New Britain herald., 1915-12-13

Tricket was appointed on the Sth of June. 1906. He found in the county 256 saloons, 200 gambling houses and 60 houses of ill fame. This was on the Sth of June. On the 3rd of July. five days less than month aft CT. there was not 8 saloon or gamr- ling house, or house of ill fame in the country. That does not seem to be very long time.
 Now the interesting part of this is how it was done. We have law in the state of Kansas which makes it possible to close up a liquor shop as a nuisance. MT. Tricket immediate ly began to enforce this law of abate
 ment He did it first against the saloons with the most costly fixtures, thinking that the other saloons would take the hint, and close up, but it had no effect whatsoever. New fixtures would be moved in over night, and the saloon which had been closed, where the fixtures had been sold, would be doing business again the next morning. MT. Tricket next brought suit against every saloon keeper in Wianott county, but they laughed at him, and said they would be doing business when the prosecu- tiOn was in it's grave. and it looked like it, for often as one saloon keeper would be arrested another one would be supplied from across the river to take his place, and things would go on as usual It seemed as though the crisis had come, but one evening while MT. Tricket was going over some papers in his office he found a court decision, which figured in all of the following record of the case. Every once and a while we have very high floods in Kansas, and just as this time, or just a little before this. there had been one of these floods, which, because one of the railroad bridges was stopping the debris, and forming a sort of dam threatened to flood, and probably ruin one of the lower wards of the city. The people of that ward, in order to save their homes, threatened to blow up this railroad bridge, but the Rail- road went into court and got an in- junction against the people of that ward. However, feeling that the pco- pie might not pay any attention to the injunction, the Railroad asked the court to send the United States Mar shall to the bridge to see that the court order was obeyed. MT. Trick ct said if the highest court in the United States can send it's officer to see that law is enforced. ply where there is the pos sibility of violation, certainly the highest court in the United States ought to send it's officer where there is actually violation of the law. Ac-
 I,0 md MT Tricket won his case. The next day, he, with his assistants, visited every saloon in Wianott county, took the saloon keepers out, put a paddock on the back and front doors of aach. and stationed deputies where they thought it necessary to enforce the law. But the trouble was not over. Most all of the city and county off, cials were against MT. Tricket. The county attorney advised the county commissioners to pardon those who were tried before them on the eX- cuse that they lacked food This tl.ey they did in several instances until did in several instances until they found themselves facing a charge of interfering with orders of the rourt. fering with the orders of the court. The probate judge, has power in Kan saS to release people on a writ of habeas Corpus. and he did release three. until he faced an custer suit in the supreme court of the state Of Kansas for aiding prisoners to escape from the custody of the court, and was. thereafter. enjoined against such proceedings. The prosecution was through. they not only showed the mayor of the city. who had gone to Chicago, and was reported in the papers as saving that God could not enforce the laws of Kansas. and man would not that the laws could be enforced. and even, the mayor of the city could be busted from office and fined $1.000. which he was They busted the county attorney, the chief of police. the captain of police, they put 1.500 citizens under permanent injunction and 100 saloon keepers un- der bond and many more under sus- pended sentences. never to sell Iiuuor a gain in that county. Further. thesa people thought that the man who rented his property was as bad as inc man who sold the liquor. and today there are 500 buildings in that city that are under permanent injunction. so that this year, next year. or any time, if anyone should attempt to sell