Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-02-25
A Rumpus at the state House.

TOPEKA. February l6.-Trouble began
again at o'clock yesterday morning.
After the arrest of Chief Clerk Rich, As
sistant Clerk S. M. Scott, Representative
Ryrn, John Z. Willis and P. n. Gish Tues
day night at the instance of the republican
house, the populist members of the legisla-
ture determined to lock out the republi-
can members.
Republican members of the house, its Off
GERS and employees, went to the capital in
their usual small group manner.
The first OF them to reach the stairway
to the representative hail was A. r. Miller,
a doorkeeper. He was met by armed guards
occupying the stairway. He attempted to
PISS but was repulsed.
The corridors became crowded by specta.
tors very quick everybody talking loud.
1t was but short time until all the repub.
lican members and officers had arrived |,
their party including number of extra as
sistant sergeants- alarms. They formed In
a mass, Speaker Douglass in the front rank,
and pressed to the stairway and were met by
armed men, who said: You can't get in
here"
Speaker Douglass ordered the pcpulist
guards to give way. but they refused, the big
leader saying: I'VE are instructed by the
attorney general to allow no one to 60 in
here"
Douglass replied: ''We are members of
the house of representatives and l, as the
speaker, order you to get out of the way"
"You can't go IN here" answered back
the populist guards in a chorus, hourishing
clubs, and guards on the upper part of the
stairs 1ourishing reyolvers and Winchesters.
Then, as with a common impulse, the
solid mass of republicans gave shout aud
rushed up the stairs, carrying the guards
with them.
There were many armed men in the upper
corridor and in the hall, but the mass moved
forward. Most of the corridor guards were
pressed into the hall, when it was closed and
locked, after three republicans, only, had
passed in
The republican mass turned to the cloak
room door and found the big door from the
cloak room into the hall also fast.
Speaker Douglass was handed'a slsdge
with which he broke panel of the door.
Others welded the sledge until the door was
demolished.
In this melee Representative Swan, of To
peka, was hurt on his hand by piece of
the door used as club by G. c. Clemens.
populist guard inside raised his VIM
chester and was about to fire when he was
covered by two revolyers in the hands of
w. P. Wilcox, a republican assistant SER
geant-at arms.
This had quoting effect. The populist
guard gave way and the republicans rushed
into the hall cheering wildly.
The governor through his adjutant gen.
real called out, early in the monring, Co. B,
3rd regiment, of Hoiton; Co. G, I'd regi.
ment, of Marion, and Co. C, Sd regiment,
of Oakland.
Militia began to march to the state house
at 1 p. m.
By half past two o'clock there was thronR
of people filling the corridors of the state
house, the steps outside, and reaching out to
the streets. The republican house, which
went into session when they gained entrance
in the morning, had a lunch brought to
them and we're in session still at 2 80.
Meantime hundreds of citizens, republi-
cans and democrats, crowded about the re-
publican sergeant-at-ar arms to volunteer and
be sworn in as deputies.
At the same hour the east wing corridors
were crowded by populists, and two compa.
MES of sixty men each had been enlistediand
organized in the adjutant generals office.