The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-01-28

mind. for her. She descended from The TIE
train quietly when the Santa re plug
came in and walked to the south enc ~
the station 70 the omnibus without sssy ,.l.
a word. There was a small crowd OF per-
haps a hundred curious persons gain
and Joint smasher 1t took some time for
the crowd TO realize that the stout woman
IN the plain black dress was really MIS-;
at the door Of the bus her identity was
Then the simple exclamatIons OF There
she is.'' That's Mrs Nation acted As
''Hurrah for your Mrs. Nation threw
up her arms and shouted. GIVE three
cheers. boys and girlsl God bless you.
Them's the boys and girls-you're all my
boys and girls. HOorayl
Mrs. Nation had broken loose IN Topeka
From her earliest demeanor and the dis
the bus. it IS plain that Mrs. Nation in
tended TO be good in Topeka Her subse-
tie fact thar She rs a creature OF impulse
ard inf1ammable. 1t was her deterrlira-
friends but before two hours had gone
by the city was in a turmoil and there
was blood on the MOON
Mrs. Nation was driven to the Hotel
Throop and unloaded carefully with her
two valises. one large, one small, and
black cloth, puclxering-stri handbag. but
"a. q. Chandler, with whom she intended
stopping, We're not there but had gone 70
Wichita. she abandoned her intention Of
stopping at the Ihroop and returned TO
the bus She was accordingly taken to
pastor of the First United Brethren
She had no Intention. as she had IRE
quently expressed the opposite purpose Of
going out into the town. until someone
came in and suggested AZ by the question:
AREN'T YOU going TO visit the joints to-
s'Then a voice told me I should GO"
Mrs. Nation declares. God sent me and
I couldn't hold back, The brother and
them that I must. Why, you couldn't
keep me here for five hundred dollars I
And 20 she did.
Mrs. Nation is far advanced beyond the
mlrel suasion idea, But Saturday night
she carried no other weapons She was
armed only with her tongue and her rep
out on the street corner She met a
young man, whom she asked to direct her
to a joint He happened to be familiar
with the locations Of places she desired to
see and volunteered to show her. Mrs.
Nation says Providence sent him to that
street corner for her to carry out her
Mrs. Nation visited four Topeka joints
and had all the town that was stirring al
her heels before the tour was completed.
IN one place she was beaten bv a woman
with a broomsticlx: from place to place
she was followed and jostled by mob
of a thousand people, from whom she had
bodily harm would be done her
1t was in the place on the southeast
Mrs. Nation was assaulted with a broom
stick. Mrs AIaiers, wife of the reputed
said to be operated there. is accused Of
being the party that welded the broom
bounded up the steps. With the rabble
outside yelling and shouting, the Medicine
into the rear Of the shop A woman with
a piece of broOmstic< standing at ''repel
invaders" confronted her.
Get out Of herel" shouted the bellicose
defender.
want to make a speech" replied Mrs. Ma
tor
without further parley the woman be-
head and shoulders The attacked woman
simply raised her folded arms over her
head to. protect herself as much as possi-
bic and allowed herself TO be showed
out
As a result Of this melee mrs. Nation
wears a small lump the side or her
head and another bruised shoulder.
TT is my right shoulder" she says.
that bears the marks of Topeka
stopped and received most of the blows
my back They didn't hurt me The
Lord protects me from harm: Couldn't
expect to be much hurt by a broomstick
when rawhides fail to hurt and after be-
ing pummeled with rocks and rotten
eggs"
Her entrance into Bert Russelrs place,
on Kansas avenue. was the first intima
page. This was her first call and her en-
among the inmates of the billiard nall.
There were cries Of alarm and conster-
nation.
The .pluelzy. woman was on the run for
ed the back room Ed Ryan doomed up
in the doorway, laid hold Of her and
pushed her out into the street, Mrs. Ma
ton excitedly protesting all the time that
she was not going to smash anything.
She just wanted to see inside and talk.
once on the sidewalk a big crowd soon
gathered Mrs Nation devoted her atten-
ton exclusively to Ryan and put him to
This is an illegal business. I was not
going to hurt the place, and you ought
to be ashamed to lay hands on a woman.
This IS a murder shop, where our boys
are ruined and sent to hell. want to
warn you that the joints must close"
The crowd cheered her speech and boot
ed at the man. who disappeared up Kan
sas avenue Still gaining in numbers, the
street to the Senate But the alarm had
gone forth and the crusader could not
door was slammed in her face and locked
You're afeared to let me in, coward"
she exclaimed, pounding on the door
open the door, won't hurt YOU
Cant come in was the gruff response
from behind the barricade, and ali her
pleading and commanding was in vain
The rabble trailed into the billiard room,
eager TO see the run. but they had to be
same order.
Mrs Nation went on out and into the
corner store Up against the broomstick
The shouting mob was augmented to an
army Of thousand or more Men
cheered her pluck and boys ran and
with the joints. cried:
Throw her outl'
pace
she was nothing daunted, however.
SHOW me another place." she said,
gamely.
Her last visit was made to a resort on
Fourth street which is now kept as a
''chili parlOr' by a colOred man named
Johnson. Mrs Nation did not find any
thing here. but she read the riot act to
the proprietor just the same.
All along Kansas avenue 1t was now
known that lurid carmine was dripping
from the face of the man in the moon
and the roar of the multitude that logged
Mrs Nations footsteps warned every
joint to close up against her. It was i'm
possible to get in anywhere now and she
made more attempts to do SO. A
squad of police were doing ali they could
to protect the woman from the jOstling
and pushing of the mob. but bluecoats
and all were buffeted about like small
boat in gale.
During a hull Mrs. Nation addressed the