The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-29
Ottawa Farmer in Sensational
Charges Here Today.
Franklin County Judge and
Two Doctors Also Sued.
SERIOUS CHARGES ARE MADE
Says Illegal Operation on
Daughter Was Desired.
$4,000 Asked for Loss of Lib
erty and Humiliation.

That his former wife, his children
and two physicians, together with F.
NJ. Short, the probate judge of Frank
lin county, conspired together to have
him confined in an insane asylum in
order that they might carry out their
plans of having a criminal operation
performed on one of his daughters is
the charge made in petition filed
this morning in the federal court here
by j. S. Howard. a prominent and
wealthy farmer living near Ottawa,
asking $4,000 damages
Howard names as defendants in the
case his two sons, Bruce Howard, of
Ottawa, and George Howard, o..
Princeton, Kan; his former wife,
Sarah E. Howard, of Bloomington, ILL., I;
his two daughters, Mary Estelle Har-
rison, of Ottawa, and Blanche Howard,
Lodoga, Ind; two physicians w. R.
pennington. of Kansas City, Mo, and
Alexander Haggart, of Ottawa, and F.
M. Short, probate judge of Franklin
county. All members of the Howard
family are reported to be wealthy and
prominent in their respective COM
munities.
Makes Serious Charges.
The Ottawa farmer charges in his
petition that shortly prior to May 29,
! 1917, his unmarried daughter Blanche
| Howard, was found to be in a delicate
| condition and that, altho he endeav-
| ored in every way to find out who
was responsible for her plight she re-
| fused to tell him. He declares that
the former Mrs. Short, together with
the rest of the family, decided to have
an illegal operation performed on Miss
Howard, but the father says he re-
fused to give his consent and would
/ not hear to the plan.
| Then, he declares. his family en-
tered. into conspiracy with the two
| physicians and the probate judge tC
have him declared insane and incar.
cerated in the state hospital. He say:
he was taken before the probate judge
on May 29, 1917. and that after a pre-.
tended hearing lasting only forty min.
utes. he was placed in the county jai
and later. transferred to the state hos
pital at Osawatomie. He claims thaf
| Judge Short refused to permit him tc
hire an attorney, but appointed al
kattorney for him and that the Slawyel
made no attempt to defend him in the
proper manner.
Judge Later Helped Him.
On August %, 1917. Howard says
| Judge Smart, of the district court o
Franklin county, succeeded in gettin;
him out of the asylum but that he wa
no sooner free than his family begal
to conspirte again and in a short tim
| he was returned to Osawatomie, wher
he remained until January 81, 1918.
At that time, he says. he succeeded
in obtaining a jury trial and the jur
pronounced him sane. Howard in
sists that the probate judge, as we'll a
his family and the physicians knew a
the time of his hearing that he wa
sane and of sound mind. and that i
was merely a conspiracy to defeat hin
in preventing the proposed operation
and to get his property. He allege
that had he been allowed to hire al
attorney and been given a jury hear
ing, he would not have been incar
cerated in the first place.
He declares that the injury to hi
reputation, the embarrassment he suf
fered. his anxiety of mind! the tim
lost from his farm and the expense I
which he was put in defending him
self total s25, 900. in addition to whicl
he asks another SIS, 900 as exemplar
| da IMAGES