The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-16
GOES The LIMIT.
County Attorney Schenck Causes
Arrest of ElmOnt Man.
VIM. hartman, Retired Mer-
chant, Is in the Tolls.
CHARGE TOOK ORDERS
NeighbOrs "Chipped in" and He
Sent for Liquor.
CHARGE TOOK ORDERS
of Extreme Features
of New PrOhibitOry Law.

William hartman. a well-to-do retir-
ed merchant of Elmont and one of the
oldest and most prominent residents of
northern section of Shawnee county
Will be served with a, warrant this ev-
ening charging him with taking nine
orders for liquor. Deputy Sheriff Ben
JudkinS has left for the village and
will either bring hartman back with
him or allow him to come of his own
accord and be arraigned before the
court.
The arrest of hartman comes as
result of the information obtained in
an inquisition held by County Attor-
hey Schenck Wednesday afternoon to
which We're summoned a number of
ELnont citizens, including Clarence
Wendell, Frank Thompson Earl Prid-
dy, Robert Jackson, and Elizabeth
Jacques.
The witnesses are said to have tried
to shield hartman by explaining that
they had all Clipped in" on the kegs
of beer or cases of whisky and paid
the money in advance.
The testimony showed the clearest
kind of ordering said Mr.. Schenck,
but they thought they We're shielding
hartman. We just Clipped in and gave
stuff they said.
But under this new law. if he took
the money from them and then sent for
it. he is guilty of ordering the liquor
for each Of them in such amount as
paid for an undivided portion for each
party. If on the other hand he sent
for the liquor and they gave him the
money afterward. then he is guilty Of
selling to them. 1t is a clear violation
of the prohibitory statute. one count for
each party to the Shipping in
In fact, the only way a man can
drink now and not violate the law is
to order the liquor for himself and go
out and drink it alone. He has not
much chance of letting a friend enjoy
it with him. And this chipping in on
a key is an amusing attempt to escape
the provisions of the law
There is no nuisance charge brought
| against hartman. 1t seems not to have
been the custom at the hamlet to keep
the beer around but rather to drink it
up. keg parties were held, it was
learned, first at one grove and the
| next Sunday or week at somebody
elses grove, thereby shifting the place
of the hilarity about the neighbour
| hood and refraining from creating a
place of common nuisance by repeated
| visitations.
But there is no longer any doubt
in the mind of the county attorney
| when he goes about stopping liquor
| traffic. The last legislature in passing
the inquisition law giving the county
| attorney power to summon witnesses
for an inquisition and compelling
those witnesses to tell what they know,
| has seen to that.
"a county attorney knows what he
| has now" said Mr.. Scnenck. when
| 1 get list CT witnesses to give me the
! information. / know what 1 am doing.
| We used to have to go about these
| things in the dark and determine what
evidence we had when the trial came
| up
| The county attorney is not sighting
any opportunities to bring to bear the
force of an inquisition and in spite of
the task of moving into front Office
at the Columbian building he is plan
ming other inquisitions to follow the
| three or four i'll the last fortnight