The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-11-02

Cath Freeman has submitted the fol-
lowing statement:
Mr.. Keller:
Your allegation that | have 'prosti-
tuted the state department of public
accounting for personal and political
ends would be ludcrous if it were not
for the fact that ones sympathy goes
out to an individual who would ven
ture such ridiculous assertion l had
nothing whatever to do with this
probe" nor with the publicity Of your
offenses through the columns of the
paper until called upon by news
paper representative after the article
concerning investigations by state au-
thorities was reported in the Item. My
only connection with the Jackson
Township affairs was in the cases
against Lee Hines, whom | informed,
after you refused to return the fees of
SIS to him, that l would not bring suit
for their recovery until after the cleo
lion Is not that treating you fairly,
Mr. Keller?
His Interpretation.
Il have said nothing unkind or I'M
fair to you, Mr.. Keller, unless calling
attention to your official record in &C
cepting fees which you admit you were
not entitled to and which you were
compelled to pay back, be unkind and
unfair. IT holding up your official
record to public view be dirty politics,
it is because your record is dirty.
My father had nothing whatever to
do with this business. And your state
ments and those of the Palladium con-
corning his connection with this mat
ter are false, and your resorting to
references like Bipartisan combina
hI,t
dence the fact that you have no legiti-
mate explanation of the irregularities
in your official conduct.
Your defense of your action in &C
cepting the fees in the HagerstOwn
and Abingdon cases, which you We're
compelled to pay back, is puerile and
absurd, for your only excuse is that
Won were ignorant of the law pertain
ing to the collection of fees for the
prosecutor in Justice of the Peace
courts. You, as a lawyer, know that
ignorance of the law is not a defense,
and yet we have the anomalous spec
laclC Of the states prosecutor for this
county pleading ignorance to cover up
his own nefariOus actions and to
arouse the sympathy of an intelligent
electorate.
Denies Statement.
50 far as the StinSOn case is con
""rnpd. your statement that you vol
u"tarily wrote him a check for the
amount and delivered it to him is as
rldirElOus as it is false, for you did
nc1 pay back this - fee until after you
had been compelled to refund fees in
ether cases. This same Robert Stin-
son was the man with whom you
mpromised' for one fee when he
~ in rntn Il
who objected and refused to pay your
fees for the reason that you were not
present and had nothing to do with the
trials. This was in December, 1913.
Later the same question arose in a
number Of cases. Will YOU now say
that you had no knowledge of the il
legality OF these fees and the fees in
similar cases until demand for their
return was made in August last?
with respect to the collection and
receipt by you of the illegal fees in the
liagerstown and Abingdon cases, you
adrOitly replied, when called upon to
affirm or deny the truth of this report
that you returned the fees when their
return was demanded. But what
about the Culprit who acts in SINH
lar manner when caught with the
goods on him? Would you refuse to
prosecute him because he had return
ed the loot? If your returning these
fees when demand was made be SUI
ficent to excuse you for your repre-
hensible acceptance Of them, would
not similar conduct on the part of the
culprit be sufficient defense for him
No, MIR. Keller. you will have to seek
some other cover, for that is too thir
to conceal your guilty transactions
Describes Action
Your statement that was in league
with Mr.. Allen to secure his election
to the office of prosecutor is as un
true as your statement that | expected
to be his deputy in case Of his election
neither of which statements has an,
foundation in fact. Such statement!
are only scuttlefish practices designed
to obscure the charges against you
official conduct so that you Nigh
escape the criticism which you de
serve. My employment in these mat
had collected these illegal fees wa
not for the purpose of electing MI
Allen, but for the purpose Of recover
ing the money to which they wer
entitled under the law. Both Mr.. Al
len and Mr. Harlan are honest AM
capable men, and the people Of thi
county want an honest man in thi
office who will conduct it's affairs In
business-like manner, regardless of pc
litical faith.
"You are mistaken when you sa
that have hatred for you, for hav
only q contempt. which has been &C