Meade County news., 1915-01-07
Staying of Convict at State
Penitentiary Brings Up a
Fine Law Point.
CASE PUZZLES OFFICIALS
County Attorney Writes to Attorney
General for Instructions as to
the Proper Procedure.

~
the insane ward at the state peniten-
tiary, and if so, what?
David N. Flynn, county attorney of
Leavenworth county, wants to know.
John S. Dawson, attorney general, is
looking up the problem in answer to
a letter received from Flynn asking
what steps should be taken.
The case presents bewildering le'
gal tangle. Frank Miller No ), ac-
cording to the coroner's Jury, was
killed ny three other convicts. Frank
Miller No. 4, no relative, serving five
To ten-year sentence for burglary from
Washington county; William La
Trasse, ten to twenty-one years for
T. C. ("Home Rum Campbell, one
to five years for robbery, Barton
county.
The beating of Frank Miller No. 5,
which resulted in his death on De-
cember 20, was witnessed only by con-
victs. Their testimony is not adnIis-
si6le in court. 1t was suggested That
the witnesses might be pardoned and
then used as witnesses
THIS presented fresh complication
The witnesses not only were convicts,
they were insane Convicts, confined in
tie ward for the criminal insane at
Lansing. If court could accepL the
testimony of pardoneG cnIvici,
could It admit that of an insa"r man?
None of the three sane convicts who
participated in tie killing could be
fofceo to testify. III his letter lynn
admits he is stIl1pro. Dawson hasn't
as yet been able tC solve the problem.
From the present outlook the state
has no way to PUNISH the convicts foi
lrulGering an insane prisoner when
there were no witnesses except i'll
mates of the big house ward.
+ r. 4
Joke Kills Trainman.-Someone with
an uncontrolled desire to celebrate
Christmas with noise placed signal
torpedo onea track in the Santa Fe
Railroad yards at Chanute. A switch
engine exploded the torpedo while
William F. Norman, a conductor, was
taking the number of the cars of his
train on an adjacent track, particle
of the explosive struck Norman in the
right eye. He died an hour later on
a special train which was taking him
to the company hospital in Topeka.
X X
Farmer Found Dead.-Joln Clark,
a farmer 45 years old, was found dead
in bed recently at his home, eight
miles southwest of Olathe. Heart dis
ease was the probable cause of death.
X X X
Conductor Fatally Injured.-Owen
Thomas, Santa Fe conductor whose
home is in Emporia, was struck by an
incoming passenger train at Florence
and fatally injured.
X x X
Won't Buy Dogs.-Kansas sheriffs
attending the annual convention of
the Kansas Sheriffs' Association at
Wichita put little faith in blood
hounds for running down criminals. A
move to enable sheriffs to buy hounds
as aids failed.
X 4 X
Ends an Old Lawsuit.
The Kansas supreme court has
granted a writ Of mandamus to the
county commissioners of Wyandotte
county to compel w. E. Davis, state
auditor, to register the bonds to pay
for the Argentine wagon bridge over
the Kaw river.
Buying Light MuIes.-Agents who
have been buying up all available cav
airy horses through Kansas for the
French and English armies, are now
after pack mules for use in the French
army
No Claim on Missouri Pacific.-Fed-
eral Attorney Gregory reaffirms the
action of his predecessors in holding
that the Missouri Pacific, present own
er of the Central Branch!Union Pacific
Railroad Company, is not bound to pay
the governments old $l,G00,000 subsi-
dy bond claim against the property.
X
Train Kills School GirI.-Whiie
Miss Julia Nelson, a 17-year-old girl,
was On her way to school at Ingalls,,
the buggy in which she was riding
was struck by a Santa Fe train and
she was killed.
X X X
Train Hits Auto.-W. H. Fitch and
son, o. w. Fitch, were badly injured
when their automobile was run down
by Missouri Pacific switch engine at
Wichita. The machine refused to re-
.spond to brakes because of the ice on
the pavement.
X
Seize Holiday Liquor.-Officials
have raided the clubs in Salina and
arrested more than dozen alleged
bootleggers in the last few days.
Large quantities of Chistmas whisky
and five 15-gallon kegs of hard cider
we're seized.