Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1920-12-24
NO LAWYERS OR /
CRIME IN TOWN
For Years There Has Been No
Cause to Have the Law on
a Soul in Eudora, Kan.
COLoN|zED BY CH|CAG0ANS
Only Once Has Crime Raised lts Hydra
Head and That Was When a
Bandit Robbed Bank Twice
In One Month.

Bandit Robbed Bank Twice
In One Month.
Eudora, Kan.-In the line of model
law abiding localities, Sir Thomas
More wrote a piece about place he
called Utopia. Although Sir Thomas
failed to say so in so many words, he
may be quoted as asserting in effect
that "Good morning, Judge" was re-
mark one never would hear In Utopia.
Utopia, however, exists only In 1m-
agination. Eudora, now-it's in Kan
SaS.
For the last two years at least there
soul in Eudora. 1t was at that time
that the last Of Eudora's police judge4
passed out Of Office and the ONCE
passed out with him. Since even long
er ago what once was the lookup has
been simply the basement Of the city
hall, no more, no less And that strong
arm of the law, the city marshal. TO-
day would be mere agurehead did be
not unite in his person the additional
functions of street commissioner ana
grave digger.
Back in 1857 Eudora was colonized
by people from Chicago, the Kansas
City Star says. But before long, like
the colonies Of ancient Greece, she cast
of the yoke of the mother city and
now they have not even police court
in common. The town took its name
from the lithesome daughter Of an In
dian chieftain Of the friendly Shawnee
tribe. There may have been some
thought that the honor should 60 to
the chief himself, but his name was
Paschal Fish, and Eudorans, ever con-
siderate of the future hesitated to
fasten on posterity such P. o. ad-
lress as Fish, Kan.
The stormy days of the Civil war
attack Of nervous prostration when
Quantrell passed within three miles on
his way to Lawrence. But true peace
did not begin to settle on Eudora until
Kansas went dry"
DlseouraoIne for LawysrA
About twenty years ago there were
two lawyers in town, and when they
died they left no successors. 1t had
become evident that Eudora was no
field for legal talent, One old inhab'-
tant thus states the present legal sit
uation:
"There be still,'' he drawls. "some
liars left around these parts, but no
lawyers"
In the folklore which already is he
ginning to surround the regime Of the
last police Judge is this anecdote:
A culnrit was hailed into court on
some trivial ofrens". "Guilty or not
guf,tv?" asked the ildge-then before
the prisoner could :inSwer-"You must
be guilty. If you were not guilty they
wouldn't he bringing you IN here"
Only once has crime reared it's n.y.
dra head and looked really nasty in
Eudora That was when a 19-year-old
bandit robbed the Eudora State bank
twice In month. shot q policeman and
p,,t a bullet in the inv Of Fred Starr,
cashier and prescott mayor. They still
live on that excitement Of 1909. back
In Eudora md they declare it'll last
EN-.
Since then there hH Sn't been thing.
unless You count the time negro
whipped out a knife and slasl,ed a
new suit If store clothes which John,
Paxton had lust put on.
Vet It's Lively WithaI.
Don't believe for y moment that MI
that rcctltude means Fedora isn't mol
ern. It's thriving little city Of go
and they rate per capfa
wealth Of SSt'l according to hank de
pOsits
Eudora Is not a candle light village.
There's electric lighting. twentyfour
hours Of 1t to the day. And you should
see Main street Of Saturday night,
when the movies are open. Motor cars
(almost every Eudoran has one Of
two) are lined up several deep along
the curb.
But the most recent innovation is thp
paving just voted In by the council.
Three miles of the city's streets are to
be treated to an asphalt surface and
no more will the dust whirl In over
Ed Pilla's dry goods stock or car
springs be jeopard1zed. But most Of
all, has the paving come as a bob to
Herb Landon, street c6mmisG34
Herb, 1t has been mentioned. an y
city marshal and grave digger. B>&l&
as he was in those two branchss # 81
career Herb has turned the fuffS1
he pept up energy and enthusiasm into
he street making fob.
Such Is the town Of Epdors, which
ons go passed out Of thS el6Ss which
& des{2nated as zone horse"