Willmar tribune., 1897-09-07
DASTARDLY VANDALISM.


500 Smith Premier ty pewriter and new
Standard dictionary stolen and
chopped to pieces. So sure of safety
were the perpetrators that they boldly
carried the property away two blocks,
smashed it up, and returned to the Of
fee with a portion of the wreckage
and placed it on the sidewalk, where it
was shortly after discovered.
The village night watch tells US that
he discovered the main portion of the
typewriter on the sidewalk at shortly
after eleven o'clock, but that he did
not attempt to investigate. He also
passed it several times during the
night. He did not know that the win
dow had been cut in order to remove
the property although he passed with
in a few feet of the opening. He knew
the typewriter belonged to us, but it
did not occur to h..!l that it might not
be amiss to call our attention to it's
being on the sidewalk in broken con-
dition although he says he passed by
our esidence at or near midnight.
These facts were stated to us by the
marshal, and we leaye our readers to
draw conclusions and speculate on how
long it will be before more vandalism,
as equally unprovoked as was that Of
last Friday nj ght, will be perpetrated.
Now let us cite few facts concern.
ing what has previously transpired.
The editor of the Atwater Press has
been subjected to vast amount of the
most damnable prosecutions at the
hands of a small clique of as mean,
cowardly persons as ever enlisted in
the service of the devil. These perse-
cutions have consisted in threats, in
timidation, arrest, arson, the use Of
poision, burglary and everything ex-
cept murder, and have covered the
period Of three years.
It is not unusual that 4 newspaper
man, who has the manhood to stand
out boldly for the right, even to op-
posing wrong and advocating the
right, as he sees it, meets with strong
opposition and even force is some
times employed by unscrupulous per-
sons, but seldom are such matters
carried to such extremes as here in
Atwater. The clouds began to gather
some time before, but it was not until
about three years ago that the storm
burst in all its fury, and has been
Raging ever since. We have not the
space to go fully into the details now,
but nearly every reader is more or
less familiar with them, and nearly all
will recall that October day three
years ago when the storm broke by
having a delegation of business men
wait on us and request us to support
Mr.. Feig for the legislature and on
our refusal to do so we were threatened
with the use of a boycott, and other
measures that would force us into SUBJ
mission or ruination.
This action, while not perhaps di-
rectly responsible for all that has sub
sequently transpired, is Indirectly so.
For were it not for at least a silent,
secret approval the many subsequent
events, eliminating last Friday night,
would not have transpired. Made
bold by this, single individuals took
it upon themselves to dictate to us to
whom we should sell advertising space
in our paper, heaping indignities upon
us in every way, such as, through
Misrepresentation, causing our insur-
ance policies to be cancelled, and
other acts equally as malicious.
| Many will recall the attempted en-
listment of all in the boycott; our ar
rest on trumped up charges, and not
a few know of the fund that was raised
to carry on the fight.
Then followed poison. 1t was used
on our horse one night by pouring
acid on her legs, and in few days
by putting arsenic in her feed box,
both of which we're counteracted by
prompt and skillful treatment from a
good veterinary surgeon.
| A few months later a vandal de-
| stroyed our sign. Another made away
with our little boys pet dog. Then
becoming more bold, in October last
arson was attempted by pouring kero-
sene oil on the Office and applying the
match. Not succeeding at that time,
on November End last the second at
tempt was made, which resulted in the
| total destruction of the blacksmith
shop and nearly the ruiuation of our
Office.
The next attempt was made last week
Friday night as set forth at the top. of
this article. This act of vandalism
will certainly. have a very bad effect
on the town, as it tends to advertise
the fact that at Atw alter it is possible to
turglarize a business place at ten
O'Clock at night), openly cutting out
windows within five feet of the side
walk, steal and get away with plunder
without detection, Notwithstanding the
ldCL GudG Vic village pays d ulSuG-
watchman $40.a month. Surely with
such a record the town offers great in
ducements for the opperation of pro-
fessionals unless the world is. shown
that guilty parties here are brought to
speedy justice.
The repeal of the Sherman law was
the first great blunder of the republi-
can party, and Sec. p of the .Dingley
bill is the second. Mark Hanna may
be good campaigner but he is evil
IDENTIFY no Blaine, nor is there any
other Blaine yet in the party or such
terrible blunder as Sec. % would not
have occurred: s*e%s u 1.'. =. .~.' :.
| A hundred and fifty improved farms,
located throughout the Park Region
of Minnesota, for sale at So per acre
and upwards. Farm loans also made