Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-02-23
WARLIKE.
a Serious Turn IN the Trouble at
Topeka.
Republicans Arc Haired Out of the Hall
an" Force An Entrance Esy Breaking
Down the Doors-EziIitia Called
Out-Excitine scenes.


were thronged with men early yester-
day morning. They were mostly dep
uty sergeants-at-arms of the populist
house and they were there to be as
ssigneGtheir stations by John W. Breid-
enthal, chairman of the populist state
central committee, who was in COM
mand of the populist forces At the
foot of the stairways leading to Repre-
sentative hall guards were stationed,
and Nat each landing on both flights
populist sentinels were placed. At the
foot of the rear stairway the SER
geant-at-arms stood distributing
passes to those whom he considered
eligible to admission to the hall. There
were representatives of the press, mem
bers of the populist house, house EN-.
ployes and assistants to the sergeant
alarms. To these he gave tickets
Each person was required to show his
passport to a man at the foot of the
stairs. At the first landing he was re.
quired to exhibit it again and at the
top of the flight a young man with a
red mustache sat in much the manner
of a ticket taker at the entrance to a
town hall, who required the ticket to
be surrendered. At the door leading &c
the hall stood another stalwart guard.
He scannQl the face of each person
who presented himself carefully, but
required no ticket to induce him tc
open the door
A number of populist house officers
occupied the cloak room, through which
all persons entering Representative hall
by the front entrance have been in the
habit of passing. Probably 100 persons
were in the main hall behind the closed
doors at o'clock. A few struggling
repu blicans had applied for admission
at the doors and been refused. In each
instance of this kind they retired with
out making a noise.
The populist members and officers
were. evidently 1aboring under sup
pressed excitement At 9:15 Chairman
Breidenthal came up the back stairway,
and entering the hall held whispered
consultation with John T. Willets- He
then whispered to a member and Will
lets did the same to another. The OBJ
ject of this was soon apparent, for the
members at once began to leave the hall
by the back stairway, leaving only the
officers in the room. 1t had occurred
to Mr.. Breidenthal that it was incon-
sistentent for populist members to re-
main in the hall while republican mem
bers were denied admission. He told
the populists privately that the consti-
tutional house had taken recess until
1880 o'clock, and that it would look
better for populist members to remain
away until that hour, inasmuch as it
was deemed best not to admit the re-
publicans- He explained that a show
of fairness would be made, and that all
members, regardless of party, should
be treated alike 1t required but few
minutes for the members to make their
exit, and soon the hall was occupied by
the house officers, few newspaper men
and several ladies.
About $50 a shout in the corridors
could be heard in Representative hall
1t came from many voices and could be
heard but indistinctly through the
heavy barred doors. In q moment the
excitement that prevailed without was
communicated to those within. The
popuiist officers made a rush toward
the cloak room door Three of them
carried Winchester rifles at present
arms in their double quick march to the
scene of the expected conflict. A scuf-
he was heard in the landing at the head
of the stairs. Then there was a scuffie
in the cloak room. The populist
officers with the Winchesters
rushed back through the cloak
room and retreated toward
the speakers desk without
looking to the right or left or to the
rear. Directly behind them James A..
Troutnan, republican member from
this city, made his appearance in the
doorway. An attempt was made by
the doorkeeper to prevent his entrance
but with blanched face he pushed for
ward and made his way through the
line. At his back was Representa- tive
Bennefiel, of Pratt county, in his shirt
sleeves. Both were safely in and the
doorlleepers were Juggling at the door
to close it. j. Ware Butterfield. secre
tary of the repu blican league, was
caught in the doorway. He was howl
ing like Comanche.
STAND back he shouted repeatedly
and then he yelled: Don't shoot
He is small man, but his pluck ant
determination seemed to paralvze the
duslSy doorlzeeper, for he forced his
way through and was inside the big
hall when the door closed with bang
Shouting and scuffiing in the cloal
room could now be heard through the
thick oal<en panels.
"Open the door, open the door," wa:
shouted. open or we will batter il
down"
The door was not opened and in al
instant heavy blow was heard. Bu
the oak was strong and nothing gave
way The populists were huddleC
about on the inside. They were appar
emily without a commanding officer
They did not know what to do. While
they were hesitating the blows on the
door rained heavy and fast and finally
a sledge hammer in the hands of Speak
er Douglass crashed through one of tn,
panels Then the populists reiterated
IN disorder. Soon every panel in tn,
door was smashed and the casing
formed frames for the excited, asher
faces of Speaker Douglass, Speaker Pr,
Tenn. Hoch, Joseph Rosenthal, Col War
ner, of Cherokee county; John Sealer, o
Atchison, and a number of others. On,
more blow, and the excited crow(
.surged in.
When it was discovered that the bar
riers had been battered away and tina
nothing remained to prevent their en-
trance mighty shout went up.
Representative hall had been capt
ured, the enemy had been ignominous
ly routed, the republicans were in com