The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-09-10
THE wALKUP CASE
EMpoRrA, Sept. Z, 1886

EMPoRIA, Sept. z, 1885.
Mr.. EDITOR Once more permit me
to appear before the public, asking in
the name of humanity and fairness that
the attempt to fores;all public opin-
ion by sneers, inuendoes and false state
ments should be froWned down by every
man or woman who ever had a mother.
If this system of sneak thieving; this
nudging and wlnking; this attempt to
manufacture public opinion by the mean
est and vIlest insinuations is not crushed
beneath the heel of the honest classes of
both sexes. say If the respectable
classes of our PEOPLE do not at once re-
fuse to listen and in unmistakable terms
utter their condemnation of this vile
practice, good bye to virtue; good bye to
purity good bye everything that man
holds dear. No man is safe; no woman
is safe. Gaping tools and knayes, minus
brains and decency, squirt out with their
tobacco juice vile jests and scurrillty
upon every passer-by; none escape; that
young girl hardly in her teens /:
that young man or woman
just emerging into society, men and
women of middle age, even our grand
Sizes, whose gray hairs the breath of
scandal never reached, whose days are
dwindling TO the shortest span," do not
escape the breath of these immoral lep.
ers. In this city now, lying in felon's
cell, Is young girl not yet II years OF
age, frIendless, houseless and homeless,
innocent lin my opiniOn) of the foul
charges brought against her. There she
lies in this cell, walls lined with link,
windows grated with bars of IRON, pad
locks upon her door, left solitary aud
alone, and in Imagination with the hang.
mans rope constantly before her eyes
Place darling daughter OF sister of
yours in her position and then think, if
you have drop of manhood about you,
what should be done with the vile liars
who would dare to insinuate that such
and such persons, not even sparing old
age, were visiting her from impure mo-
tives. May hot this suffering child well
exciaim III the madness of her solitude
and from the deDihs of her heart, my
God my Godi why hast Thou forsaken
me?" Fellow citizens of Em-
pOria, shall these things be?
Most all of you have acted the part OF
the Cool Samaritan. You have shown
by your acts and deeds that you sympa-
thize with this afflicted cblld. Most of
you believe her innocent. Numbers of
you say innocent or not. she is entitled
to forbearance until proven guilty.
1t is only the few with which all cities
are cursed that act otherwise, Suppose
she did err 10 uniting herself to man
so much older than horself, thousands,
yea, tens OF thousands have don ;. and
will yet do the same thing. Have none
pf you acted imprudently Jesus says,
g He that is without sin among you, let |
him first cast 8 stone at her" This |
young girl has nothing but kind feel
inge 81 express tor her treatment by our /
citizens. 1t Is only the very few
who act and talk otherwise; but those
few are of the gsssy order, and you can
not go upon our streets bat what you
hear or run foul of them Another class
of the great i ans, who are always right,
and who originally expressed the opin-
lon that she was guilty. are still firm in
!heir convictions, and cry cruelty herl
cruelty herr' and nothing pat new
revelation can change them.
No men could have acted in a more
spirit than sheriffs White
md Worsscr. They while thor
Dnghly mindful OF their duties, at
lord all facilities Tor visitors
Who do not come out Of idle curiosity.
In Che discharge Of my duty, 1t has been
necessary thai should c1Gfer with her
frequently. these gentlemen (whaie new
~ out of their sight) hsve afforded me
,very opportunity TO freely confer with
ler. for which manly and courteous be-
aayiof I sincerely sender my thanks
WIlLIAsI JAy.