The Topeka state journal., 1897-09-07
LAWLESSNESS
TRIUMPHANT.
Encouraged by COwardIiness on
Part of City
And County Officials, JOintists
and Thugs
Attack Officers Raiding Joint
at Garfield Park.
TWO MEN BADLY HURT
A. G.. Carruth's Leg Broken
and Harry Heald Injured.
Brutal Behavior of a Crowd of
100 Drunks.
Murder the Next Thing on the
Programme
If the Criminal Element Is Not
Held in Check.
TWO MEN BADLY HURT
A. G. Carruth's Leg Broken
and Harry Heald Injured.
Brutal Behavior of a Crowd OF
100 Drunks.
Murder the Next Thing on the
Programme
If the Criminal Element Is Not
Held in Check.

Yesterday afternoon at Garfield park
while the Labor Day picnic was in full
swing a large sized joint was started
under a tent in the park near the
north fence, while just outside the
fence an open air joint and gambling
table were being run.
The Temperance Committee of Sew
enteen secured warrants for the arrest
of the joint keepers.
Two constabIes with nine deputies
raided the places and placed the pro-
prietors under arrest. This precipitated
a riot, in which over 100 men in various
states of intoxicatiOn, attacked the
posse of officers and injured two of
them severely.
About o'clock Attorney Frank H.
Foster arrived at Garfield park, hav-
ing in his possession warrants which
had been issued by Justice of the Peace
Bo1mar of POtwin.
H. G. Larimer and A. G. Carruth had
been there all afternoon collecting evil
dence.
Constable Hickey of Highland Park
with w. c. Ralston, a young lawyer in
Bishop Crumrine'S office, ex-Jailer w.
D. Disbrow, Clint Watson, Harry j.
Heald. a law partner of Judge John
Martin. Frank H. Foster, the attorney,
and Dan Jones, ex-deputy sheriff, as
his deputies and Constable Benedict of
Oakland with a man named Peak as
deputy, prepared to raid the joints.
In the northeast corner of the park a
tent had been erected and in this sever
al kegs of beer were on tap and gaming
tables were busy; Croft, called .HaF- lar.
place, and he had three helpers named
Bates, Johnson and Etzel.
Outside the park and just north of the
fence, a man named Crawford ran a
joint and gambling devices. The first
raid was made on Crofts outfit in the
park The men were arrested and part
Of he -fr1I1 11ae Iaf+ in oh a
while the rest went to the other joint.
The latter place proved more threaten
ing.
The men around the place resisted,
ana when an effort was made to seize
the goods cries of Hang them!
Throw them in the creekl"'Beat them
upi" were heard. At both places the
crowd became a mob. and violent scuf-
fling resulted. Constable Hickey called
upon Harry G. Larimer and A. G. Car
ruth to help them. They did so. As
ropes and let the canvas down on the
constabIes and crowd. They crawled
out and stood upon the canvas The
beer was underneath. The crowd made
several attacks upon the small COM
pany of officers, threw ice at them and
used abusive language
At the joint north of the park, A. G.
Carruth was pulled off of an express
waSonin which he was assisting in load
ing on beer kegs and his leg broken His
head was cut in two or three places and
his body bruised. He was removed to
his home on College Hill.
Harry Heald was attacked and struck
several times in the face, thrown down
and trampled upon. He was badly
bruised but is not dangerously injured
w. c. Ralston was struck in the back
with a piece of ice and bruised. While
this was going on, Frank Fl. Foster
drove in his buggy to where Heald and
Carruth were being beaten and hit sew
e,raI of the assailants with the butt end
of his whip. They fell back somewhat
and Heald and Carruth' were removed
without further injury. The crowd then
attacked Mr.. Foster, and ne escaped
through a volIey of beer glasses and
The tent was removed by Mr.. Para
more who had rented it to Croft, ana
then the crowd made a rush for the
beer They handled MeSsrs. watson,
Iarimer, Disbrow and Peak rather
roughly. H. G.. Larimer ran TO the
front of the park anu Seld 10 NhieA VI
"As chief of police. I demand that
you come down here and protect these
officers Two men have been nearly
l3Iled and the mob will kill the rest
Chief Steele replied to Mr.. Larimer
angrily and refused to go.
Speaking of it today Mr. Larimer
said. "After we had held the goods
there and kept back the crowd for an
hour and ten minutes l saw that the
crowd would probably ,s Rlt IL cS,,e down ~S11l
He said: You snubbed me all day ana
1 won't go down there nope eheS
will kill all you felloWS-
Everyone of the men VINO TOOK Part PSlr
in that raid were officers except MT
Carruth and myself. When the trouple
began Mr.. Hickey called upon MI Car
11lTh and me to help him and we did il.
The crowd was half drunk and 1t IS
wonder that we weren't killed. But the
parties will be arrested. If the peopIe
Of Topeka stand this, then it will show
that they don't want prohibition and
law enforcement Mr.. F. j. Lynch told
the crowd that we had no right to seize
The beer L told him that we had
warrant for maintaining nuisance and
we had the right to take the beer
arrested. He has since denied that he
fold the crowd that, but I heard him
eav il with my own ears.
Chief of Police Henry NJ. Steele, being
,.Irs5 afo1lt the affair said: L was at
Carfield park not as chief of police, but
as member of the committee on ar
ronrements at Garfield park am a
member of the Trades assembly. We