The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-01
The Rise and Fall of Petticoat
Rule in Edgerton,
TIE MAYORS ADORABLE BABY,
And the Fair Justices Encounter
with Dirty Tramp.

Much Hard Cider-MascuIias Minds n
Work Once Nore-ReEOrns that Oh,
Women Would Have Instituted.
Political revolution has swept and devastated
utopian Edgerton; her pettlcoat dispensers o
civic regulations have been deposed ant
vanished from her councils; the cradle Is ne
longer swinging in her assembly rooms. ant
the voice Of the child interrupts not the de
alterations OF her high officials. After q
stormy and disastrous career her female
municipal administrators have laid down the
yoke OF service and gone back to their babies
and their sewing machines, and woman'a
suffrage has received staggering blow.
Edgorton is or was originally lourlshing
little Kansas village OF some 400 Inhabitants
like thousands Of other little hamlets unknown
in song or story. by law women are allowed
to vote and hold Office In the municipal corpo-
rations OF Kansas. In 1889 Mr.. A. @. Brown,
the prosperous manager OF an elevator. was
nominated as the candidate for Mayor.
For reasons best known to themselves the
women OF Edgerton refused to have this man
10 rule over them. and exercising their politi-
cal provocative they rose up in their majesty
and defeated most ignominiousy the would-be
Mayor Then II was that the EdRerton village
became part OF the history OF the country
Tho past was dream. and life began" The
man became incensed after the manner OF
men. vowed vengeance on his defeators. and
bided his time. To be beaten by q man is
annoying; to be Inundated by lot OF chatter
ing women is exasperatinG. But when the
regular spring election came about for the next
year Mr. Brown found sweet revenge in getting
out a woman's ticket where every officer from
the Mayor down was mothers daughter ex-
cept one farm laborer Of the typical village
loafer species or course the object in placing
this mans name on the ticket rs one
OF tho candidates was simply to annoy
and insult the ladies whose names
were used in connection with his, but
when sweet woman makes up her mind
not to be annoyed or insulted by anything,
however trying Job himself Is double dis
counted In patience under atIliction, long
suffering aud sweetness. The ladies accepted
the nomination, much to their tormenters
surprise. still more to his surprise. by an ur-
expected coup dGtat they substituted the I'M
feeling mans wife for the labor candidate and
all were elected by considerable majority.
The man. Brown. was furious. but his rage
availed him nothing for even his own wife be-
came suddenly inspired with nerve and cour-
age. and despite his fury determined 10 serve |
out her term. The women elected were: |
Mayor. Mrs. Maggie Kelly; Police Judge, Mrs.
Jessie Greer: Members of City Council. Mrs.
Mat Ross Mrs. Sarah E. Stewart, Mrs. W. s.
Ewart. and Mrs. Minnie Holden. Matters
were somewhat complicated by the inoppor-
tune arrival Of q son at tho house OF the
Mayoress two weeks before the election. which
delayed for little the inauguration
ceremonies; but despite the fact that 1t is
rather confusing to woman to be Mayor |
and a mother In the same minute and for the
first time. Mrs. Kelly qualified very soon after
the election, and plans for wonderful civil re-
form were evolved and discussed
Another embarrassment under which the
sweet woman officials struggled were the do
mestic relations OF tho Police Justice Mrs.
Greer. who was the wife Of tho leading town
druggist, and lived In the back part OF her
husbands store. Those who know anything OF |
the habits Of the village druggist are we'll
aware that, while the fair Police Justice was in
q position to become cognizant OF the main
cause OF most of the iniQuity which might fall
under her jurisdiction. and which she
might be called upon to condemn. still
her sentences would in many cases implicate
her own husband as one OF the accessories to
crime, and that might be supposed to bias her
judgment to less righteous decisions than
those OF her great prototype Portla The only
case which came before the gentle Justice the
details OF which was printed in the Chicago
Herald, were somewhat as follows: A man Of
the genus tramp species tpsy, arrived In town
exhilarated with red-eye, which
he reinforced from time to time with potatlons
ofa mysterious fluid known as pie cider.
Indigenous to the precincts OF Edgerton. When
his manifestations OF hilarity became too pro-
nounced to accord strictly with the culture
of the Edgerton youth the boys locked him
up In a blacksmith shop for the night In lieu
IF better place. and brought him tho follow
ng morning to the bar OF justice In q tidy,
xuhar fri L.
gardly quaking but outwardly serene, said to
he tattered. frowzy. confused specimen in
iisgusted tone:
What have you to say for yourself?"
"Nuthiu'."
Where did you get your whiskey"
In your husbands store" Tan improvisa-
Ion, OF course. under the inspiration and eX-
.itement OF tho ocoasion.l
Struggling with a threatened attack OF
lysterlcs at this crushing reply. she said loftly
. You ought to be Gned you nasty brute"
Amt got no money" laconically answered
Tho offender. Then. after ascertRining that
here was no place to lock him up In. owing to
he unfortunate demise Of the City Marshal
md the neglect OF the Board to appoint an
'ther. the Police Justice. trlumphantly equal
% tho occasion, ordered the boys to take the
prisoner 20 the town pump aud duck him In
49,
easing him on condition that he should leave
own, which was about as sensible decision
ID whole court OF men could have arrived at
liter their customary deliberations.
TheCity Marshal counted 1t among his duties
10 provide his own lookup for prisoners and
furnish food for them at the city's expense,
and the dilemma OF the Police Justice for want !
OF place in which to conGne his first prisoner !
appealed to Miss Mole Turney In such a way
that she announced herself as a candidate for
tho onlce OF Town Marshal. Miss Turney il
the eiEhteen-yea old daughter OF Mrs. May
Turney' proprietress OF tho leading hotel in the
town and the enthusiastic candidate was in.
spired with the idea that she could lock tramps
In the cellar and feed them on the refuse from
the hotel table, When questioned As 10 her
motive. she said All that the Town Marsbnl
has to do is to look out for the sidewalks, light
the lamps and sweep out the Town Hall when
We get one. and could do that as well as a
man. However upon learning that her duties
included the arrest OF drunken men and pos
sloly more dangerous offenders. she lost her
relish for tho office she had SO Ardently sought.
And as time want nm ona ar tyyo -, .ho o., |