The Chanute times., 1913-05-23
A BOYS LIBERTY
STOLEN BY STATE
Twenty-Five Years In Prison For
Trivial Things.
GOV. HODGES ISSUES PAROLE
Kansas Executive Believes That So
ciety Had Committed a Crime
Instead of Arthur Patten
of Usage County.

instead OF Arthur Patten
of Usage County.
Topeka.-Because he believed So
cietS had committed crime against
Arthur Patten, who has spent twenty
three of his thirty years behind pris-
on bars, Governor Hodges issuel a
parole and sent the young man to a
farm to become citizen. Patten is
a victim of environment and later Of
the law. Ever since he was seven
years old Arthur Patten has been in
custody, except for two weeks. He
never stole anything except an cd
watch and a meal, but has served
twenty-three years penal servitude
for it.
The boy, having no home training,
was picked up by the police and sent
to the state reform school, when sew
en- years old, as an incorrigible youth.
the state industrial retormatory for
stealing a watch worth So.
After four years at that institution
Patten was released on parole and
went to work on a farm in Usage
county. He worked only about ten
days when the work ended and he
was out of a job. While hunting for
work the boy spent all his money and
finally landed without money and
hungry in Usage. He still could not
get work.
One night he broke into a house
while the family was away. He found
the remnants of the supper in the
pantry and ate it, He just about had
a square meal when the owner of the
home returned, saw the boy and had
him arrested. Patten was taken back
to the reformatory and on the day of
his release there he was arrested, re-
turned to Usage county and tried and
sentenced to prison for burglary in
the second degree. He has been in
the prison since 1906.
Governor Hodges and the prison
board feel that in this case society
had committed the crime instead of
Arthur Patten, and when the facts
were laid before him, with the plead
ing of the young man to be give one
more chance to make good, the gov
ernor issued the parole.
-O-
Kansas is not responsible for the
violations of the laws of other states
and it has no right to interfere with
in
knows that he is going to violate the
law of another state. George Wood
land was an alleged jointist at South
Coffeyville, Ok, and was selling H.
quor there unlawfully, but was not
selling liquor in Kansas. He had a
shipment of liquor made to him from
Milwaukee to Coffeyville, Kas, 1t was
unloaded on a transfer wagon and
started for South Coffeyville. Before
it got out of Kansas the sheriff of
Montgomery County seized the liquor
and arrested Woodland. The liquor
was destroyed by the Kansas officers.
Woodland appealed TO the supreme
court and the case was reversed, the
Kansas court holding that the lower
court had no right to seize the liquor
which was being taken into another
state to be sold.
1t is rumored that DR.. NJ. T. Sudler, |
associate dean of the Kansas Univer- !
sity School of Medicine has been Of
fered position by the University of
Pennsylvania.
Seventy per cent of the criminal
cases in the district court in Shaw
nee county are caused directly by in
toxicating liquor, according to the fig
ures compiled by c. w. Bower clerk
of the court. Criminal prosecutions
would average only seven a month,
court where other offenses than vio-
lations of the Prohibitory law are
charged. In the last year there was
a total of 29S cases fled OF that
213 were liquor cases. while
comprised the whole list
of other offenses charged The per-
centage is II of liquor cases of the
whole number handled. Two months
in the last year there were no liquor
cases begun. Those months were
May, 1912, and January, 1913. In July
last the largest number of informa-
tions in liquor cases were filed, being
a total of go in the one month. The /;
number dropped off rapidly after that {
time. :
Kansas jurors are to be considered
rs fairly competent to judge the ,
acts of any lawsuit tried in any
Kansas court. So said the Kansas !;
supreme court
-O-
]. n. Dolley, chairman of the Re-
,ublican state central committee. will
all a special meeting of the state =
.ommi<tee to be held in Topeka in /;
hirty days and at that time will for
nally resign the chairmanship of the :,
. ~ s,,sr 1n