The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-07-07
AN OUTRAGE IN LEAVEN-
WORTH.

"On4h.
A few days ago q man named Frank
j. Sibley, who was in LeavenwOrth for
tie purpose of assisting in the enforce
ment Of the prohibition Jaw. was brutal
ly treated by the Infatuated devotees of
whisky. 1t seems lac was acting the
part of an informant, and had caused
the arrest of several dispensers of the
ardent When it became known what
Sibley was at the excitement was so
high fhat It amounted almost to an In
furiated mob. The first assault upon
him was made by n man named Green,
who is lawyer and whose name was
furnished by Sibley as a witness. He
hunted Sibley up, and finding him in
the temperance library struck him a
violent blow. This Sibley did not re-
Gent The Daily Standard says:
Soon after that Siblcy left the library
in company with Mr.. and Mrs. Moore,
and went to Judge Hackers Office, where
he got out compliant charging his as
sailaiit with assault and battery. Mean
time the news had rapidly spread that
there was an infOrmer against the liquor
men in town, and excited crowds were
inquiring Tor him. When Sibley came
out of Hackers Office lie went east on
Delaware, and just east of Fifth, he was
assaulted and knocked down by some
unknown member of an angry crowd.
Further down the street he was again
roughly treated, and was finally taken
in charge by two officers Cor protection.
Afterwards he was spirited away to some
unknown place of safety.
1t seems that there were threats of
lynchiRg Sibley and tho officers had to
hide him, Al t1is. hfntality and out
6ee06s conduct To- Ma man who is
endeavoring 70 eJ 5rce a law regularly
passed BY 1tEe legislature of the state,
which law has been pronounced con-
stitutional enactment by the highest
court in the state. The rufiianism of the
whiskyites and their determination to
trample the law of the state under foot,
seems to be sustained by the press and a
majority of the people of that city. If
the press has had a word of condemna-
ton for the violence meetcd out TO Sib-
ley we have not seen it. We may have
our opinion of the man who acts as
spy Cor informer, generally, but
there can be no excuse for the use of
brute force towards deienceless man,
and we can inform the people of that
town. if they do not already know 1t,
that such acts will do them no good In
the estimation OF law-abiding people,
either in or outside OF the state. Their
treatment of Sibley was just as bad, and
just as criminal and cowardly, and just
as outrageous and inexcusable as was
the murderous treatment of the early
Free State men of that city by the Dor
der rufliAn mobs who invaded the town
from Missouri. There is no doubt but
that the luckIess temperance man, whose
mission in Leavenworth was to uphold
the law, would have been murdered had
he not been taken beyond the reach of
the crowd of rOughs and devils who
sought to spill his blood.
The conduct of the cowardly crowd
who profess to love freedom of opinion,
was just rs bad as that OF the
one which killed Phillips in the town
of Leavenworth many years ago for
opinions sake. Perhaps Leavenworth
is anxious to enjoy the distinction of
making the first temperance martyr. If
she Is we do not envy her the gratIfiea-
ton of that ambition, The friends Of
the city throughout the state are both
surprised and panied ut the record she
is making in this matter. Let her citi-
zens fight the law legally if they want
to, but for the good of the town, let there
be no more mob violence. Let us warn
them that that kind OF work does not
pay.