Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-08
lIololArURE ASKED TO IN.
PEACH MEMBERS OF STATE
suPREME COURT.
ourcRoPPlNo OF THE
OLD eLopGErr CASE
Three Judges Now on List and Fourth
Will Probably 30 Added - Two
Others Were Included But Have A.
rsady Been Retired Mrs. eIodsett
Circulating Petitions.
Special to Times-Republican

whole bunch for Iowa at one haul. That
Is what il to be proposed just as quick
~ as the legislature gets itself ready
to receive positions and memorials
from the dear people.
Three justices of the supreme court
are on the list. Probably fourth will
now be added. Two others were sched-
uled for the recall but they have al
ready been retired. The two new ones
are not included The legislature is to
be asked, In the absence of other re-
call machinery, to remove the bench
OF the supreme court by impeachment.
Petitions to that effect and for that
purpose are in circulation now.
outeroppins Of Blodsett Case.
1t is an outcropping of the old Blod-
gett case, which has engaged the at
tention OF the courts and the news
papers for a long time. In fact the
Blodgett case came very near to trag-
edy on one occasion. 1t was at time
when certain Dies Moines newspapers
were engaged in lambasting the SUI
preme court for alleged petty derelc
tons, and Blodgett, who had griev-
ance against the supreme court, was
courage failed him at the last moment
did he not carry out a plan to re
move" one or more of the judges in
even less ceremonious manner than by
impeachment.
Mrs. Biedsstt cireuIates Petition.
The petitions to the legislature for
impeachment have been sent out and
are being secured by Mrs. D. 7. Blod-
gett, whose husband is nearing the fin
ish Of a dve-year term in prison. She
has stood Loyalty by her husband and
has been faithful and persistent in eff
forts to secure his release. Her con-
viction that he is illegally imprisoned
in very firm. despite contrary view
entertained by numerous courts. 1t can
be said truhtfu1ly that perhaps no per-
son at the state reformatory has had
his case passed on by so many different
and such high Judges. Mr.. Blodgets.
the victim, and Mrs. Blodgett, believe
that these judges have not fairly passed
on the case. in fact that some OF them
= have been in q conspiracy and others
were moved by malice and prejudice;
and that in general there has been
gross misapplication Of law That
which will be presented to the Thirty
fourth general assembly is broad
claim that Ave judges-McClain. Sher-
win, Ladd, Deemer and Evans-en'
gagged in a conspiracy against defend
ant Blodgett whereby he is unduiy &C.
prived of his liberty contrary TO var
ious constitutions and states.
History Of tho Case.
The original controversy is not nara
TO understand. When D. T. Blodgett
was an agent for the Hoist Publishing
Company, Boone, he made out fctl-
tious paper purporting to be school
warrant by officers Of Douglas town
ship. Polk county, which he turned
in to the company at Boone and got
$50. BIodgett admits all this but
claims that he made out the fictitious
paper at the instance Of his employ
ers and that the money paid him was
because Of services rendered, and
there was no intent to defraud them
and no possibility of defrauding the
school district. He was indicted in
Boone county for uttering a forged
instrument and acquitted. He was in
dicted in Polk county for forgery and
convicted. He says 1t was all one
transaction and the Boone acquittai
should have saved him from the Polk
trial He also makes claim that
Judges In Polk county made false en-
tries on the books about his case. He
insists that the judge who presided
at the last trial refused jury trial
on the question Of fact as to wether
there had been a previous adjudica-
ton.
Several Judges In Case.
The Boone trial was before Judge
Evans and the last trial before Judge
Clements. Three or four Polk county
judges had hand in 1t and caused his
indictment for Iibeling them in mat
tiers Blodgett printed. The supreme
court Of Iowa affirmed the case. Since
then applications for habeas corpus
release have been presented to and
denied by Judges Reed, Sanborn,
Adams, Smith, Vandevanter and Day.
all OF the federal courts. Judge Van
devanter fled an opinion Of consider
able length. More recently. Judge
Weaver. who dissented from the SUI
preme court conclusions. also refused
habeas corpus.
May Include Weaver.
Now Mrs. Blodgett has had printed
the vandevanter opinion and a letter
she wrote to him. under the title of
Are Taft's Judges ignorant or dis
Z honest" and a petition to the legisla-
ture asking for impeachment of the
supreme bench, not including Weaver.
But as he has also since turned
Blodgett down there is no reason why
he should be thus sighted.
In q circular letter sent out witt,
the papers MRS Blodgett states that
her husband published THE Secretary
In which "the crookedness Of some
judicial opinions and other fraudulent
official acts OF some judges were
published" and that "to discoura &c
such freedom Of the press some judges
conspired to defraud my husband OF
his personal liberty and they have. UP
to date, with the aid of the governor
and board Of parole, succeeded in their
conspiracy"
There II no doubt that the matter
viii be presented to the legislature
and the petition will go to the judiciary
oonamittee Of the house for careful
Y 0oaD1deration.
psOfeessrs Daughter Receivers.