The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-19
Hepburn BecameLawye
After Years of Labor;
Started as Blacksmith

] Mayor Follows. I'm November of
Tho sam" ycnr--two years ago--ho
was elected county attorney ~ Ok
I mulgco county Although Okmulgcc
. county b. normally democratic by
/ 200 votes. Hepburn, a republican,
. was elected by a majority of 1900.
/ when lac made his campaign he
/ was careful to include in every
speech mat ne didn't want the vote
/ uf any gambler, bootloggcr, prosti-
/ iutr or thug II he forgot To in
Judo that statement. he would re-
T tpu tO the stage or the motor truck
/ rr thp improyised platform and
/ make 'the announcement separately.
. tie wanted everyone to know that
/ uo cNpcc'cd 10 be elected by the vote
/ of decent ana upright Citizons-aud
his statement was an omlnous one
90 tho criminal element.
"If ] am elected county attorney,
I'm going 20 be county attorney" he
assured his listeners, and TO cmpha-
Hizc this remark. he added "and no
ono elise VIII occupy this office. Tho
county attorney win be Hepburn"
| In Wow Of his recent ultimatum TO
Attorney General GcorRa, T.. Short.
who camo 10 Dkmulgoo with in
alruciiOn TO suporsodo him as
county attorney, II appears Hepburn
has kept this campaign pledge
In the Same campaign and ON the
same ticket was Lon Kuhn, candl-
daio Tor sheriff OF Dkmulgcc county
Hepburn had barely met Kuhn. Dur-
ins one Of his campaign speeches,
Kuhn, who confessed ho was not an
orator, asked him to tell the crowd
that ho stood for the samc principles
na Hepburn ana that hc also did not
want thu votes OF gamblers, bupt-
lcEg,rH, prostitutes or thugs.'
Hepburn did as Kuhn requested,
But ne didn't stop there.
81 don't Know Mr.. Kuhn very
wcu," he Informed the audience.
He wants to be elected sheriff on
the republican ticket and has ask ed
mo to announce that he wants the
vote OF only decent, law abiding
people. ] make this announcement
Tor hiin, But Waut to add that N
he Is elected and IL he fails to en-
force the laws OF tho state of okla
homa. 1 viii be the first one to at
tempt 10 put him out of office"
And Kuhn was later TO remember |
those words distinctly.
A few months after the election, !
persistent and apparently we'll |
founded rumors reached Hepburn !
thrt gambling joints and bootleggors |
were thriving In Okmulgee county
with the protection of the sheriffs |
office.
Now let Hepburn tell what hap
pcncd:
Il called Ion Kuhn into my office
several times and questioned him
concerning these rumOrs. lie de-
clarcd they were unreliable and un-
founded. But despite his denials,
these rumors continued to reach me.
Il got busy. custer proceedings
were started against Kuhn. The first
trial eXoncrated him. We tried
again. And he was exonerated the |
second time. hut I'm the evidence .
introduced In the second trial It was |
found gambler from Texas had !
offered to pay $4,000 II Okmulgeo |
county were opened up for 80 days |
Then third trial was held--and |
Kuhn was let out" Hepburn finished
simply.
That's Hepburn. lIo knows only |
one course to pursue when he Is CON
vincod the law is being violated
and that IL To prosecute the guilty |
without mercy When he was city !
attorney at Guthrie the city council
started to Consummate deal that
he did not believe was meritorious.
lie entoined the council and forced
IL to back up.
Hepburn Is an intimate friend OF
Gov. j. B. a. Robertson, who was
about to be indicted by the grand
jury In Judge Chrlstophor's court.
Did that deter Hepburn from his ac-
tivities In connection with those OF
tho grand jury? lt did not. Tho
TACT that this grand jury was about
to lndict the governor of tho state
aud personal friend of his made no
difference In his code OF morals and
actions. lt was fellow man al
legged To be guilty of violating a law
and Hepburn was on his trail like
a keen nosed bloodhound.
incidentally, Mrs. Hepburn IN a
DEMOCRAT, and an ardent one, too.
She doesn't like for Jim to be mixed
up I'm politics and she doesn't be-
lieVe I'm woman suffrage. She's "A
pleasant faced. gray haired woman.
"Hou know / don't want you In /
politics. she tells Jim as he smil-
ingly pinches her chin and gruffly
tries to talk her out Of her atti-
tude,
II try to live SO | can come home
every night and tell mamma every
thing I've done that day," he re-
marked-and there, by tho way, is
his creed.
'aIc does" Mrs. Hepburn con-
flrmcd.
Yea" piped up Jimmy from his
corner where he was reading n book,
but I'll bet YOU do lot of things
tlfht you don't tell her about" and
he emphasized the word don't"
And Jim and Mama Just smiled !
mdulgently at their offspring.
Hepburn is life member Of
Guthrie lodge No. 30, A, T.. Il 4. NJ.
tie Is also a member OF tho .
!, @. q. r.