The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-25
WHITE CAPS IN TOWN
VIGILANCE COMMITTEE VIGOROUS
LY APPLIES THE BIRCH.
James Shoemaker, of West Indianap-
oils. Whipped for Mistreatins His
Aged Mother.

Indignation, which has run high in West
indianapolis for two months past over the
death of Mrs. Shoemaker, an old woman
who lived on Oliver near Warren avenue,
found vent last evening in the whipping of
her son James, who, the neighbors say,
treated his aged mother shamefully. The
young man is probably twenty-three years
old. He was seized last evening by a crowd
of irate neighbors, who, with long switches,
dashed him severely, so severely that he
roared with pain. A Journal reporter Wis
tied the town last night, and although
everybody seemed to think young Shoe
maker deserved a thrashing, yet no one
could be found who would acknowledge to
having been one of the party which applied
the switches, for the affair smacks of
white-capping ARRAY, and no one wants to
be known in it. The neighbors all tell the
story regarding Shoenaker's mis-
treatment of his mother.
Mrs. Shoemaker was dependent upon her
son for living. They lived together in
block near the corner of the two avenues
named. During the cold weather and her
sons absence the feeble old woman was
evicted from the rooms by constable for
nonpayment OF rent. The old woman and
her few household effects were placed on
the sidewalk. She was subjected to a great
deal of exposure. Her son was working at
the time, but instead of using his money
for his mothers benefit he spent it some
where else. She looked to him to
find her new home and prose-
cute the landlord who had caused
her eviction. All day the old woman
remained near her property and waited for
her son to come but he remained away.
Sore neighbors took pity upon the aged
woman and gave her a. temporary home.
But the exposure incident to the eviction
and the grief caused by her sons neglect
proved too much for the old woman to bear
and she died four days afterward. Her last
request was that her body be taken to Hen
bricks county for burial, as that was her
home before she came to this city. In her
last hours she cried for her son James, but
he could not be found 1t is said he was
the woman who would willingly have died
and returned a verdict consistent with the
facts that Is that rat, the old woman died from
claimant i The ~ son 'l did mot not appear "s al
death. The body was finally turned over
to medical college for dissection and
until yesterday the neighbors saw nothing
Yesterday afternoon the young man APP
Pe n s seeS Of his void old
good clothes. Neighborhood sentiment was
pretty much the same regarding the pun
ishment he deserved. Last evening he
stood in front OF a drug store, at the
corner of the two avenues, smoking. The
women were more emphatic about his de-
serts than the men. and they urged that
something be done with him. A crowd of
men banded together and after cutting
long, strong switches began a search for
him. They found him not far from the
corner. He was half dragged and half
driven to vacant lot, not far from Warren
|. avenue. All the time he screamed to be
allowed TO go. A goody crowd collected
and applauded the self-constituted vigil
lance committee and urged them to go on
with the work. Several women were in the
NM yaIn mad in, fhr,
center OF the switchers and then the whip
ping. began. 1t is said that his screams
could be heard for two squares. He was
whipped across the legs and back and made
to dance from pain. The whippers We're
merciless and dashed their victim until he
making toward the city. He did not return,
for the partings warning of the crowd was
not inducive to a further residence in the
suburb.