Volume 12 , Issue 46

A. C. Towne & Jesse Dunn

[Photo image on the left is a photo copy of A. C. Towne.] -- One afternoon, A. C. Towne and Jesse Dun drifted into the court of J. J. Hughes, who was judge of they county court, to argue a demurrer. On coming in, we found the Hon. C. H. Mauntel, who was then county attorney, was prosecuting a young fellow, who was charged with having stolen three hogs at Isabella in Woods county and having loaded them into a wagon and taken them to Waukomis to the railroad, where he sold them for $21.50.

The defendant, about twenty-one years of age, had no counsel and had entered a plea of guilty. Under the statute, the value of the property being in excess of $20.00, he was guilty of a felony and was headed direct to the penitentiary. If its value could be reduced it would be a misdeameanor, which a jail sentence would cover.

Towne and Dunn, grasping the situation and seeing that the young fellow was without counsel, and being acquainted with his people, asked the court for permission to talk to the boy and see if a defense could not be found for him. This was granted.

The trial was proceeded with, and Towne and Dunn established by witnesses that it was worth $3.00 to haul the hogs from Isabella to the railroad, secured credit therefore upon the price received, reduced the offense thereby to a misdemeanor, and justice in Oklahoma once more triumphed.

Jesse Dunn stated afterwards, "Chris Mauntel is one of the best hearted fellows in the world, for he did not much oppose such a flagrant breach of the law, even though he was county attorney."   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---