The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-20
negroes Charged With Hog
Stealing Face Jury.
BradfOrds Alleged to Have Rob-
bed Stock Cars.
DEFENSE WINS POINT.
Court HaltsExaminatiOn States
Star Witness.
Railroad Detectives Watch Case
With Interest.

The trial of the three Bradfords,
charged with operating extensively in
the local hog market during the past
five years with hogs stolen from the
cars of the Union Pacific and Rock
Island roads in North Topeka, began III
the district court today. The defense
demanded a separate jury trial for
each Of the defendants, It. B. Bradford,
negr. and his two sons, Shelley and
Fred. County Attorney Schenck elect
ed Shelley Bradford for the first prose-
cutiOn.
remarkable incident in the progress
of the trial is the disclosure of liberties
taken by county officers in their gath
ering of evidence. Henry Alexander, "A
youth of the same age as Shelley, was
placed under arrest, investigated, anu
required to give bond for appearance
at the trial. Under cross-exeminat1on
by w. l. Jamison, a witness testified
as to being taken from his work on
the Santa Fe round house one morning
when Deputy Sheriff Judkins told his
employer, ]. j. Belts, that he had a
man whom he wanted and proceeded to
take him (Alexander) to the county
Jail, where he was questioned he ad-
mitted he had signed a statement Tor
Judkins there. 1t seems the informa-
ton was so good he was placed under
bond to appear. Counsel for the oe-
tense declares Alexander was arrest
ca without a warrant ana WllIlOuI a
cause. Assistant Prosecutor Bonnger
replied But we have the evidence.
The statement alleged to have been
made was not shown in court Inc
testimony of the witness was simply
that he had gone with Shelley one
evening to help him drive in the hogs
which had broken out of the pen
Oldham on Stand.
All the hogs alleged to have been sto-
len were kept in hog pen near the
north end of the SardOu avenue bridge:
s. w. Oldham, a hog raiser of west OF
North Topeka placed on the stand said
lie had known Shelley Bradford years
and that all that time the Bradfords
had been in the hog business" feeding
at the big pen and selling to the WON
Packing company.
Most of the time. he said, there were
as manv as so or 100 hogs in the pen
He had hauled four loads or about 25
hogs to the packing house for Shelley
When the first load was hauled Brad
ford went with him. collected the money
for the hogs and paid him 81 for haul
ing them. After that. the negro paid
him So load to haul the hogs collect
the money, and return it to him. Old
ham said he considered the price pretty
high as he thought SO enough but he
had seen nothing to make him suspic-
ious. Later, however, when Doc"
Manson, another negro charged with
stealing hogs. sold him a load out of
the same pen. he said he began to get
suspicious of where all those hogs came
from.
Robbed Cars, Witness Says.
doc" (Wiluam) Manson was called
to the stand to tell what he knew. AL
though he himself is due for trial on
a like charge. he seemed to have not
the least hesitancy in telling. He told
of numerous times when ne and the
Bradfords had broken into stock cars
at 2 or 8 o'clock in the morning and
ran out three or four hogs, taking them
down to their "holdover,'' the Bradford
pen. Stop and feed were hauled from
the city to fatten them and they then
We're sold. Manson was doing fine for
the state when the defense sprang the
objection that the witness was on pa
role from the Hutchinson reformatory
and incompetent to testify. County
Attorney Schenck declared that such a
person was competent and that the SUI