guilty of cowardice by reason of his
failure to attack Quantrell during the
latter'S retreat from Lawrence, but
as Leland told the story in detail the
other night in Washington 1t is a his
torical fact that Plumb with about
$50 men hung on Quantrelfs rear
Quantrell had about 500 men in his
command during the most of the re
treat from Lawrence-and that he
vigorously fought Quantren at every
opportunity.
Congressman Campbell suggested
that Lelands personal "reminiscences
of the fighting would be most inter-
esting contribution to early history of
Kansas and Leland accepted an in
vitation extended by Congressman
Campbell to be present at the Baxter
Springs Old Soldiers reunion in Aug
ust of this year where he has con-
scented to tell the story of the pursuit
of Quantrell and where he will show
that there is no ground for the charge
that Plumb was guilty of cowardice
in failing to close promptly with the
rebel forces in their retreat from
Observation-Disclosures Times.