The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-30
SCHENCK TO CHIEF
Wrote Letter Threatening an
Custer Proceeding.
Mayor Billiard Admitted Fact
When 1t Leaked Out.
NO EVIDENCE IN 1T.
Prosecutor Unable to Get Good
Report, He Declared.
Said Today That No Real Wit
ness Was Mentioned.

It leaked out today-and Mayor Bill
lard admitted the fact-that in a let
ter to Chief jenkins of the police de-
partment a short time ago County At
torney Schenck threatened the police
chief with an custer proceedings if he
didn't furnish the county attorneys
Office with the proper evidence.
Mayor Billiard claims the we have
had evidence in this office for months"
said Mr.. Schenck. ION the 2Sth day of
August I sent a letter to Chief Jen
kins and told him that unless he fur
nished his regular evidence and re-
ports to this office I would begin GUS
ter proceedings.
This aroused him and he sent me
the report at once. With the report
he sent me, the city officials claim that
failed to pay any attention to 1t. l
want to say that there wasn't enough
evidence to convict a rabbit in that re-
port The date of the arrest, the name
of the man arrested, and the officers on
the job was practically all furnished
this office. What could I do with this?
There wasn't a real witness mentioned
and the case would have amounted to
nothing in this court.
How Things Have Been.
This is the way things have been
all along. 1t looks as though the po-
lice authorities wish me to don a uni
form and go out after liquor dealers
and play the detective in order to get
the right kind of evidence. This is not
my work-and no one expects me to do
it-but everyone expects me to carry
on the convictions just the same.
Mayor Billiard says that the police
wish to work in harmony with the
county attorney. It is all right to
want to work in harmony'-but it is
different proposition to work in har-
mony."
1t is plain as the clock on the wall
that the whole fight at this time is
between County Attorney Schenck and
the city and county police officers.
With a man in office who would not
push matters Topeka would become a
wide open town in ten minutes. 1t is
known that within the last few days
County Attorney Schenck has obtained
his own warrants for the arrests made
and the county officers did not know
a thing about it until it was done.
Schenck Fighting Combination.
In other words the fight is between
County Attorney Schenck and the po-
lice-county combination. Mr.. Schenck
charges that. the police and county Of
ficers fail to furnish evidence enough
| to convict liquor sellers and the Off
| GERS say that Mr.. Schenck does not pay
any attention to the evidence they Of
| fer him.
| Mayor Billiard, in referring to reports
given concerning his views on the
! liquor situation in Topeka, said the
mistake was made in stating that the
| police department was not working III
harmony with the sheriff's force.
The police and the sheriff's office
| cooperate in every move" said the
mayor 81 have no complaint to make
on this move with the county officials
on the whole. What I have meant to
convey was that the county attorney,
Mr.. Schenck. refused to pay any at
| tention to the reports given him by
| Chief Jenkins"
Mrs. Thorpe in Error.
Mrs Laura f. Thorpe, police matron
| in statement made by her before
| a meeting of the w. c. T. u. Friday
| afternoon in which she said, accord
| ing to a, subsequent report, that imme-
! diately following the enactment of the
drug store liquor law in 1909 the num-
| Der of cases of drunkenness among
women in Topeka fell off to such an
extent that only one case came under
her observation between June, 1909, and
April, 1910. This one case she COM
pared to So cases that have appeared
since last April when the Billiard ad-
| ministration took control.
| The police station record shows Mrs
Thorpe to have been in error as to the
number of cases of drunkenness in this
period mentioned as II different en-
tries of women arrested on this charge