The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-10-05
In SAVAGE MIZZOURI
Masked Men Seize and Beat a Citizen
of CLAW County

Kansas CITY, Mo-. sept 2l.-EarlN
this morning buggy drove up in
front of police headquarters at the
city hall. A man slowly alighted and
painfully made his way up the steps
to ask that he might have the atten
tion of the police surgeon. His
clothes and his white collarless shirt
were splashed with blood. His boots
and trousers were caked with clay and
mud to the knee. His hat, which he
held in his hand, was torn to a shape
less mass of ribbons. He staggered
along with a stream of blood dripping
from wound in his head.
The man was Werter De Vaughn.
He said he was whipped last night by
Clay county regulators.
De Vaughn's explanation, told hest
tatingly and with caution, was that
he was farmer and nurseryman,
with land near Shoal's church in Clay
county and an Office in Kansas City,
Kansas. He had put up for the night
at the farm house-in Clay county,
about a mile from Big Show-of d.
W. Rogers, who was his intimate
friend. Only Mrs. Rogers and boy,
Frank, It's years old, were at home.
He slept in the same room with the
boy.
about midnight " said DeNaughn,
II was awakeded by loud knocking
at the uoor below. | heard Mrs.
Rogers get up and answer the call.
There was an explanation, then Mrs.
Rogers came upstairs and knocked
at my door. asked what the matter
was. She said a man below wanted
to see me | dressed and went below
to find man with a lantern waiting
at the door. He said his buggy had
overturned near the bridge, a short
distance away, and his wife was PIN
ned beneath it in the mud. He wanted
my help.
II was little suspicious. but put
on my hat and coat and followed him
out of the door. | had hardly
reached the road when thirty or forty
men in masks sprang out from the
bushes with dark lanterns and re-
volvers.
The men closed in on me. | fired
once with my revolver, but before [
had a chance to fire again some one
knocked me down from behind with
the butt of his revolver. The boy,
Frank Rogers, was with me and his
mother must have heard the noise.
But as Frank was not harmed, neither
he nor his mother made any cutlery.
The men tied me, gagged me, and put
me on horse. They did this in
silence. Every one of them was
masked but | recognized three of
them.
Il struggled hard, but l couldn't
get away. They took me probably a
mile and a half away to a strip OF
timber near place called Big Show.
There they fastened me to a tree and
the whole pack of them began flashing
me with ropes and whips and raw
/ hides They cursed and kicked me
until / was nearly lainting. The
blood from my wounds ran down
into my boot legs. Finally they un-
tied me and turned me loose, telling
me TO eros, the county line before day,
break or they would kin me. got q
horse and buggy and drove oyel
here"
"What was the reason for the out
rage ~ De Vaughn was asked.
TO this question De Vaughn eithel
could not or would not make Il salts
factory reply. He said il was poll
tics. He was a Republican, and Clay
county doesn't like Republicans
De Vaughn doesn't know whether
he Will prosecute the three men h,
recognized.
/ Regulators IN Clay county are no
a new thing Their ourages hay,
continued for many years. IN,
county has a vigilance committee
which see, to the protection OF cattl,
and horses from thieves; but tn,
vigilance committee d, composed in
the main OF respectable farmers. Tn,
regulators Of Clay county commit thr
most cruel outrages with impunity
no one of them has ever been pun
ishod.
/