Evening journal., 1890-02-17
A BOTTLE BREAKING BEE
Missouri Temperance Women
Ransack a Saloon.
AIDED BY THEIR MALE FRIENDS.


The story of the Remarkable Anti-Liquor
Crusade in Lathrop, Mo.--Gutters Ran
with whisky and Becr-The Ardent
Was ALI Promptly sAlted.
LATnRoP, No, Feb H. The temperance
crusade in this village is the all absorbing
topic, for the good reason that nearly fifty
OF the best known women in town are liable
to be called before the grand jury to answer
a charge Of trespass and riotous conduct.
Their social rank win not save them, as the
next grand jury will be drawn by officials
who are terribly incensed at the recent out
break ''There will be bloodshed here yet,n
said ono gentleman. "Just as soon as Pros.
ecuting Attorney Cross issues the warrants
the fun will commence, and any attempt TO
place one Of those people under arrests will
be met with resistance that will terminate
in riot There are a large number of mon
connected with the temperance people who
will kiln any man who attempts 10 serve a
warrant on their wives and daughters and
who have already made threats TO that Of
feet
Not woman's Crusade Says Gross.
Yesterday John A. Cross, the prosecuting
attorney, said: "The mistaken impression
has gone abroad that this is woman's cru
sade, when it was really started and engi.
neered by men, and during all the disturb
ance there was present man for every
woman. There were present and actively
engaged in the disturbance j. T. Carmi-
chaeL Baptist minister; Jacob Bohart,
| sr.; pr. Mundy, who had an AK and want
cd to smash the billiard tables; Editor Nc
Kee, OF The Lathrop Monitor: b. 4. coch-
ran. an ex-saloon keeper: T. G. Kinney a
former grand juryman; Charles p. Jones
cashier Of the Lathrop bank, aud twenty
others. The editor Of The Monitor Is re-
sponsible for the outbreak. as he melted the
ontrages by attacks on the city officials in
his newspaper
How the Crusade Started.
The crusaders offer the following as hav-
ing formed the basis for their actions: The
immediate cause of the outbreak was a stab
bing nffray on Jan. "a, when John L. Brooks.
a resident Of Lathrop, was severely cut by
Abe Scruggs, farmer, while both were in
toxieated. In discussing the affair one day
Brooks wife remarked 70 a neighbor that IL
she had any one 70 help her she would break
into every saloon IN town and pour the
liquor into the street. The neighbor replied:
II viii 90 with You and can get twenty-five
other women to CO.
The Women Organize.
II was then that public meeting was
called, and il was decided 70 circulate q
paper asking the women 81 Lathrop to pledge
themselves to extermlnate the liquor traffic
in their town. The day of the trouble the
|
house, and, headed by the Rev. Mr.. Car
michael, marched down the street.
When the women reached Wards saloon
they stopped on finding the door locked and
a crowd gathered inside, aud had they not
been urged would have gone no further
But they were, and being ashamed TO back
out, they simply went wild, and smashing
the glass in the door unlocked it and went
in. The crowd In the saloon had partially
vanished, but Ward, the proprietor, stood
guard. He mado futile attempt to ex-
postulate, but he was swept from the field.
and the door which separated from the
back room or barroom from the billiard
room was burst open.
A Bottling Smashing Bee.
BY this time the women had provided
themselves with various instruments. Some
had axes, others hatchets and still more
stones. The sight Of the beer bottles and
whisky barrels melted the women to re-
newed action. The whole thing developed
into riot, each woman vying with the
other in seeing how much damage she
could do, one woman boasting that She had
smashed over a hundred bottles. The stuff
was brought TO the edge Of tho sidewalk,
whore some difficulty was experienced in
smashing the bottles, so the men were called
1 md 81.
sidewalk TO hit the bottles on. As they
broke the beer flew in every direction.
deluging the women and covering their
dresses with the liquor.
The Liquor Promptly saIted.
"Did you see how smashed that barrel OF
whiskyF' asked pretty girl as she stood
talking to group yesterday afternoon. II.
tell you, it did me good to use the hatchet
When the whisky was being poured into the
street 1t formed ia little pools, and brisk
can trade was begun by boys ana men, every
sort Of tools being pressed into use to scoop
| up the whisky. When the women saw what
was going on they appropriated barrel Of
salt from neighboring grocery and, knock
ing in the head, sprinkled the salt in the
liquor.
| The Crusaders Sued.
The situation now may be said to be quiet.
but It is the quiet before the storm. Thomas
Ward, one Of the saloon keepers, has fled
an information making a criminal charge
against every man and woman in the crowd.
and they will be arrested. Ward has also
begun suit on claim for 81 900 for the
liquor destroyed
City ohicials Divide Up.
1t has been openly charged that the city
officers were bribed not to molest the saloon
keepers. An examination OF the record in
the mayors Office shows that an arrange
ment was entered into between the saloon
men and the officials, whereby the former
we're to go to the mayors office once
month, plead guilty to selling liquor, and
be fined. This arrangement has been car
ried out for the last six months. the men
being fined $40 each, which was divided be-
tween the mayor, prosecuting attorney and
marshal as fees.
Politics I'm Hawaii.