November 9th 1921. Kathryn Van Luven, Assistant Attorney General, Oklahoma City. My dear Madam:- Yours of the 8th came to me this morning, together with a copy of Mr. George S. Johnson's epistle. Mr. Johnson was in my office and talked this matter over with me after he had come out of jail. As I presume you are aware, dear madam that every jail every where, where there is a considerable amount of prisoners have their jail rules and Court commonly called "Kangaroo" and in a place like Tulsa where there are so many prisoners it would be an utter impossibility to keep those prisoners from exercising those Court rules and, in fact, they help to keep down infractions within the prison walls over which I absolutely have no control whatever. Johnson was arrested by the "Military" over which I have no control, placed in the jail of Tulsa County under the care and custody of the County sheriff. They have their rules, one of them is, that they take any money that the prisoner has into their hands when the prisoner enters the jail, they pay the same out on the written order signed by the prisoner, in this case Mr. Johnson signed a written order to the jailor, Mr. Large, for the money. Mr. Large paid out that money on that order and I see no way by which he could go behind it. I do all I can to help all men that are so unfortunate as to get in our jail, that is right, further, I can not go, nor will I attempt to. I am not to blame for any mans' going there. I turn every one loose that I can justly do so. I send every one to McAllister that I can, that I think ought to go there. In other words, dear madam, I fearlessly do my duty as I understand it, treating everybody courteously, but not apologizing to any one for doing right. I do not see what I could do in this matter to relieve Mr. Johnson of the loss of his money, unless it would be to advise
Letter to Mrs. Van Leuven, Assistant Attorney General, 1921 November 9, from W. F. Seaver, Tulsa County Attorney, regarding George S. Johnson's concerns and mistreatment while serving time in Tulsa jail.
Letter W. F. Seaver, Tulsa County Attorney to Mrs. Van Leuven, Assistant Attorney General, 1921 November 9, Box 25, Record Group 1-2, State of Oklahoma vs. John A. Gustafson, Chief of Police Tulsa (Tulsa Race Riot Investigation Vice Condition); Civil Case No. 1062, Attorney General, Oklahoma State Archives Division, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Oklahoma City, OK
Rights and Permissions
Oklahoma State Archives Division, Oklahoma Department of Libraries. For further information regarding the rights to this collection, please visit www.crossroads.odl.state.ok.us/cdm4/rights.php
November 9th 1921. Kathryn Van Luven, Assistant Attorney General, Oklahoma City. My dear Madam:- Yours of the 8th came to me this morning, together with a copy of Mr. George S. Johnson's epistle. Mr. Johnson was in my office and talked this matter over with me after he had come out of jail. As I presume you are aware, dear madam that every jail every where, where there is a considerable amount of prisoners have their jail rules and Court commonly called "Kangaroo" and in a place like Tulsa where there are so many prisoners it would be an utter impossibility to keep those prisoners from exercising those Court rules and, in fact, they help to keep down infractions within the prison walls over which I absolutely have no control whatever. Johnson was arrested by the "Military" over which I have no control, placed in the jail of Tulsa County under the care and custody of the County sheriff. They have their rules, one of them is, that they take any money that the prisoner has into their hands when the prisoner enters the jail, they pay the same out on the written order signed by the prisoner, in this case Mr. Johnson signed a written order to the jailor, Mr. Large, for the money. Mr. Large paid out that money on that order and I see no way by which he could go behind it. I do all I can to help all men that are so unfortunate as to get in our jail, that is right, further, I can not go, nor will I attempt to. I am not to blame for any mans' going there. I turn every one loose that I can justly do so. I send every one to McAllister that I can, that I think ought to go there. In other words, dear madam, I fearlessly do my duty as I understand it, treating everybody courteously, but not apologizing to any one for doing right. I do not see what I could do in this matter to relieve Mr. Johnson of the loss of his money, unless it would be to advise
Oklahoma State Archives Division, Oklahoma Department of Libraries. For further information regarding the rights to this collection, please visit www.crossroads.odl.state.ok.us/cdm4/rights.php
Identifier
001_Letter W. F. Seaver, Tulsa County Attorney to Mrs. Van Leuven, Assistant Attorney General, 1921 November 9; Page 1.tif