The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1914-12-16
TRAPP DESIRES
GOVERNORS AID.
Seeks 10 Prevent Possible Dis
misSal Of Cases AgainS Nil.
lack and Derwin.
WRITES LETTER TO CRUCE
Says "Great Influence Appears
10 BE Playing Important
Part in Prosecution.
WRITES LETTER TO CRUCE

Lieutenant Goyernor-eleci NJ H..
Trapp has addressed letter tu Cover
nor Cruce asking him to use his beS,
efforts ~ prevent the dismissal In
the district court VI oklahoma cOun.
ty Of the cnses now pending against
Leslie q. Nlblack, editor Of the daily
Lender of Guthrie and H. Il. Derwin
also connected with the Leader, In
which they are charged with having
obtained warrants against the state
IN payment Of alleged fraudulent
claims.
Mr. Trnpp was state auditor during
the Haskell administration and the al
legged Irregularities referred to IN the
letter of the lieutenant goVernOr-clecl
arose during the Trapp administers
tiOn. but are alleged to have been paid
after Leo Meyer became auditor.
Part Of Letter.
In his letter to Governor Cruce Mr.
Trnpp says In part:
II have given considerable time ana
attention, aiding In the prosecution of
these cases, and on several occasions
I have discussed the same with COun-
" Attorney y. X Pope, whose line OF
conversation would invariably attempt
20 convey the idea that his efforts
were being overwhelmed by some
great influence, which positively pre-
! vented him from making progress. l
have taken II upon myself to ascer'
tain II possible. the source OF this
great influence though the only mt
position I was able to find was the
appearance Of McAdams 4 Haskell,
Hepburn & Chappell, a. attorneys OF
record for the defendants.
"If the influence Of these attorneys
IN Of such magnitude M to prevent the
conviction Of Niblack and Derwin on
the evidence now at the command OF
the county attorney. should have to
say that they themselves are a very
obnoxious element and hid fnir Ia
become a menace tO society, although
when one ~ confronted with newspa.
per reports of the ardent prosecution
Of Others Of less personal importance
for similar offenaes, though NJ much
Tess consequence, and the very appRr
ent lack OF prosecution In the NH
lack cases, one N almost constrained
to believe that there IL n mysteriously
hidden great influence hnCk " NIB
lack. What this great influence Is
am compelled to leave you to deter
mine.
No Effort Was Made.
"Not having received any sAtisfnc.
tinn at the hands ~ Mr.. Pope
thought n eminently proper ~ discuss
the matter with Judge II. Y Thomp
son. county attorney-elect, and present
assistant county attorney, who has had
much 10 do with these eases m shown
nv the records. saw Mr. Thompson
few DAYS agn, upon which occasion
he very promptly advised me that II
was his intention 10 dismiss these cas-
es unless Pope did something with
them before he went out Of office"
Trapp avs that after a thorough In
vcstigntion ne has become convinced
that "No reasonable efforts have beef
nRde towatrl prosecuting these defen
dnnts.n The letter then concludes:
IL earnestly appeal 10 your excel
lenry 10 use your utmost power ant
authority a. vested IN You by law, Il
prevent the dismissal of these cases
aud hiring about proper prosecution
thereof that win IN the end put I
ston To outrageous and unscrupulou
raids un the public treasury.
Assuring YOU ~ my positive belle
In your Willingness to do at all times
what you believe to he In the interes
NJ the public welfare, aud hopln'
that this matter viii impress you a
OF sufficient Importance to re1uir'
your Immediate attention, I am, sin
ccrely yours,
NJ n TRApp