The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-20
MANY BIG CASES
Total of 30 Actions Face Dis
trict Judges.
Suits for Damages Aggregate
Nearly 100000.
FEW DIVORCE CASES
Shawnee County Family Affairs
Improve.
Offset by 116 New Criminal
Actions.
FEW DIVORCE CASES

On the trial dockets for Shawnee
cOunty's two district courts are $40
cases for trial at the January term. the
bulk Of which viii this term go to the
first division Judge Whitcomb. who
this term handled the criminal docket.
Ehas but ss of the SO cases in his divi-
sion for the coming session.
One of the important features of the
new term is the heavy criminal docket
and large number of damage suits
Against this array of important cases,
Is a showing of one of the lightest di-
vorce dockets in the history of Shaw
nee county
At the January term of court. judge
Dana viii face the possible trial of "a
state cases. ranging from murder down
TO petit larceny In addition to these
% criminal actions brought by the
state are - cases appealed from the
local police court. making an aggre
gate criminal docket of 116 cases
Among the state cases are 81 COM
plants against alleged violators Of The
prohihitory law. which is almost a rec
ord in Shawnee county for this class
OF prosecution. There arI Is cases in
which defendants are charged with en-
bezzlement- forgery. burglary or lar
Cenv n varying degrees. Five cases,
charging assault with intent to kill
state complaints are for various Of
lenses
Many Damage suits.
There are 55 damage suits on the
dockets for trial in the two courts in
January OF this number. 80 have been
assigned to the first division and %
viii go to Judge Whitcomb for dis
posal- These cases. exclusive of a
$1,000 bond case by Shawnee county
against Kelley & Kelley. aggregate
sS9S-O11-54 and probably establishes a
record for damage cases in this court. /
AQf the IS damages suits in Judge |
lNana's court the complainants ask a |
total Of S2OS. 20S.04. in individual /
cases ranging from S211 to $4,000. /
In the second division the % dam |
age suits total s1S4.SO3-5O. the small |
est of which is for $1,000, while the |
largest asks for $4,000. The majority /
Of these cases are against corporations /
such as the railroads, the gas company 1
and other corporations Perhaps a /
dozen of the cases are brought against i
individuals. the largest OF which is the |
Boyd Fletcher case. in which $4,000 |
Is asked for malicious shooting
This term the juries have been I'M 4
usually kind to plaintiffs in damage
cases and the heavy January list
should prove profitable to Topeka .
ADDED TO the damage suits. is one
action for SANDER in which 81 600 is |
asked; one alienation suit for 81 600 and 4
a dozen promising actions for alimony. /
Few Divorce suits
The real feature OF the January trial 1
s1ocket. however. is the small number /
q divorce cases In both divisions. but [
Is actions for divorce are scheduled. /
This feature of the docket is the real !
shock to the legal fraternity In former
days Is and 100 divorce cases were not
considered an unusually large list sud
denly and without notice. the bottom
falls from the list of domestic upris-
ings.
This shortage OF divorce cases.
though. is partly explained by the crea-
ton of the new court in this county
With TWO courts. business has been
handled wita greater rapidity and many
divorce cases have been taken care of
the same day or week in which they
"a ere filed For this reason only such
eases have been assigned to the com
ing term IS involved property rights
or in which there is contest as to a
County Attorney Simon has a healthy
list of liquor Injunction and contempt
frOceedings pending The docket calls
for the disposal OF IS of these cases
In the first division and three in the
second division. Other cases pending
aclude partition suits. actions to quiet
title and matters i'm which only the liti-
sants hold personal interest