Evening star., 1901-02-25
j. W. Adams Fatally Wounded in
Topeka Last Night.
BATTLE BETWEEN POLICE AND MOB
Rev. F. w. Emerson Receives
Severe Cut on Hand.
T w 0 A r r f ESTS LAD E

ans fatally wounded in a battle be-
tween three policemen and band of citi-
zens who made midnight raid on North
Topeka wholesale liquor house. A large
quantity of beer in cases was destroyed be-
fore the crowd was dispersed.
crowd of from thirty to sixty citizens,
armed with revolvers, sledgehammers, crow
bars and battering ram. broke into the
wholesale liquor house of Cash Curtis, on
West Curtis street between Kansas avenue
and Jackson street, last midnight, and
smashed the beer found there Three po-
licemen drove the crowd back Both the
policemen and the citizens fired their re-
volvers and J. w. Adams, carpenter, was
shot twice in the breast. He was taken in
a hack to Riverside Hospital where he lies
in a precarious condition.
Dr. NJ r. Mitchell and Rev. F. w. Emer-
son were both arrested by the police Rev.
Mr.. Emerson was taken to the police sta
ton, where he was booked under the charge
OF resisting an officer. He was allowed to
go upon his own recogniZance
How the Job Was Done
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 resistance
Patrolman Boyles and Watchman Connors
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 ar
rived thirty cases and two kegs of beer
had been smashed The crowd fell back
slowly to 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. 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 a pile of
VIC Cd Officer Boyles claims 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 men
ran to his assistance. carriage was
called and he was removed 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. Mr.. Emerson patrol
wagon was called and Rev. Mr.. 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.
Adams Taken to Hospital.
DR. Mitchell took Adams to the hospital,
and was allowed to stay and administer
to him, without giving bond. The three Of
f1cers-Patrolmen Downey, Boyles and Pri-
vate Watchman Connors-claim Adams was
shot by his own crowd while he was re-
treating from the point of attack Adams
declares, however, that he was shot by a
policeman. Officer ConnorS says his re-
volver, .3S-caliber affair, was knocked
from his hand. Officer Downey says he did
not arrive on the scene until the trouble
was about over, and Officer BoyIes, who
carried .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 hospi-
tai, say he was shot with a 80 or .3S-caliber
revolver. One shot took effect in the center
of his chest and the other in the right
shoulder The bullets did not come out.
The crowd which did the smashing met
from the Joint" Estimates of it's size
vary from thirty to sixty. A few moments
past II o'clock the crowd moved east in
Curtis street to Jackson street. The whole
sale liquor 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 was a log foot thick.
A half dozen men seized the timber and
blow the door gave way and the crowd
rushed In. A lantern served to light the
interior, but it accidentally extin-
guished, and the work was done in the
dark.
Chief of Police Stahl was summoned from
his home, but did not arrive until the crowd
had left. Broken cases and the smashed
beer bottles were carried back into the
building and man stood guard the remain
der of the night with a shotgun.