The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-10

MANY BAD ONES.
Criminal Docket in District
Court Is Heavy.
Thirty-Nine Are Charged With
Penal Offenses.
MANYRECENT ARRESTS
Include Hog Stealers and Petty
Burglars.
kidnapping Cases Are ON the
Docket.
" ANYRECENT ARRESTS

Thirty-nine alleged criminals of depth
of dye sufficient to send them to Cod
ding's coal mines at Lansing are lined
up for admission from Shawnee county.
Many of these have not yet had a pre-
liminary hearing. The approach to win
ter since the opening of the September
term of the district court seems to have
influenced the law breakers to greater
activity,
In the June term there were only two
convictions from the few jury cases.
Those were John Hackney and Lula
Reeves, charged with robbing Mexi-
can, and Floyd Carter, charged with
breaking into freight car. Lula
Reeves was paroled upon being sem
fenced and Carter escaped from the
county Jail while awaiting transporta-
ton Hackney alone was taken over
the line. Two other prisoners, Chas-
Wirth, ENFORCEMENT and obtaining
goods under false pretence, and Henry
Ross, forgery. pleaded guilty and have
sentenced but are still in the county
Jail.
The number awaiting decisions has
been augmented by recent arrests
These number Is and include Harve
Wheeler, Sam King, Jim Drain and
Oscar Gay, negroes, charged with steal
ing seven guns from the FOUGHT hard
ware store in North Topeka.
T. B. Bradford, his sons, Fred and
Shelley, and Doc. Manson, all colored,
are CHARGED with stealing hogs from
Island and Union Pacific. And William
Manson is charged with bigamy, having
two wives besides sweetheart.
The case of Billiard and Putter,
charged with grand larceny and
malicious destruction of property. the
same being Lee Monroe's automobile,
will probably never reach the district
court This is partially admitted by
the county attorney who said today;
1.-THE supreme court has held that an
offence to constitute grand larceny
must be shown to carry the intention
to obtain permanent possession of
property. Such is probably not true
in our case. The supreme court has
property is a willful act and the ooys
were likely not trying to kill them
selves It is doubtful if we can make
the charges stick We have no statute
covering the case as 1t really did
happen and believe we ought to
have. Under the present law, man
can run somebody's machine to Kan
sas City and write him a postal card
to come and get 1t and go on about
his affairs as if he had done
nothing
Gases pending action in the district
court already bound Ssover from the
city court comprise that of Earl G1ike
and Jay Steen charged with stealing
wheat from box car; Tom smith,
colored, charged with robbing Wolf's
jewelry store; Willie Koehler and
Louis Jackson, charged with break
ing into a store; James Mason. ar
rested for breaking into the Rafelock
furnishing store, and Herman Thomp-
son charged with stealing a diamond
from his employer, William Leopold.
Thompson, Carter and Steen are
also charged with Jail breaking and
assault upon Jailer Bayliss.
Green Carter, Chas. Wfrth. Dick
Greer and Frank Henderson are
charged with assisting in the Jail de-
son and Steen.
& Of earlier deeds, but included in
the docket for the January term of
the district court are the cases
against the kidnapers of Marian
BIeakley, including J. N. Gentry,
Stella Barclay, Bob Randolph, Capt.
]. H. Tillitson and Dave Gregg.
John Babb is held for murder in
the first degree, having killed William
Smart on a Santa Fe train. His is
the only murder case on the list. Will
to be dead from old age and aim ents
before the term opens, was let out
on his own recognizance to reappear-
Joseph Milan and his wife, Mary,
gypsy fortune te1lers, who during the
fair, it is alleged, robbed an old man,
w. c. Moran, of $40, are still on the
books. Clyde Covert, who passed
check drawn in favor of another man
named Covert, awaits final action,
and Laura Wisdom and Jesse Harris,
coIored, charged with robbing Tom
Hughes, a Welchman, will also stand
trial before Judge Dana.