Meade County news., 1917-05-24
MAY SEND CONVICTS TO WAR
Two Hundred Confined in State Penl-
, tentiary Willing to Enlist for
Service in France.

Warden Codding estimates that there
are at least 100 prisoners in the Lam
sing penitentiary who will be glad to
enlist in the army either for trench
warfare or for work in rehabilitating
the French railroads, if given their
release. At the present time 200 pris
oners are taking military drill within
the prison walls, and the warden says
half of them would like to go to the
front.
Governor Capper received a tele-
gram from the New York recruiting
office today asking if he would pardon
men, confined for minor offenses, If
they were of mechanical turn Of
mind and willing to go TO France to
help rebuild the railroads there. The
governor replied that if the secretary
of war made an official request of that
kind he would be inclined to give it
favorable consideration. So far the
request has not come from the war
department, but it is expected most
any time.
On account of this inquiry the war
den was asked whether any of the
prisoners would like to go to France
to build railroads. He said they would
not only be glad to go but would petit
ton the governor to let them go. He
will probably submit list of the men
who will accept pardons conditioned
upon their engaging. in railroad work
in France. The governor doesn't feel
like imposing condition that they
shall enter the trenches. That would
be going a trifle too far, he thinks. 1t
might cause some criticism if gov
ernor absolutely forced a prisoner into
the trenches.
If the secretary Of war makes the
request indicated in the message from
the New York recruiting office, the
governor may also sound out the pris-
oners in county jails and find. out how
many of them would also go to France.
1t is estimated that there are 1000
men in Jail in the state.
X X X
Dies in Motor Crash.-Ed N. Sweet,
prominent Hutchinson real estate
man, was killed and three others dam
gerously injured in motor Car col
lision recently. Mr.. Sweet and his
two daughters and Frank Collins, a
demonstrator for motor concern, col
lided at a street corner with a ma
chine occupied by Mrs. Dan Holland
and family. Frank Collins and Miss
Mildred Sweet suffered dangerous in
juries and the 2-year-old son of Mrs.
Holland was badly bruised.
X X x
Young Deck Guilty.-Fred Deck was
found guilty of manslaughter in the
first degree at Lawrence. Deck killed
Benjamin Deck, his father, city mar
shall at Eudora, the night of April 10.
X X X
Physician Dead at 90.-Dr. Lewis w.
Cristler, 80 years old. a pioneer ply
sician of Wichita, died there the other
day.
Pioneer Found Dead.-Elisha Quer-
ry, an old settler. was found dead re.
Gently at his home, seven miles north
west of Pleasanton. He was 62 years
OLD.
| X X X
Grade Crossing Victim Dead.-Mrs
w. F. Guy, who was injured and
whose husband was killed when their
motor car was struck by Missouri
Pacific passenger train two miles west
of Yates Cester, died the next night
X X
German Paper ouits.-The German
Tribune. weekly paper in that lang
uage that has been published in Leav
enworth for seventeen years, has
ceased publication. The high cost Of
paper and other materials was as
cribed by the owners as the reason fol
the suspension.