The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-08-21
FACTS ABOUT WHITE CAPS
The Outrageous Treatment of William
TOney, a StOrekeeper at English.
Taken from His Home in the Night and Beaten
Until He Faints from Pain and Loss of
Blood, All for the Most Trivial 0ffenses.
Special to tue indianapolis journal.


Governor Gray in the '"White Cap" lawlsssuess
has awakened the entire country around here.
The towns most interested are those where the
white Caps" are best known. and the visit Of
the Attorney-eeneral. together with the impera-
tive command of Governor Gray that the out
RACES must cease, has run all the White Cappers
in their holes and awakened the people to a re-
~alization of their duty. 1t seems that the White
Caps here have been particularly industrious in
one direction, and that is in the quiet
education Of the people that their conduct was
correct instead of reprehensible. The search
with the Attorney general fox facts uncovered
barous in the highest degree. Attorney
general Kitchener was not misled by
the alleged recklessness Of q good many
with whom he talked, as to the
condition Of affairs, and this week he will rec
ommend that shs Governor himself see to it,
personally. that thorough exposure of the meth
DDS Of the regulators be brought about. 1t can
be done, but must be done quickly and deer
sively. If the Governor is not equal to the occa-
sion. these outreges will, sooner or later. end in
bloody crimes similar to those in some Of the
y ~ Ssoeoo Ah0ko ~ "A AoAO ~" Ca
listing that will require years to overcome, all
growing out of this White Cap business.
Sheriff Cummins says that he and the other
officers feel that the White Caps must be met
with some force equal to themselves some way,
but just how to do it he does not know. The
White CAPS had been q source of great trouble
to him, as hs was expected to clean them out.
but everybody knew full we'll that
he was powerless. He witnessed his
own cousins whipping at English, this
county. English ia a rough place, to some ex-
tent, bnt it's general condition has been exagger-
ated. While in English one night recently. Mr..
Cummins stopped with his cousin. William
Toney, who owns q store there. Toney Is a
rough character. drinks at times. and gets into
trouble, but has been generally a fair citizen.
The White Caps got grudge against him, and
resolved to whip him. They had various
trumped. up charges. that they preferred against
him, one of which was that he charged people
too high q price for things he had TO sell. aud
that he had made himself obnoxious by getting
intoxicated. Touey's house 10 divided by q hall
way. On one side of the hall, he and his wife
were In their bedroom, and on the other. q
sheriff and his deputy. The White Caps burst
in the front door with q loud crash and rushed
into Toneys room.
Cummins, ''but they were too much for him,
and they soon had him bound and gagged.
Two of the regulators. as soon az they were in
the house. rushed into my room and yelled,
Of we'll put a bullet through your cussed head
We've got it in for you, any way, and If you
don't lay quiet we'll have to make YOU"
Gentlemen, what in the name OF decency. do
you meant asked Sheriff Cummins.
1--WE don't want you" they answered, cover
are after Bill Toney."
.'Of course, it would have been f. olhardy for
me to have resisted. My weapons were in my
coat across the room. and so | lay down and
kept quiet. They took poor Touey out OF the
house. He fought them like . wild beast. but
they tied him securely with ropes and carried him
by main force to a telegraph pole not l0Olysrds
away from tho house. stripped his shirt from
him, tied him TO the pole, and with long hickory
whips beat him in the most brutal manner. /
could hear the proceedings distinctly. Tbs
regulators went by numbers. They gaze
Touey about ten strokes, and l heard the leader
call out No. is. so there must have been near
175 licks. They looseped him and carried him
toward the house. Not a sound escaped his
lips. On the way to the house they said to
him:
sIf you ever open your mouth again about the
White Caps We will hang YOU"
swell, hang me now" yelled Toney. an
tell it to everybody and give you away, and kill
every one OF you"
This was Toney's great indiscretiou. Anesred
beyond control he made the direct threats
against tpem, anu IL euT6kou TIC WHO O6pS 30
they wheeled around with him and tied him
again to the telegraph pole and whipped him till
he tainted. 1t was the most brutal and damna-
BILE outrage ever known" said the sheriff.
''Blood saturated the ground under the tele-
graph~pole, and Toneys body was covered with
gashes from which the blood streamed. The
White Caps guards over me said to the man in
bed with me: =.
'You must stay here till morning" And
pointing TO lme said: And you, too, Sheriff
IN uriuor I didn't aneyar ar 0nca and fhav
asked eruflv, ''Well, what about itT II won't
tell you what I'll do" "Well, you must stay
here"
am 60 anywhere my business calls me-" an.
swered Sheriff Cummins.
"Wsll, ---y you. you are sheriff, but
we recognize no such fellows as you. and don't
propose to have you meddlinR with our business,
and IL you do we'll do you up, too
Toney was we'll nigh killed. He suffered ter.
ribly for days over his beating, and will carry
How were the White Caps drsssedf' was
asked the Sheriff.
"They had on coffee sacks for dress. and
square box white caps. white whiskers. and
white muslin false faces"
d you think they are thoroughly organ
izedr'
"No doubt of il. There is a good organize
ton. All their signs and passwords are thor
ouehly understood. and they march off as i
having drilled for years. They have q thorough
system, and it is q gigantic undertaking to stor
their raiding. but it must be done at all hazards
We have plenty Of good people. and plenty O
bad..ones. As a rule, except Ia this White Cal
business. our county is one of the most law
abiding in the State"
The Crawford County Democrat, in speakin,
of the Tonsy whipping. said: There has nevel
been such q brutal whipping. and the people are
at a loss to know why he was whipped. as he ha
always been a good citizen. How shall sucl
outrages be stoppeds Our grand jury is
failure"
The next chapter, as gathered by tho oficia
investigation thus far pursued, in which You
correspondent took part, will relate to the man
ner ia which the White Caps control ~elections
and the relations of the parties thereto. Their
is great richness in store In these developments
which 60 to show low utterly demoralized j
lawlessness and mobism.
II had no idea of the extent OF this evil" sal
Attorney general Kitchener. 'One must com
here to learn it. The Governor himself shout
come. Why. they tell me that even the gran
juries laugh at the doings of the White Caps
and actually refuse to investigate the informs
ton that is fled"
Six Days of Terrible Suffering.
BREoKENRIDGE, Col, Aug. 90. u. Lee lef
this place on Aug. 10 for Silver Plume. over Ar
gentine Pess. He reached the top of the rang
at about dark, and missed the road at a YER