The Portland daily press., 1890-02-17
LATHaop WOMEN RAIDEb TIE. SALOON
Kegs and Bottles Were Smashed and
Liquor Flowed In the Cutters,
Masculine EnnIty and a Drunken
stabblng Affray Caused IL.
Fifty Of the Best Women In Town
Liable to Be Indicted,

CHICAGO. February 16.-A Lathrop, Nc.
special despatch says:
While the results Of the recent temperance
crusade which made such q furore In this
little village were spread broadcast, the truth
OF the matter has not yet been published.
While political grudge and petty spite were
hidden behind the petticoats, the world has
heard only Of the woman's crusade. As a
matter Of fact, masculine enmIty and local
politics inspired the whole affair. Nearly
fifty OF the best women In town are liable TO
be called before the grand Jury to answer to
a charge OF trespass and rlotous conduct
The next grand jury will be drawn by Off
cials terribly incensed at the result Of the
outbreak. The prosecuting attorney has
said that the men were more responsible
than the women. Editor Mckee Of the Lath-
rop Monitor melted the outrage By an attack
on the city ofhcials la his paper. II has been
charged that the city officials were respOnsi-
BILE for allowing the saloons to run when In
fact there Is no law that can prevent 1t, as
has been proved by case In the supreme
court, the local option law being declared
null and void.
The immediate cause Of the outbreak. ac-
cording to the crusaders, was stabbing af-
fray on January 27th. when both the men
concerned were Intoxicated. The wife OF
the man stabbed remarked to neighbor that
II she had any one to help her she would
break into every saloon 10 town and pour the
liquor into the street. The neighbor replied:
Il VIII go with you and we can get 25 other
women to 60" A public meeting was called
and lt was decided to circulate a paper ask
ing the women Of Lathrop to pledge them
selves to exterminate the liquor traffic in
town. On the day Of the trouble. he women
gathered at the opera house, headedl ~.
Mr MrCarmichael, and.marched down the -.
When the women reached Wards saloon.
then stopped on finding the door locked. Al
crowd had gathered and had they not been
urged they would have gone no further. Be-
ing ashamed 20 back out, they simply went
wild. Smashing the glass In the door they
unlocked 1t and went in. The crowd In the
saloon had partially vanished. Ward, the
proprietor, stood guard and made a futile at
the field and the doors which separated the
6arroom from the billiard room burst open.
BY this time the women had provided them
selves with axes, hatchets and stones. The
sight OF the beer bottles and whiskey barrels
melted the women to renewed action. The
whole thing DEVELOPED into q riot. The stuff
was brought to the edge OF the sidewalk and
broken on the stones. When the whiskey
was poured into the street 1t formed little
pools and brisk can trade was inaugurated
by boys and men. The women then apprO-
priated barrel Of salt from a neighb0ring
grocery and knocking In the head sprinkled
saloons, the women had worked themselves
up to pitch where they were ready for any
lawlessneSs and marched into drug and gro
Gerry stores ana searched the premises and
almost made up their minds 10 90 into pri-
vare residences.