News Items from The Kansas City Journal ~ Old News That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

January 27, 1910

MONUMENT TO GEN. PRICE.

Will Be Erected in Independence by

Daughters of the Confederacy.

A monument to General Sterling Price will likey be erected within a short time on the east side of the Independence court house by the Independence chapter, Daughters of the Confederacy. Yesterday afternoon a delegation from the chapter went before the county court seeking permission, which was granted, providing the monument erected would be an ornameantal one.

Labels: Civil War, county court, Independence, statues

January 26, 1910

HIS SKULL AS AN EXHIBIT.

County Court is Willing to Pay

for Removing It.

Robert Carel, who has a claim against Jackson county on account of falling rocks from a blast striking his head and crushing his skull, gave the county court a portion of his skull in a glass jar yesterday.

Isaac Kimbrell told the court that he understood perfectly well that the county could not be sued. He stated that the injured man was driving by a repair gang managed by Thomas Gaines. The blast was set off and falling rock crushed Carel's skull.

The court asked Mr. Kimbrell to confer with the county counselor in regard to the county making an appropriation covering Carel's expenses. The injury, Mr. Carel stated, occurred October 8.

Labels: county court, Lawsuit

May 11, 1909

WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY.

Lair of Eight Discovered Three

Miles West of Lee's Summit.

Eight wolf scalps were laid on the desk of the county court yesterday while the court was in session at Independence. W. C. Bushart, who lives three miles southeast of Lee's Summit, discovered the lair of wolves and some of them were old enough to show a little fight. The were captured, however, and the county court yesterday ordered a warrant issued to the capture for $16. There is a bounty of $2 on each wolf scalp.

Labels: animals, county court, Independence, Lee's Summit

February 3, 1909

ZWART EXPECTS TO BE BUSY.

New Coroner Asks for Aid in Keep-

ing Records of His Office.

Dr. B. H. Zwart, coroner, applied to the county court yesterday for a stenographer, to be paid $100 a month. He said such a deputy would be valuable to take the evidence presented at inquests. J. M. Patterson, presiding judge of the court, said that former coroners had not expressed need of such help, and that attorneys interested in inquests usually paid the stenographer for his transcript of the evidence. The court took the matter under advisement.

Labels: Coroner Zwart, county court

October 31, 1908

FIREPROOF HOUSE

FOR COUNTY RECORDS.

County Court Decides In Fa-

vor of a Building.

One of the most important projects ever to be undertaken in Jackson county was assured yesterday when the county court decided to erect, adjoining the recorder's office on the north, a fireproof building to house all the records in that office.

At present the records are kept on wooden shelving, in a vault directly above the boiler room of the courthouse. That is, some of the records are. Others are stacked about the office with no protection from fire.

The records in this office contain every land transaction in the county. Should they be destroyed, endless litigation would result to clear titles. Every person in Jackson county, who owns real estate is vitally interested in the project of a fireproof building.

The action of the county court was taken in response to a communication submitted by C. L. Flaugh, H. R. Ennis, F. McMillan, A. P. Nichols and L. S. C. Ladish, a committee appointed for the purpose by the Real Estate exchange.

It was decided by the court that the proposed addition could be built at an expense of about $50,000, the money to come from the general revenues. A committee is to be named to investigate the new building erected by Chicago to house its records. Both that city, which lost all its records by fire and San Francisco, whose books met the same fate, have had much litigation over titles since the destruction of the records. Such a condition is also favorable to the formation of an abstract trust, with the consequent raising the rates to every one who conveys or buys property.

Judge C. E. Moss, who is much in favor of the building, is a candidate for re-election. To return him to the county court would mean a speedy consummation of the plan.

Labels: Chicago, county court, Judges

October 17, 1908

MUST MARCH FOR THE MONEY.

County Court Makes That a Condi-

tion of Gift to Battery B.

By the terms of an appropriation made yesterday by the county court, Battery B will have to parade through Kansas City at least once every three months. The court granted the battery $2,000, to be paid in installments of $500 on each of the following dates: December, 1908, March 1, June 1 and September 1, 1909.

The money so appropriated is to be used for the sole purpose of acquiring or building armories and for their maintenance.

Charles W. German, county counselor, advised the court that the money could be given under the terms of an act passed by the last legislature.

Labels: county court, lawyer, military

August 28, 1908

LEE'S SUMMIT TO HAVE SALOON.

Contestants Over License Fight in

Presence of County Court.

There was almost a fight in the county court room yesterday afternoon when W. H. Carr, who represented the protestors in a Lee's Summit license case, struck, Ernest Bennett, who appeared for the applicants. Carr landed a light blow on the face after a lie had been passed, but the men were at once separated. The application for a saloon license was made by S. L. Coley, who had been at once enjoined by protestors. The court granted the license, on a showing there were 239 signatures for the petitioner and 207 for the protestants.

Labels: county court, courtroom, prohibition, saloon, violence

July 17, 1908

HIGH COURT IN SUGAR CREEK.

Justice A. P. Fonda, Ousted, Refuses

to Grant an Appeal.

Jackson county justice put another bandage over her eyes yesterday and went on a rampage. While Chief Ahern's Gallagher lunacy commission was sitting without authority under the state statutes, in fact, in direct violation of them, Justice A. P. Fonda of Sugar Creek renewed the controversy of who is really the dispenser of the law in that refinery adjunct.

When the Sugar Creek Mercantile Company, which had run a garnishment on F. M. Dabney and had lost the case, wanted to appeal, Justice Fonda refused to allow the appeal. So the would-be appellant yesterday asked the circuit court for a writ of mandamus to compel Fonda to act.

It has been n early two week ago since Judge Walter A. Powell, sitting in the circuit court in Independence, decided that Fonda was not legally a justice. But Fonda keeps right on dispensing justice at the same old stand.

The whole Sugar Creek controversy originated some months ago when Albert Allen, justice of the peace, found business so dull that he wen tot California on a vacation. During his absence there was some need of a court and so the county judges appointed Fonda to the job. In three weeks Allen returned and turned again to the old trade of justicing.

Then enters the county court again. An order was made commanding Allen to surrender his records, so that they might be turned over to Fonda. Allen took the case before Judge Powell, who held that as Allen had never been disqualified, he was justice still.

So Allen has the circuit court back of him and Fonda is the protege of the county court. And justice goes merrily on in Sugar Creek, home of a court of last resort.

Labels: California, circuit court, county court, Judges, Sugar Creek

July 9, 1908

THEIR DREAM WILL

END AT POOR FARM.

RUNAWAY COUPLE COULD NOT

FACE A CRAFTY WORLD.

Mrs. W. T. Mead, Bride of the 66-77-

Year-Old Couple, Applies to

County Court for Permis-

sion to Return.

A bride of a month, with wrinkles of age and care marking her face, tottered towards the bench of the county court yesterday at Independence. It was Mrs. W. T. Mead, who married W. T. Mead, librarian at the county farm, June 6. He was 66 and she 77, and, although the marriage had been forbidden by the county court, both thought they were old enough to know and both left the farm to carry out the twilight dream of their lives.

The county court does not allow inmates of the home to wed, and when the application came for a permit to marry the county court calmly refused the request, and the two old people, not to be thwarted, went to Kansas City and married. Each had saved a little money. He as librarian, and she sewing at the farm. Both had been at the farm a number of years and frequently she would go to the library to get a book and talk with William.

Yesterday the bride tottered towards the county judges and in a faltering voice made a plea for herself and husband that they be allowed to go back to the farm together. They had applied to the superintendent of the farm, but he had refused to allow them to come without the sanction of the court. Judge J. M. Patterson raised his eyes to the ceiling as the application was being made and the story told. Judge George J. Dodd assumed a thoughtful mood and Judge C. E. Moss whittled a pencil.

They would be taken back to the farm, but not as man and wife. They must be separated, not judicially, but constructively. The court could not tolerate a union of inmates at the farm, for it might become epidemic. The rule could not be broken if they married and then wanted to return to the shelter provided by the county.

Mrs. Mead told in faltering tones how she and her husband had purchased a small restaurant, as they had planned before leaving the farm. They paid all of their money over and signed the papers. When they returned to take possession the next day two wagon loads of goods had been hauled away and, in the pitiful helplessness of old age, they realized that they had been swindled.

"I won't live long, judge," she said. "I am destitute now, so is my husband. Please let us go back, won't you? Please let us finish our lives there. Both of us love the farm and we will not be a bother."

The county court was obdurate. "You may go back, but not as man and wife," said the presiding judge. "It's against the rules."

It was decided to allow them to go back, but as individuals and not as married people, and this order was placed on the book which gave Cupid a double jolt.

The order of the court changed the wrinkles on the face of Mrs. Mead to smiles, and she went away joyously to her home, 306 West Fifth street, Kansas City, to tell her husband about the order of the court, and last night they returned to the scene where they learned to love each other, these two old people, happy, but separated, to live the last chapter.

Labels: county court, Independence, Judges, libraries, marriage, poor farm, Seniors

May 15, 1908

G. L. CHRISMAN SERIOUSLY ILL.

Recovery of Former County Judge

and Banker is Doubtful.

G. Lee Chrisman, former presiding judge of the county court, is critically ill at his home near Independence. He suffered a relapse yesterday and the consulting physicians and surgeons fear blood poisoning. Judge Chrisman has been suffering for some weeks from bladder and kidney affection and while his condition was considered serious, it was not thought to be alarming. His change for the worse yesterday makes recovery doubtful.

Judge Chrisman has lived in Jackson county nearly all of his life. He served two terms as judge of the county court from the Eastern district, and one term as presiding judge of the county court, being succeeded by Judge Patterson.

Labels: county court, illness, Independence, Judges

April 25, 1908

THREE PARKS WANT LICENSES.

Electric, Fairmount and Forest Desire

to Sell Liquor.

Petitions for county licenses to sell ber in Electric, Fairmount and Forest parks were filed yesterday with the county court. It was the last day for filing petitions to be acted on during May, and no more parks are expected to ask for licenses. The court will take the petitions up for discussion on May 1, but may continue the final hearing until later in the month. The Electric park petition was filed by Gilbert E. Martin, Fairmount by W. F. Smith and Forest by J. T. Tippett.

Labels: alcohol, county court, Electric park, fairmount park, forest park

November 7, 1907

ORDER FOR ROAD WORK MADE.

The County Court Wishes No Delay Next

Spring in Closing Gaps.

The county court in Independence yesterday issued the order to Oscar Koehler, county surveyor, to prepare all necessary profiles and plans and specifications immediately, so that there may be no delay in the work next year of closing up the gaps in Jackson county's rock road system.

The Lee's Summit road already is graded. Macadam is to be laid from the end of the present rock road to Hickman's Mills. The Raytown and Little Blue road is to be graded and macadamized. The distance is three miles. The Independence and Atherton road is to be extended from the present end of the macadam to the foot of the Missouri river bluffs, a distance of three miles.

Labels: county court, Independence, public works, Raytown

October 2, 1907

ASYLUM FOR PATTERSON.

County Court Refuses to Send Inde-

pendence Man to Rock Pile.

William Patterson, the Independence incendiary, was again sent to the asylum at St. Joseph by the county court yesterday. Patterson believes he has a commission to burn the buildings on the Mormon temple lot at Independence and has once made the attempt.

During his lucid intervals, when he is not in the asylum, Patterson writes booklets and preaches. Chief of Police Hughes, of Independence, appeared before the county court yesterday and recommended that Patterson be assigned to the rockpile for a season, but the ocurt, taking into account the man's past record for unsoundness of mind, failed to agree with him.

Labels: county court, Independence, mental health

August 15, 1907

DON'T LIKE OILED ROADS.

Liverymen File a Protest With the

County Court.

A Grand avenue liveryman appeared before the county court yesterday to plead against oiling the county macadam roads.

"An oiled rock road," he said, "is slippery and dangerous for horses. Since the boulevards in the city have been oiled we liverymen have to put sharp caulks on our horses' shoes to enable them to keep their footing, even in summer. When horses with these barbs are driven on the asphalt pavements they dig holes in it.

"There are two stretches of oiled boulevard in Kansas City upon which horses fall every day. One of them is on the hill near Penn Valley park. Some day there will be a bad accident on one of those places, and the city will have a damage suit on its hands.

"It will be more serious to oil the county roads, because the grades are steeper in the country than on the city boulevards."

Labels: county court, Grand avenue, Penn Valley park, public works

August 11, 1907

OIL FOR COUNTY ROADS.

Orders Issued for Purchase of Wagons

and Oil.

The county court yesterday ordered the purchase of two regulation oiling wagons and crude oil by the carload to oil all of the macadam roads in the county. It is estimated that the roads can be oiled at a cost of $100 a mile and that the expense wil be less than the regular repairs now required after rains and freshets. The new roads and those recently repaired will be oiled first. The two wagons will enable the surveyor to oil a mile of road a day.

Labels: county court, public works