The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-04-17
ROW GETS WARMER
County Officials Still Split on
Lewis Charge.
Judge Lee and Sheriff Won't
Give in to Fisher.
LEE CITES CASE OF LUCE
Says Records Show He Was Let
OF Easy"
Declares He'd Welcome Auto
Theft Issue in Election.
lee CITES CASE OF LUCE

Judge Rad NJ. Lee of the court of
Topeka and Sheriff Hugh Larimer to-
day refused to turn the other cheek
10 Hugh Fisher county attorney, who
insisted that Paul Lewis, 1s-year-old
Topeka boy, be tried for grand lar
cery, while Judge Lee and Sheriff
Larimer both held the lad should be
given no more than a misdemeanor
sentence.
IF Hugh Fisher really wanted to
prosecute all auto thieves to the limit
he could have done that in the case
OF Ralph Luce, one of the most ag-
gravated cases that has come before
the courts in months" said Judge Lee
today. Instead of demanding that
Justice be applied to the very hilt,
Fisher offered no objections to letting
this fellow off without a day spent in
Jail in Shawnee county,
Cites Records in Luce Case.
Judge Lee went to the records in
the office of Mrs. Mary z. Chaplin.
clerk of the district court, and pointed
to the record of a parole granted
Luce. There was not a word on the
records showing where Fisher had en-
tered any objections. Then Judge Lee
reviewed the Luce case.
Luce who was a married man and
not a youth not only stole an automo-
bile from William Usher; he led a
hard working girl astray." Lee assert
ed. He got her to spot Csher's car
as it stood in front of the Knights and
Ladies Of Security building. had the
girl notify him and then got a negro
boy to get in the car and drive it to
Garfield park. From there Luce drove
the machine to Kansas City.
The records here in the clerks Of
lice show that Luce was turned loose
on parole and so far as can find he
wasn't even given a sentence. That
a Of nd 10
The records indicate that he must re-
port to the judge of the district court
quarterly and must pay for the dam
age done to the Usher machine.
Welcome Political Issue.
THE records also will show that
the girl he used to spot the machine
was obliged to remain in jail here for
several days and had her reputation
badly damaged. Yet, there was no
hue and cry about prosecuting the full
grown man to the limit. He never even
denied he stole the car for any other
purpose than to keep it while we had
voluminous testimony in the Lewis
case to show the boy was merely a
joy rider.
Il understand the auto dealers want
to make my ruling of Friday a politi-
cal issue in the coming campaign.
That will be a welcome issue with me
and I'll win hands downs on it, ap-
preciate their position, and you can
rest assured when I am satisfied a
man is guilty of grand larceny, I'll see
that he is bound over to the district
court on that charge"
Larimer today stated he appreciated
the position of auto dealers with thou
sands of dollars worth of property en-
dangered by auto thefts.
Larimer's Attitude.
"At the same time" said Larimer,
Il don't think they should blindly in
sist on prosecution to the limit of every
case, no matter what the circum-
stances are.
I'll certainly appreciate their serv-
ices in aiding my office in the prose
have positive proof that Jones received
two stolen cars from Gingrich and
Dempsey, the outlaws. who used his
place south of the city as a rendezvous.
THE breaking up of that rendezvous
nearly cost me my life and did cost
Gringrich his life. Jones tried to dis
pose of these two stolen machines and
he absolutely refused to give us any
information that would lead to the
bank robbers, auto thieves and as
sassins until he learned that we were
going to get them, anyway.
81 had his parole revoked on a
liquor charge in order to hold him.
Then I swore to two warrants charg-
ing him with receiving stolen property
His preliminary hearing has been
postponed in the court of Topeka sew
eraI times. So far as have been able
to learn Hugh Fisher hasn't torn his
shirt in the prosecution of Hickory
Jones as he did in the prosecution of
the Lewis lad. I'll certainly welcome
! the valuable services of Fisher and the
auto dealers in seeing that Jones is
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