Assaulted By Candidate Burke

James Burke, Republican Candidate for Sheriff.

In Disgraceful Rows

Assaults Peaceable Citizens and Engage in Street Broils.

James Burke candidate for sheriff on the republican ticket, according to reliable testimony, has made five personal assaults since he received the nomination for that office, which position requires a man of discretion and coolness. Saturday night, in Joe Parker's saloon, this same republican candidate is alleged to have climaxed all his previous misconduct, when he assaulted ex-County Clerk J. F. Schuh, blackening his right eye in a horrible fashion. It is state that the blow was the outcome of a short argument over the authorship of an article which appeared in the Ann Arbor Record. Mr. Schuh denied that he wrote the article when accused by Burke. The lie was passed and then Burke hit Schuh, blackening his eye as before stated. That Burke's accusation concerning the writer of the article referred to in the Ann Arbor Record is false, was learned when Mr. Abbott, the editor of that paper, denied that Schuh was the author or knew anything about it.

Burke's last fight that night is alleged to have occurred about 2 o'clock Sunday morning, after Mr. Burke had just left a saloon. As Burke reached the corner where the post office stands he met Joe Clinton. Hot words ensued and Burke assaulted Clinton.

This is the way the candidate for a position which is responsible for the peace of the county begins his career before the public. What would he do were he actually in the office? That question has presented itself to both republicans and democrats all over the county this morning.

Mayor Copeland, when told of the affair admitted that it was a disgraceful scrape, but said he did not care to discuss it.

One staunch republican said: "He has certainly killed himself, if he had not done so before."

This seems to be the consensus of opinion all through republican circles. 

The duties of sheriff are such as to demand that the incumbent of that office always and under all circumstances the master of himself. If he cannot govern his own temper and resorts to violence and lawbreaking himself under the least provocation, how can he expect to control the unruly and the breakers of the peace of the county? A man who fights on the least provocation would indeed be a dangerous man in the sheriff's office. The Argus cannot think the people of Washtenaw will deliberately elect a man of that kind as the county's chief peace officer.