Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-03-01
MIDNIGHT RAID At Topeka
]. W. Adams, a Crusader, Fatally
Wounded and Rev. F. w. Emer-
SOM Leader, Wounded.
the CROWD NUMBERED ABOUT SIXTY
After the Crusaders Had Broken into
Wholesale Liquor Plant and Destroye
Much Beer the Police Arrived an
- Shooting Began-DtTerentS Stories Abous
the WOunding of Adams.

the Wounding of Adams.
Topeka, Kan, Feb. 26.-J. w. Adams
lies at hospital lowering between
life and death. He was shot during a
raid on north Topeka wholesale iq-
uor house. At midnight Sunday night
q crowd of from 30 to 60 citizens,
heavily armed with revolvers, sledge
hammers, crowbars and a battering
ram broke into the wholesale liquor
house of "Cash" Curtis on West Curtis
street between Kansas avenue and
Jackson street and smashed the beer
found there. Three policemen drove
the crowd back. Both the policemen
and the citizens of the mob fired their
revolvers and j. w. Adams, a car
peater ivingtat s24 West Grant street,
was shot twice in the breast. DIR. M.
r. Mitchell and Rev. F. w. Emerson
were both arrested by the police. Rev.
Mr.. Emerson was taken to the police
station, where he was booked under
the charge of resisting an officer. He
was allowed to go upon his own re-
cognizance. DIR. Mitchell took the in
jured man to the hospital in hack
and was allowed to stay and admins
ter to him without giving bond. The
three officers, Patrolmen Downey,
Boyles and Private Waterman Con-
nors claim that Adams was shot by
his own crowd while he was retreating
from the place where the liquors were
smashed and Adams says he was shot
by policeman, but does not know
who. Connors says that his revolver
was knocked from his hand. Officer
Downey says he did not arrive at the
scene of the trouble until it was about
over and Officer Boyles, who carries
a Colts 44-caliber revolver, claims that
the two shots he fired were in the air
and that he did not aim at anyone.
The crowd which did the smashing
met on West Curtis street about two
blocks from the joint. The estimates
of the number vary from 80 to 60. At
a few moments past IL o'clock the
crowd moved east on Curtis street
to Jackson street. The wholesale liq-
uor house is a small frame building at
the rear of Curtis home, which faces
on Curtis street. The crowd turned
south on Jackson street and crossed
the rear of the lots between the street
and the liquor house. In one of the
yards by wood pile was log foot
thick at the large end and about ten
feet long. A half-dozen men seized
the log and used it as a battering
ram. The men with the log rushed at
the door and at the first blow the lock
was broken, the door gave way and
the crowd rushed in. At the first
rush the lantern which the crowd car
ried was eXtinguished and the work
was done in the dark. Three men
ctoo6 ho
casks and kegs of beer to men in the
doorway who threw them into the
yard to be smashed. The crowd used
heavy sledges, axes, mason's hammers
and crowbars. The owners of the beer
made no resistance. Patrolman
Boyles and Waterman Connors were
called from the Union Pacific
depots, two blocks away and were
the first officers there. They entered
the yard from Curtis street and drove
the crowd back. Before the officers
arrived 30 cases and two kegs of beer
had been smashed and the debris was
scattered over the yard. When the
officers arrived the crowd fell back to
ditch near Jackson street where the
leaders succeeded in rallying their
forces. While the crowd was being
driven back 90 or 80 shots were fired.
When the crowd retreated to Jackson
street and the officers were near the
building, Adams was then between
the officers and the crowd. When he
was shot he fell by pile of wood
Officer Boyles claims that Adams was
facing west and running toward the
crowd when he was shot. When Adams
fell the crowd thought he had tripped
over the pile of wood. He did not rise
and several ran to his assistance. He
was carried to Jackson street. When
the crowd found that one of the mum
Der had been wounded and was being
taken to n hospital the members
quickly dispersed.