Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 179, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1912 — FOOLED BY MOCK COURT AND PUT UP CASH. [ARTICLE]

FOOLED BY MOCK COURT AND PUT UP CASH.

Monticello Professional Man, Now a Leading Bull Moose Politician, Charged With Gambling. The following story is copied from the Monon News. The details had some time ago been related to the writer. The man who “fell” for the joke was none other than Dr. A. B. Cray, leader of the progressive party in White county. The story is as follows: / A mock court proceeding during the last term of court hung one oyer on a well known resident of the county seat who is quite active in politics. It was during a lull in court proceedings and lawyers and litigants were absent that the officials concluded that it was a good time to get the laugh on the other fellow by bringing him before the bar of justice on a misdemeanor- charge. Accordingly Sheriff Price proceeded to find his victim, whom .he soon located, and in a solemn sympathetic way informed him that he was under arrest on a grand jury indictment charging him with gambling. To avoid unnecessary publicity, he told him he could go to the court room unattended and that the judge would be there to hear" his plea in privacy. The sheriff returned to the court room and the defendant promptly put in an appearance, evidently chagrined and nervous over his unhappy predicament. He lost no time in elitering a plea of guilty and promptly paid his fine. Before the denoument, the defendant earnestly begged that the affair be kept a profound secret, in order that it might not reach his wife. Thus were mock proceedings interpreted seriously by the butt of the joke. The information On which this story is based was-not obtained from the court officials and the name of the one who unwittingly acknowledged his guilt is withheld for the sake of others who might be embarrassed.