to do so through the influence of Cook's speech, upon receiving sentence of death. Attorncy-Gcn. Miller, who appeared for the government, acknowledged gross error in the rulings of the lower court, and hence the case was remanded back for rehearing. A strong plea was made against jurisdiction, the court's decision having been what might be termed "judicial legislation." After reversal of the case, Judge Horton of Washington, special agent of the Depart ment of Justice, was sent to Paris and to Stevens County to make full investigation of the killing and the trial, and upon the re port of this official the United States dis trict attorney who prosecuted the case was wired peremptory dismissal. Judge Bryant was also severely reprimanded and barely escaped dismissal, while the men were re leased upon their former bonds. But the case still pending, a petition for unconditional pardon, signed by thirty-eight of the forty members of the Kansas State Senate, and by every one of the State offi cers, was presented to the President. The case from start to finish having cost the gov ernment one hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars, four men having been killed and six sentenced to death, the President was loth to act and referred the matter to the attor ney general, who, after hearing the case, re ferred it to his first assistant, that officer also having declined to act in the matter. The case, however, was not pressed to trial, but was allowed to pass at each term of court for four years without the presence in court of any of the defendants. During this time, among the Woodsdale parties to the prosecution, Wood was killed by a man named Brennan, Short, the Woodsdale mar shal, was killed in the Territory, Wood's partner committed suicide, while three others of less note either died or met violent deaths, and at the fall term of court, 1895, the case against the six men was stricken from the docket, thus ending one of the most important and expensive criminal cases ever tried in the Federal courts. The town of Woodsdale has vanished, one house only remaining, while Hugoton has dwindled to a population of not more than fifty, the two being typical of the de cadence of boom towns in the short grass regions of western Kansas.
HOW THE CITY OF LONDON MAINTAINED ITS CHARTER. BY JOHN DE MORGAN. THE discussion of the proposed new char ter for the Greater New York has caused many to be interested in the charters of other and more ancient cities. Perhaps the City of London has the most ancient charter in the world. Other cities ex isted prior to London, but they underwent such changes that their present system of government bears no similitude to that of five hundred years ago, whereas London has practically the same rights, privileges and customs as it had from its foundation. The city proper is only a small territory, once surrounded by walls, pierced by four
gates, which bore the names of Aldgate, on the east, Aldersgatc on the north, Ludgate on the west, and Bridgcgate over the river on the south. But the city grew, and the means of ingress and egress became too limited, so other gates were made, which bore the names of Bishopgate, Moorgate, Postcrngate, Cripplegate, Newgate and Dowgate. As the city spread itself beyond the walls, barriers were set up and bars erected on the roads marking the city boundaries. Of these only one remains known to the present gener ation, that of Temple Bar, but even that exists
