The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-02
Meriden Takes Sides and Town
Row Starts.
Mckinney Threw Dead Animal
Out of Window.
ARREST CAUSES STIR.
Justice Fines Him and Orders
Feline Buried.
Bank, Homes and Churches In
vaded by Quarrel.

Every country town has ITS trouble
but Meriden. Il miles northeast of To-
peka. has real live contagious town
war that has made the old weather
prophets neglect their early spring and
record flood predictions and devote
their time to the issues nearer their
own heart 1t was just a homeless.
frail and sickly kitten that started Me
riden's contention. 1t threatens to dis
rupt every industry. invade the home
and the churches and promises to be an
issue in the municipal election next
spring.
No one particularly blames the poor
homeless cat Even the opposition
concede that c. G Mckinney, the tel
ephone manager did a charitable act
when he gave the kitten bed under
a. warm stove But when Mckinney
found the next day that the eat had
died. he failed to bury the feline Then
trout bic started.
One cold day a sick kitten shivering
from cold and hunger, climbed the
stairs to the office of the Meriden tele-
phone company. For an hour it cried
and meoWed for help. None came. but
the cat never despaired- 1t continued
its serenade through the long. dismal
afternoon and its pieadings for help
came right from the heart. Then Nc
Kinney heard the walls and carried the
cat to a place beside the warm stove
He bought the Waif a bottle of milk
and saw that it provided with
such comforts as the office afforded
As evidence of appreciation, the lonely
kitten made love to the telephone oper-
ators until long into the night. Then
it returned to the warm stove and the
bowl of milk Near the stove the kit
ten found a nice warm spot, curled UP
and went to Sleep
Cat Dies. Trouble Starts.
The next morning the cat was dead
Mckinney threw the body into the
street, forgot the incident and an hour
later was occupied with his own
troubles. It was nearly noon when
ssLish'' Taylor, the town marshal.
rambled into the telephone office In a
voice that frightened the operators he
told Mckinney he was under arrest
The telephone man wanted to debate
the matter. but Taylor was backed by
a badge as large as dinner plate, the
authority of the court and a wholesome
respect for law and order.
Mckinney went to the town police
court. Here Squire Warner fired the
local hello magnate $40 for fracturing
{. town ordinance against throwing
dead animals in streets, alleys and
public highways. Then Judge Warner
raped gently on his own dome of
thought and handed down a supplement
tary decree that should stand in favor
able comparison with records of jurists
from the days of Solomon to the record
of Judge Landis-
Fine Not Punishment Enough
This prisoner" quoth his honor,
sOlemnlv feeling the dignity of his jOD,
is herewith and hereby ordered ana
directed to bury the cat in one hour
from the issuance of this decree. Court
is adjourned"
Now. Mckinney doesn't bury cats
That order from the court grated
deeply on his sense of justice. Eph
Wagner, cashier of the town bank,
heard the courts order and believed
that his friend and neighbor had been
wronged. So Wagner signed McKin
1ey's bond and the telephone man re-
fused to bury the homeless, friendless
kitty Then Judge Warmers friends
were offended. They wanted to know
what in tarnation was the good of
making laws when people wouldn't
obey them and this faction said unkind
things about Mckinney and his fol-
lowing.
That was just the little cloud of dust
that started veritable tornado in the
quiet. easy going village. Around the
family heating stoves that night peo-
pie forgot the tariff agitation. the al
legged LeFollette boom and the pro-
posed tariff reform. They discussed
but one subject. That was Mckinney
and the order of the highly respected
and trustworthy police court
One man said it was unjust. The
next day he ordered the telephone TAX
en- from his home. The news spread
and another hello box was Cancelled.
Mckinney's friends came to the res
cue. Some of them had never owned
and didn't need one. But their friend
was being crucified right before their
eyes. So they ordered telephones in
their homes.
Bank Gets Into Row.
That wasn't all Eph Wagner was
having a hard time explaining his po-
siticn to the board of directors of the
Meriden State bank The board was
divided and the bank tellers and book
keepers and collectors and the janitor
took issue on the cat fight It is said
that one of the heavy stockholders up
braided Wagner without stint or
mercy, threatened to withdraw from
the institution and establish a bank
that would stand in wholesome re
Spect of the law and the courts To
these remarks NfcKinney's friends re-
piled that the courts order was unjust
and no self respecting citizen would
obey such an order.
So it went. Former friends refused
to speak they met on the street
The town newspaper, its editor dyed in
shc uncertainty of tho game. evaded
the issue in his columns Right well did
he know that his editorial opinion
should he decide to have one-Mo1lld
lose subscribers either way he jumped
But the war "a opt going. Each dav new
recruits were added to the fighting
forces and neither side refused to Yield
Mckinney would not bury the cat Wag-
Ter would not apologize to his board Of
directors Judge Warner refused to re-
verse his own decision and neither fac
ton would yield one inch.
But Where Is the Cat?
There is only one hope. Next spring
the town Will hold an election for the
selection of city officials. Both sides
are said to have slated men for the
municipal jobs from mayor down to
street commissioner and collector of dog
tax The dead kitten and its future
resting place is the one issue on which
the bell igerent citizenry will meet and
fight it out for keeps. Both sides are