The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-20

1
| ing the removal of Botl1in has become
| one of the most weird, desultory
searching expeditions conducted IN
Kansas in several years. AS result,
it is reported that the commission IS
tired and disguised and drastic and
sweeping recommendations are not
/ considered improbable
H. G. Whistler, prison shop en-
! ployee, was called to tell of a con-
| tract concerning a patent right owned
| by a convict. 1t was asserted that
/ Whistler, with Warden Botkin and
| other prison officials had entered into
| a contract to finance the promotion
| of the patent. Whistler displayed a
wide and wonderful range of forget
| fulness- He either did not know or
couldn't remember. He forgot when
remembered when he should have for
gotten.
Maybe So; Maybe Not.
Whistler thought he had given the
contract to his wife. Maybe it had
been signed by the warden. Maybe it
hadn't. Whistler thought he had
given the contract to his wife. Maybe
| it had been destroyed. Maybe not.
In evaporation S. NJ. Brewster, at
torney general, sent a process server
to the Whistler home for Mrs. Whist
Ter and the contract. Mrs. Whistler
came-but without the contract She
didn't know anything about it. For
fifteen minutes Brewster and Edwin
McKeever questioned and croSs-ques-
toned and sought to impeach their
own witnesses. Then Whistler and
his wife were directed by the lawyers
and the commission to go home and
look for the contract. The process
server was sent with them. AS Mrs.
Whistler left the room, she reeled and
fell on the floor of the corridor in a
faint.
Then the prosecution called Botkin
to testify against himself, if such evil
dence could be gathered. Botkin
didn't remember whether he had
Maybe he had copy of the contract.
Maybe he didn't. He promised to
look.
Next came Botkin's private clerk
and stenographer to tell that she had
once taken from the warden dictation
of a contract similar to the one in
question. Still there was no original
copy.
Witnesses were then called to tell
about the record of prisoners, the
keeping of the cash accounts of the
prisoners and other subjects that
might be construed as violations of
law, prison rules or ideas of business
management and efficiency. Leland
Roberts, an inmate employed in the
parole clerks office, consulted the
record and said that certain prison
ers had never received paroles. 1t is
the contention of the prosecution that
process of law, or were permitted to
escape.
The case of Frank McCarty was
taken up. Witnesses testified that
Tom Cook, a convict in charge of GER
tain records, had reduced McCarty'S
sentence on the books to read five to
ten years instead of six to fifteen
years. the original sentence. This
change enabled McCarty to leave the
prison six months early.
Took Browns Word for 1t.
When this bit of testimony was out
of the way, Warden Botkin himself
went to the stand to state that the dis
charge of several of the prisoners was
upon statements of w. L. Brown,
chairman of the prison board. Brown,
according to Botkin, stated that the
paroles had been officially approved.
After disposing of this bit of dispute,
the commission returned to the patent
right issue. John McGinnis, owner
of the patent, was himself called from
the cell blocks. McGinnis carries a
we'll regulated set of aliases. He was
a sharp witness and lodged and side
stepped and spared with the lawyers
for a half hour. Two or three times
he lost control and told what he
thought of prison management and
the treatment he had received.
Just look at my Shoes said the
excited prisoner, Just look at at
them"
Again McGinnis said Warden Bot
kin had signed the patent right con-
tract. The copy which the prisoner
owned, he said, had been taken from
his cell by c. A. Tolman, acting
warden, and Captain a. c. Potter.
Both went to the stand and denied
they had ever seen a copy of the con-
tract or knew of it's existence.
McGinnis was most bitter in his de-
nunciation of the acting warden. Often
he interrupted the proceedings to tell
what he thought of his treatment.
''I hope to die, before God 1 hope
to die if that man didn't send me to
the hole-sent me for cussing him
when L never cusSed him. shouted
McGinnis in an excited tone.
Then the witness would return to a
discussion of the contract.
rEAEAAAEnH RFhR Ar