The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-26
sI$Ige Hammers, Crow
Used by the 'sHome Defenders.-
LEADERS ARE UNDER ARREST
WHAT OFFICERS AND OTHERS SAY
OF THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE.
Mrs. Carrie Nation Out of Prison on
Bond and Editing a Newspapers
in Peoria for One Day.

TOPEKA, Kan, Feb. 25.-As a result of a
raid on the Curtis wholesale liquor house
by mob last night, ]. w. Adams, car
penter, lies in the hospital in a precarious
condition from q pistol shot wound and
probably will die; Dr. NJ. r. Mitchell and
Rev. +. w. Emerson are both under arrest
as leaders of the mob, and the liquor house
is almost wreck.
At midnight a crowd numbering about
sixty citizens heavily armed with revol-
Sers. sedge hammers, crow bars and
battering ram, and with faces masked.
broke into the wholesale liquor house of
Cash Curtis, on West Curtis street. be-
tween Kansas avenue and Jackson streets.
and began destroying the stock of liquor.
Three policemen drove the crowd back,
firing their revolvers into the air to
frighten the mob. Several members of the
mob also fired revolvers and ]. w. Adams,
a carpenter. received two bullets in the
breast and sank to the ground unconscious.
He was taken in hack to Riverside Hos
pital, where he lies in a precarious con-
dition.
The crowd which did the smashing met
on West Curtis street, about two blocks
from the liquor house. A few moments
to the liquor store, which is small frame
building. Half dozen men carried log
about ten feet long to be used as a batter
ing ram. With it the door was burst open
and the crowd rushed i'm. The lantern
which tho crowd carried was extinguished
and the work was done in the dark. Three
men stood inside and passed the cases and
kegs of beer to the men in the doorway,
smashed. The crowd used heavy sledges.
axes and crow-bars. The owners of the
beer made no resistance, but summoned
officers Boyles, Connors and Downey from
the Union Pacific station, two blocks away.
Before the officers arrived thirty 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 a ditch near Jackson street, where
the leaders succeeded in rallying their
forces. While the crowd was being driven
back twenty or thirty shots were fired, and
in this fussillade Adams fell and made no
attempt to arise. Several went to his as
sistance and finding he had been shot
the crowd quickly dispersed. DR.. Mitchell
and Rev. Emerson, who were STOPPING over
the wounded man, Were placed under ar
rest. Dr. Mitchell was permitted to ac-
company Adams TO the hospital but Rev.
Emerson was taken to the police station,
where it was found his hand had been
badly cut. The injury bandaged, he
was booked and later was allowed to go
home. When the crowd had left the
broken cases and the smashed beer bottles
were carried into the building and a man
stood guard near the building with a shot
gun.
Speaking of the raid, Chief of Police
Stahl said: This raid was complete sur
prise We had no idea that it was going
to take place."
Officer Boyles, who was on the North
Kansas-avenue beat, was the first officer
at the scene of the smashing. Watchman
Connors was close behind him. when we
arrived said Boyles, 1.-The crowd yelled
Mob Hang 'em. Burn 'emr L arrested
DIR. Mitchell and f. w. Emerson who
seemed to be the leaders. When got there
they stopped carrying out the beer. Dr.
Mitchell was giving orders All the crowd
had white handkerchiefs tied over their
face but DR.. Mitchell's and Rev. Emer-
sons handkerchiefs came off, / went to
where they were throwing out the. stuff
and told them to STOP The crowd fell back
toward Jacobson street. and the shooting
commenced. / shot twice in the air. Adams
was running toward the crowd when he
was shot. He had sledge and steel bar in
his hands. He did not say word when
he fell
Officer Connors's story corroborates the
story of Officer Boyles. when we got into
the yard Emerson drew revolver on me-"
said Connors. when 1 tried to take it
away from him We clinched and fell and
L couldn't get up. During the fuss some
one hit me with a club twice and / was hit
once on the shoulder with a hammer
Emerson got away from me and Boyles got
him. Adams was between the crowd and
building, and thirty feet from the building
running toward the crowd when he was
shot. Emerson stood little bank OF
dirt and called upon the crowd to rally.
Emerson stood there and fired his revolver.
My revolver was Anocked from my hand
and l did not fire it,
DIR. Mitchell who is under arrest, was
seen at the hospital. where he is caring
for the wounded man, Adams. He appeared
very reticent and said: THE least said
about IL the better" They were unload
ing the liquor all evening"" said Dr. Mitch
ell I'VE following the wagon that they
were hauling it in from the Union Pacific
tracks" DR.. Mitchell had little to say
about the smashing. when the officers
came" continued Dr. Mitchell, "a number
OF shots were fired. l do not know who
fired first. Both the crowd and the Of
fcers fired"
Rev. +. w. Emerson. pastor of the First
Christian Church, was arraigned in the
Police Court this afternoon charged with
resisting an officer In the joint raid tn: )
morning. He requested continuance until