The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-27
MedlOck, Especially, Should
Avoid CentraIia, He Says.
Tennesseean Not Impressed
With Speed of Justice.
SHE'S A GOOD LITTLE GIRL
Father of Maid Used to Dupe
Judge Here.
Boys, Too, Excited Over Plot
Against Girl.

The little town of Centralia, on the
Central branch of the Missouri Pa
cific, is no place for the detectives IN
the Gillett case to go for quiet day
according to ]. A. Foster, who IS
spending the day in Topeka. Foster IS
the father of Leta Foster, the Il year
old country girl, VINO was used TO dupe
Iudge Preston B. Gil1ett IN recent
bIackmafIing scheme. The CentraIa
man is wroth and admits he VIII not
try to curb his feelings if the detec-
tives visit his town.
Foster believes that his daughter
Was the victim of a vicious plot and
he will work overtime to help secure
the conviction of the five defendants
A week ago Foster went TO summer
field and took his daugnt;H91r 10 n in
there Foster declares, until after the
trial of the cases.
at don't believe Leta is guilty of a
wrong" said the father today, as ne
sat in the county attorneys once;
''She has always been good little slri
and isn't bad. know she hasn't had
the advantages that nave oeen gwen ~
some girls-her mother is DEAD anu
the child has been more or less out IN
the world for several years It's pref
~ hard to decide just what person
should do in a case of this k1no; your
impulses and anger kind OF get lhs
hest of you som chow and l nave hau
a hard time keeping myself and my
two boys on the track.
Then Foster told of his trip to
S1,mmerfield to get the girl.
'TThomann told me Leta would De
arrested if 1 took her away, contin-
ned Foster land said if [ was gong
to take her 1 ought to take her out
of the state. But you needn "orrS,
she will be right here when the cases
are ready for trial.
Foster is a VERY, determined looking
farmer. He wears a big black. broad
trimmed cloth hat and under the shade
of this expansive headgear, Foster
ewes flashed with hatred as he talked
Of The case The man is a native CT
francesca He admits that the exc
cution of justice in Kansas is slow ana
uncertain and comedies that the reck-
oning with Mrs. Thomann and the two
detectives might have been more RAPID
and certain had he been on the ground
two weeks ago.
A Warning for MedIock.
Down where came FROM" reasoned
Foster. as he removed the big black
hat and laid it on the table: Down
where I come from they often settle
these things with a gun. l know the
right and wrong way of doing this, of
course but 1 don't want those fellows
to come where 1 am-especially that
fellow Medlock. He wants to stay
away from Centralia. / don't want to
meet the fellow at all because-well-
well. Just because 1 amt looking for
trouble"
That's Fosters attitude in the case.
It's clean cut and decisive and the
father of the Centralia girl makes no
apologies He is convinced of his
daughters virtue and equally certain
that the defendants in the case plan
ned the girls disgrace.
I'm the father of IL children-seven
girls and five boys" said Foster, land
this is the first disgrace ever brought
to our home. The people who planned
~ l. -
don't intend to miss a bit of this trial.
With the first of the series of asses
that of County Attorney Wilcox, of
Anthony-set for trial next month,