Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1892-01-29
mossback Crussdes.

The Multums having ignored |
our proposition, Hillbrook and l |
began operations against them
night. Early IN the |
week l had found one morning,
tackled to tree near my cabin, q |
notice addressing the Crank OF |
Elm Narrows," and signed Men |
of Means" 1t read:
"You will do well to remember
money is power. You old repro
bate! don't you know there is in |
Lancaster local Jack the Ripper
anxious to vivisect you for d nomi-
nal sum? Ten dollars would buy |
your carcass to-night-oDly We
have no p.ace to keep it. Have a !
care, Mossback, We have borne
your insolence long enough. You
might warn that fugitive from
British justice to leave the coruty.
Stay at home, aud you will be
safe
I was perplexed at this, but not
disconnected. l did not doubT it
vas genuine but would the Mul-
tums attempt 10 execute the
threat? L: might be so. The
turpiiude of some OF their dupes
about Lancaster may not be
imagined; l only know 1 would
not pass a graveyard containing
the sacred relics OF a number OF
them unless a Republican con-
stable were with me No Demo-
crat, dead or alive, can endure the
sight of Radical officer. Ny de-
termination, however, was not o
be shaken by intimidation. l
would live avenged or die ayepg-
ing. By being ever Oh the alert
it Was probable l could frustrs'e
al attempt against my life, if it
should come to tha:. Hillbrook
read the notice with coolness
and nonchalance indeed, which
lent me new courage. He pro-
nounced it harmless thunder
bolt-an effort to avert just ez-
posure by an empty threat, Mrs.
Mossback regarded it differently.
She read it and came nearer faint
ing than she has done at any of
my mishaps or vicisaitudes siuce
[ quit building the morning fires,
on account OF my dyspepsia. Yes,
she always knew it would come to
this, she said. | woulI come
home murdered some night and
l had nobody bat myself 10 thank.
She had told me of it for years,
and now did | believe her when
it was too late? Well, she could
support the children-she always
had done it-but she hated to be
called a fools widow, if she mad
al ways been vagrant's wife. The
night before, she said, she had
dreamed somebody came and took
me out of bed and bodily carried
me away to the woods. He had
several bowie knives and an infer
nal machine, besides other articles
OF civilized communities which
she did not particularly observe.
She noticed q cloren hoof and q
pair OF horns, and was sure when
he coughed he expectorated huge
balls of fire. But | steeled my
heart against the import OF her
dream, teraible as it was.
Hillbrook and | opened the
war in Charlton township, at the
Dragout schoolhouse. My gifted
co-Borker has conceived the idea
ef new organization similar to
the Alliance, but more effective.
We call It the Farmers Hope
Club, and expect TO supplant the
Alliance in the county with it.
The latter organization has don ,
nothing in the Dragout locality,
ag the citizens are all Democrats,
and mostly innocent of the first
reader even. One of them was
asked once in what township he
lived, and replied, "Why, l jist
live in John Dash's bresh paster." :"
We expected to do rather better
than We did at this place. l have
begun to realize that it will be
very hard to remove the preju-
dices so carefully kept agIow bv
the astute Multums. The evening
beng slightly unfavorable and
the announcement preceding by
but a short time, we we're not
greeted by crowded house ex-
actly. Still there was a fair
representation of the neighbor-
hood in attendance-and all Dem
ocrats. Some FIVE or six middle
aged ladies were present also,
presumably to hear me sing.
Hlllbrook did W ll-he even as
tonished me. His articulation is
Just English enough to be racy.
he dwelt on the farmers woes in
way to call fo- tears. He lashed
the Radicals and scourgsd the
Democrats. He contrasted Blaine
and Gladstone and Cleveland aad
Queen Victoria. Nor did he ne
glect the Multums-though this
part OF his address was not well
received. One old fellow in par