The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-06-07
WILCOX is BARRED
Supreme Court Decides Against
Harper Lawyer.
Cory Black Must Pay Fine OF
$1,000.
YEAR IN JAIL FOR ERlCSSUN
Famous Case at Last Settled
by Court.
SubIette Wins Haskell county
Seat Fight.
YEAR IN JAIL FOR ERICSSON

,ar County Attorney T. q ~
cox of Anthony, Harper couli'', o,,,t
+odav disbarred by the supr of
49, o1so affirmed the declslon =.
NJ e,,aunee county district 90
tne o1icted Detective n
NliloI c,f 1,opeka and Cory blach -
Eiio9 E7s, crove on a charge OF crliill1ie'-
touiic- lit resulting from the u
lloei - Irdee Preston B. cTllie''
uIe judicial district bldch IN
fjne of $1,000 and Erlosso-i
must serve a year IN Jai,. ,aad down
~ the supreme court winch
80 had the cases under aoNlseilrel -
for several months. Judge T. y
C-oo+ Rend. who was appolhleu o9
~oacia1 commissioner IN lhe
s;sIforrnent suit, recommendeu u 'lio
-,,ororoe court several mohth9
+,,a+ the former Harper county 80
80. he disbarred and ms IliiulI,S ell117+
49, +odax upheld, although the eev.o - =
were touag gFapdant,s greatest offense
@ salu tis connection with the GlHel1
libel case. ., Filed against
1z-iicox- in the disbarmenr proceeulnSs ns
WlicoA ~ Iar+ these charges were al
S;rr,ad nv the court. In the ildtte ildta -
u ~ - criminal libel suit, the suPr
on11rt went even farther, oecleAi nc! ti,e ti,e
49, a suDpIemental brief 1lleo it IN III
naa tnae shoyed eve that wilcox was Jointly
o1,iIfv with Ericsson and Black-
TIE arrest of Wilcox, Black ErlcS-
son. Charlotte Thoman ana ;II1inai
Wed1ock on charge OF erin J1ltsn a.
I'LL occurred in May, 1912: Ine
aon11lajnt was filed by Judge Preston ION
r Gillett of Kingman, VINO p[e9Ioro IaT.
over the kingman-P -Pratt-t9a pel pei, &C
vey county district court, anu Ht,,hSorniy If,o
faugbt criminal cases ever tried IN
shawnee county.
False Charges Against GllieIt.
Indge Giuett had attended the Kan
sas Day banquet in Topeka, January
%. 1912. Subsequent to tnat tlll!e d.
17-vear-oId girl in which she charged
that Judge Gillett ha induced her TO
visit his room in the Nauonal hoIel
the morning of January 30 Other am
davits. supporting the glrIs oocuIlehl y
were made by Detectives Ericsson anu
NTedIoclx and by Mrs. Thomann-
In the trial of the case, it was shown
that the defendants were in the en-
rIov of Wilcox. 1t was the contention
IF the state that the affidavits were Sc
,,,rad viii the consent and knowledge
IF wilcox that he might block the
prosecution of the disbarment case
then pending against him. Cory Black
of Council Grove, wealthy ana
prominent business man. was warm
friend of Wilcox and had written Judge
Cii1Iett intimating in a general way the
sensa tional contents of the affidaVlts-
The Kingma1- judge began an inves-
+igation and the arrests of the five de-
PENDANTS followed. On the witness
stand. Leta Foster repudlated her
former statement and declared that she
had been promised $45 for her test1-
mony against Judge Gillett as given
in her affidavit Testimony as to state
ments of the defendants to the coun-
" attorney and United States Dis
trict Attorney Harry ]. Bone were ad-
rnitted in evidence over protests from
the defense. This testimony was large
Iy responsible for the conviction of
Black and Ericsson. who were tried
with Wilcox. The jury acquitted Will
cox. falling to find that the evidence
directly connected him with the libel.
Black was fined $1,000 and Ericsson
was sentenced to a term of one year in
the county jail.
Last January Mrs. Thomann and
Medlock pleaded guilty and in a state
ment which was made a part of the
journal entry, they admitted the falsi-
ty of their affidavits and declared that
the affidavit of the Foster girl was Sc
cured for use of the Anthony lawyer.
They have not as yet been sentenced
and because of their confessions may
escape with fines.
wilcox, who was disbarred, is a
well known Kansas lawyer. He has
practiced before the Harper county
court for more than 20 years and is
quite wealthy. Nearly two years ago
disbarment proceedings were filed
against him, in which it was al
legged that he was guilty of unprofes-
sional conduct in his practice in the
state courts.
Since this action was fled. there has
been much bitter feeling in the district
Judge Gillett has twice refused to rec
ognize Wilcox in the trial of cases in
his court and mandamus writs were
sought in the supreme court.
The county seat of Haskell county is
TO go to Sublette, under a decision of
the Kansas supreme court today. When
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Rail-
road company built its new line
through the railroadless counties of
southwest Kansas, it established a new
town in Haskell county. and named it
Sublette. Santa F'e has been the coun-
ty seat of that county for many years,
and when the railroad was built an
election was held to move the county
seat to the new town on the railroad.
"A suit was brought to prevent the re-
novaI of the county seat because three
county failed to vote for Sublette. but
three-fifths of those who took the trou-
BILE to vote at the polls did vote to
move the county seat The supreme
court held that three-ff of those
voting at the election. without regard
to the total number of voters in a
county, should determine the election
When there is a change in adminis-
tration in Kansas cities of the first
class under he commission form of
government the subordinate employees