The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-23
DOCKET is HEAVY
Two Hundred Sixty. Eight Cases
Before Judge Dana.
District Court Will Begin to
Grind Sept. 6.
THREE MURDER CASES.
Defendant in One Now in the
Asylum.
Thirty. Nine Divorce Suits Are
to BE Tried.
THREE MURDER CASES.

A total of 26S cases stand on the dock
ct upon which the grind of the Septem-
Der term of the district court VIII be-
gin work on the 9Th day Of next month";
II includes 81 county criminal actions,
81 cases. appealed from the police court,
SO divorce nit. 8 murder cases. and jury
cases of civil character to the num-
Der of 126. 1t is a fair sized docket and
will probably increase by the addiflon
Of new cases during the course OF the
term At the close of the April term
sessions of court there were 5Cz cases
en- the docket, although a number OF
these had been passed over for the sep
TENDER term IF court.
The first of the three murder cases 10
be tried this term is that in which John
Babb and William Tannehill are held
for the death of William Smart, d ne
gro, who was shot to death on Santa
Re passenger train between Topeka 3no
Tecumsch on October is, lSU9 Inc
charge made Is that following d quar-
rel over the offer OF drink of whisky
by the negro TO Babb. the latter bor-
rC,wed a revolver from Tannenill and
shot Williams. Babb claims that he
shot in self defense as Williams was
trying to strike him down with bot
tie. Both men are now out OF jail on
bonE.
Mary Thomas, alias Mary Troy, a ne
gress who is now in the state insane
asylum. is yet untried on the charge
OF murder brought against her i'll con-
llection with the death OF David Mar
shall, a negro boy, last December. The
Thomas woman came to Topeka with
the boy whom she represented to be
Willard Troy her son. -tfL"r a short
time he became i'll and died. from the
effects, as Was afterWard learned, OF
POISON, administered in gradual doses
1t was alleged that she had entlced the
Marshall 10y from his home at ArSen-
tine with the purpose of substituting
him for her son and numbering him Tor
the purpose of collecting life insurance.
The life of the Troy boy had been in
sured and, after the death of his sub
stitute, David Marshall, the Thomas
woman attempted to collect the face OF
the policy. After ner confinement, in
Jail she develo~ed dementia of vio-
lent character and was subsequently
committed to the state hospital for the
insane where she now is.
Thirty-fiv liquo" cases await trial at
the September term. Twenty-one Of
these are appealed cases brought from
the police court. The balance are orig
inal prosecutions set up by the county
attorney Criminal prosecutions Of a
sensational character are lacking but
there will be a number of trials of con-
siderable interest like the case against
Alfred j. Dennis and William Moody
who are charged with obtaining 81, 200
from William Klee on the representa-
ton that they were divinely authorized
to do so and that he would suffer
temporal and spiritual injury if he did
not give up everything he had.
Prosecutions brought by Attorney
General Fred S. Jackson against the
Bell Telephone company and the Amer
lean Telegraph and Telephone COM
pany and against the Topeka Fruit
and Brokerage company under the
antitrust laws of the state, will be
watched with much interest In the
latter prosecution number of local
commission merchants are alleged to
have combined to contrib the local
markets for vegetables and fruits.
Three damage suits against the city
of Topeka are on the September docket
and in the long list of civil actions are
many, the trials of which are expected
to be attended with much of interest.