San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-06-21
A CORPUS CASE.
COL. E. H. ROPES ASSAULTED
IN HIS OFFICE.
Cudgeled Until His Life Is En-
dangered, and the Facts
Suppressed.

TIC age. Inc age III Wnlcn Cne
daily newspaper is the true revel-
ator of events, and the live reporter
the real detector of crime. 1t GER
tainly seems incredible that in
such an age, in a city like Corpus
Christi, in this free Southwest
Texas, a gentleman so well known
as is Col. f. H. Ropes could be so
severely injured by an assailant
that his life was for days in the
balances, and yet every account of
it so successfully suppressed that
| only the barest mention of the fact
| is all that reaches the public, and
that mention so worded as to mis-
lead. Corpus Christi has a daily
newspaper, the Caller; members of
it's staff are correspondents of the
San Antonio Express and other
daily papers in Texas, and yet not
| one person in one hundred in
Southwest Texas has heard that
Col. Ropes was terribly beaten with
| a heavy cane in the hands of
powerful assailant, more than ten
days ago, while no one outside of a
few persons in Corpus Christi
knows anything about the particu-
| lars of that assault.
One week ago the editor of the
LIGHT was privately wired as to
the assault, by lady in Corpus
Christi, but being confined to his
couch with a sprained ankle per-
sonal investigation was impossible.
Means have been taken, however,
to ascertain the facts as far as pos
sible, and they are now given to
the public, without reservation or
comment, as they are set forth in
| letters on file in this office over the
| signatures of eye-witnesses to the
affair.
| HOW THE ASSAULT WAS MADE.
On the 10th of June, 1898, one
week ago last Saturday, as Col.
Ropes sat writing in his Corpus
Christi office, a powerful man en-
tered and sat down. He was angry
over an Injunction that had been
issued short time before and
charged Colonel Ropes, incorrectly
it seems, with instigating the
Injunction proceedings. After
a few words had passed the
Col. declined farther conversation
and turned to his desk to resume
work when the brute rose from his
chair and aimed terrible blow at
Ropes head, inflicting a serious
wound The Colonel managed to rise
to his feet and facing his assailant,
haunting him with the cowardice
of the attack, which was kept up
until eight or ten blows were
struck, the victim defending his
face and head with his arms and
hands as best he could.
Miss Woodcock, who was in an
adjoining room and in full view of
| the attack, rushed to the window
and called for help, but none
arrived until the Colonel had been
stricken down, staggering back to
his desk which he grasped with
both hands to prevent his falling.
The entrance of those who rushed
in at the call for help prevented
any farther assault, and the brute
left the office, remarking "you are
nothing but G-D-Yankee, and
you have got to leave this country,
or will finish you up"
Col. Ropes was found covered
with blood from his head to his
feet. his arms were mass OF
bruised flesh, but no bones were
broken, only severely injured. All
that the most tender care and
lavish assistance, coupled with the
best surgical skill, could do to al
leviate the suffering of the wound
ed man was done. The people of
Corpus Christi, regardless of sec
tional lines, particularly resent
| the sectionalism of the threat
made by this brute, and have done
all in their power to assure Col.
Ropes that the southern born resi-
dents of the little city have no an
| tipaty against him as a northern
| man and have no sympathy with
the feeling expressed by his assail-
ant. So far have they carried this
feeling that they have insisted on
caring for him, ministering to
his wants and fighting his
case thro ugh southern help.
They have kindly refused the
offer of the G. a. r. post
located here, and of which Col.
Ropes is a member, to watch at his
bedside but have installed their