Morning journal and courier., 1892-03-29
MRS. wHITINGEK'S SHOTGUN.

How She Persuaded Some Hoosier
Democrats With NJ.
fNobleSvilIe, Ind., Litter to the Chicago Tri-
bune
During the last three months portions of
Clay township, in the southwestern part
of this county. have been very much torn
up over the question of raising the Ameri-
can flag over the district school houses of
the township. In some cases they have
been torn down after night, but were
promptly raised again by the loyal people
of the vicinity. In district No q, located
in the southwestern part of that town
ship, there have recently been some excit-
ing developments.
Last fall the question of raising flag
over the school of district No. 4 was
agitated in that district and a subscrip-
ton paper circulated. Most of the pa
irons of the school subscribed literally
and flag was purchased. Richard Rus
sell, patron of the school and acting dis
trict supervisor, when asked to contribute
toward purchasing the flag, declined, say
ing that he intended to use his money for
school purposes. A day was appointed for
raising the flag, and the teacher of the
school asked Russells son, young man
twenty one years of age, if he and his
father would not furnish pole.
He declined. Albert Whitinger fur
nished the pole and on it the flag foated.
1t was about seventy feet long.
The next day young Russell came to
school, but refused to enter the building,
giving as his reason that he would never
enter that school-house while beneath a
flag on an ash pole. The next day Rich
ard Russell came and ordered his children
to get their books and quit. He charac-
terized the proceedings as an outrage and
charged the teacher with allowing politics
to come in US disturbing element in the
school. He appealed to the state superin-
tendent.
Indianapolis newspapers criticised Rus
sell harshly and on a visit to one of them
he prophesied bloodshed and that more
than a dozen lives would be lost because of
the raising of a swamp ash pole. In reply
to his assertions of loyalty he was asked
why he did not aid in raising the flag in
the first place. to which he answered that
he first wanted to feel the sentiment of the
people.
After this the ash pole was cut one
night. Another was supplied. 1t, too,
fell, but before morning many willing
hands had raised the flag again and filed
the pole with nails. making it axe-proof.
A watchman was also put on duty. Last
Saturday the flag feeling nearly caused
tragedy.
The watchmen have not alone been re-
publicans. William Weinkie, a democrat,
who is an old soldier, took his muskeS I'd
stood guard over the flag, vowing he wA d
shoot the first man who dared modest 1T,
be he democrat or anything else. The
daughter of a democrat in that vicinity,
whu has been conspicu"usly identified
with the Russell faction, stated that the
pole had been cut down after night, but
the next time it would be taken down in
daytime.
Last Saturday afternoon about twenty
FIVE democrats, the majority of whom lived
some two and one half miles away, as
sembled at the school-house with a wagon,
axes and spades. while nearly all the re-
publicans of the neighborhood were at
Clay Center school-house, some three miles
east of there, attending a township con-
vention. Albert Whitipger lives about
eighty rods east of the school-house, and
at the time referred to above was at the
convention mentioned, leaving his wife
and song at home. The son seeing the
gathering at the school-house, reported to
his mother that he believed they were
about to tear down the flag. Mrs. Whit
niger rang the dinner bell to call help,
took down the double -bsrrelled shotgun,
threw in a couple of well-loaded shells,
then filled her pocket, and without wait
ing for achievements started for the
scene of action. When she arrived at the
school house nothing had been done.
Mrs. Whitinger's blood was up though,
and her tongue-lashing made the flag fora
ging party writhe. She told them they
thought they wonld sneak there and cut
the flag down while the men were away,
but she would show them that a woman
could defend it, and that she would shoot
the frat one who dared attempt molest
that flag. She told them that she had
brother who fought and died in Anderson
Vile prison for that flag, and now she
dared any rebel to insult the flag in her
presence.
Richard Russell had not up to this time
put in an appearance, but now they saw
him coming across the field, and delega-
| ton went at once to meet him and tell him
how the matter stood. AS soon as he
| reached the school-house yard Mrs. Whit
| niger marched across with her gun to
| where he was and proceeded to give her
opinion of him and his doings. He saw
the cold glitter in the woman's eye, knew
she meant what she said, and retreated.
The crowd then took a new tack, telling
Mrs. Whitinger that they would not med
die with the flag or it's pole, but proposed
to raise a new one. ''Raise as many as you
like, but don't touch that one," was the
answer Sure enough they raised flag
on pine scantling at the front gable of
the school building, and now there are two
flags floating to the breeze at No. A in Clay
township.
Russell and his faction now assert that
they had no design against the flag and
pole that have been the cause of so mush
! contention, but the circumstances are very
much against them. The threat about
hauling that flag down in the daytime Ia
against the crowd. So is the fact that
they came with the wagon, fifteen spades