The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-26
DEATH IN A Topeka RAID
J. w. ADAMS, ONE OF THE ANTI
SALOON REGULATORS, Is
FATALLY WOUNDED
WHOLESALE HOUSE SMASHED
Door Battered In With a Ratteripg
Ram and Liquor Destroyed
by u Mob of Masked
Men.

TOPEKA, Kan, Feb. 25-J. w. Adams
was fatally wounded in battle between
three policemen and band of citizens
who made a midnight raid on a North
Topeka wholesale liquor house.
Large quantities of case beer were de-
stroyed before the crowd was dispersed.
A crowd of from thirty to sixty citi-
zens, armed with revolvers, sledge ham
mers, crowbars and a battering ram,
broke into the wholesale liquor house
of Cash Curtis, On West Curtis street.
between Kansas avenue and Jackson
street, at midnight and smashed the
beer found there. The policemen drove
the crowd back. Both the policemen
and the citizens fired their revolvers, and
j. w. Adams, a carpenter, was shot
twice in the breast. He was taken in
hack to Riverside hospital, where he lies
in a precarious condition
DR.. M. r. Mitchell and Rev. e. w. EN-
erson were both arrested by the police.
Rev. Emerson was taken to the police
station where he was booked under the
charge OF resisting an officer. He was
allowed to go on his own recogn zance.
DR.. Mitchell took Adams to the hospital
and was allowed to stay and minister to
him without giving bond. The three Of
hcerS, Patrol men Downey and Boyles
and Private Watchman Corners claim
Adams was shot by his own crowd while
he was retreating from the point of at
tack. Adams declares, however. that he
was shot by policeman. officer Con-
ners says that his revolver, a 3S-caliber
affair, was knocked from his hand Of
ficer Downey says he did not arrive on
the scene until the trouble was about
over, and Officer Boles. who carries a
44-caliber revolver, claims the two shots
he fired were aimed upward
DR.. Mitchell and DR. Charles w Ham
mond, who cared for Adams at the hos
pital. say he was shot with a 32 or SS-
caliber revolver. One shot took effect in
the center of his chest and the other in
his right shoulder. The bullets did not
come out.
The crowd which did the smashing met
in West Curtis street, about two blocks
from the Joint" Estimates of it's size
vary from thirty to sixty persons.
MARCHED AT MIDNIGHT.
At a few minutes past - o'clock the
crowd moved east in Curtis street to
jackson street The wholesale liquor
house is small frame building at the
rear of Curtis house, which faces on
Curtis street. The crowd turned south
on jackson street and crossed the rear
lots between the street and the liauor
house. In one of the yards was a log a
foot thick. A half dozen men seized the
AOG e1iiA USSQ II DIS q DdLtSElIg ram. AT
the first blow the door gave way Il
lantern lighted up the interior. but it
was accidentally 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
who threw them into the yard to be
smashed The crowd used heavy sledges.
axes, masons' hammers and crowbars.
The owners of the beer made no resist
ance.
Patrolman Boyles and Waterman Con-
nors were called from the Union Pacific
depot, two blocks away, and were the
first officers there. They entered the
yard and drove the crowd back Before
the officers arrived thirty cases and two
kegs of beer had been smashed. The
crowd fell back slowly to ditch near
Jackson street, where the leaders sue
.ceeded in rallying their forces
While the crowd was being driven
back twenty or thirty shots were fired.
When the crowd retreated to Jackson
street the officers were near the building
and Adams was between the officers and
the crowd. When he was shot he fell
beside pile of wood. Officer Boyles
claims Adams was facing west and run
ming 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 men ran to his
assistance. A carriage was called and
he was borne to the Riverside hospital
When the crowd learned that one of the
number had been wounded it quickly dis
persed.
officers Boyles and Downey arrested
DR.. Mitchell and Rev. Emerson. A patrol
wagon was called and Rev. Emerson was
taken TO the police station There it was
found that his left hand was cut and
bleeding. He was booked and allowed to
go to his home
Chief of Palice Stahl was summoned
from his home, but did not arrive until
the crowd had left. Broken cases and
smashed beer bottles were carried back
into the building and a man stood guard
the remainder of the night with a shot
gun.