The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-11
CALLED DOWN BY ALMA.
Commercial Club Says So Called Out
rage Was Halloween Trick.


The people of Alma do not appreciate
the free advertising their town has been
accommodating recently because of the
alleged outrage directed against Rev.
J. B. Gibson. which caused Attorney
General GODDARD to write strenuous
letter to the county attorney of Wa
baunsee county, directing him to pro-
coed against the perpetrators Of the
supposed outrage. The Alma people say
that the outrage was simply Hal
loween trick, and while they vigorous
ly denounce it. they claim it was no
worse than happens in other towns on
Halloween. The Alma Commercial club
has passed the following resolutions:
1--WE condemn Attorney General A. A.
GODDARD for his inf1ammatory letter
given out for publication against US as
a people, denouncing us as anarchists
and criminals, and saying that the eff
feet of our conduct upon society was
worse than horse stealing. larceny, en-
bezzlement or any of the other ordi-
nary crimes which are tried in our
courts.
I'VE further condemn the Topeka
Capital for editorial publication of
November 6. in which it says. That
there is a reign OF anarchy at Alma;
the cowardice of the local authorities
and the apparently comatose condition
of public sentiment in reference there
to-, for none of these conditions or re-
ports true, but absolutely false
and the falsity of the same could have
been verified in ten minutes by phone
communication by the attorney general
or the Capital if they had desired to
deal fairly with US.
1--WE further condemn the informants
from Alma to the attorney general and
the Capital for falsely reporting and
misrepresenting the occurrences allud-
ed to herein.
1--WE further condemn the piling of
MI.
parsonage, and the bombarding of the
same with eggs; but we say that the
same was done by a Halloween party
as a matter of mischief in keeping with
such occasions.
1--WE further say that all of the above
was the result of incorporate and i'm
pulsive action upon the part of both
sides.
1T is recommended that a copy of
these resolutions be handed our local
papers for publication; that a copy be
sent to A. A. GODDARD, and each of the
Topeka daily papers be requested to
publish the same"
The Alma Signal. in commenting on
the trouble editorially, says:
Alma is getting a great deal of I'M
favorable advertising this week on ac-
count of the depredations committed by
a lot of boys and two or three young
men Halloween night The Writeup
given our town in the Topeka Capital is
unjust unfair and unwarranted- They
would advertise to the world that the
business men, the mayor, council and
our city marshal were in league and
encouraged, if they did not actually as
sist, in perpetrating the insult upon the
family of our Methodist minister.
I'VE may not be fully advised as to
the parties implicated in the affair, but
have talked to Rev. J. B. Gibson and
others, and gather from them that two
three of our young men were impli-
Gated and possibly assisted in placing
some beer kegs on the porch of the
parsonage, and several hours after this
was done, and after some insulting
language had been used by two or three
of the boys toward Mrs. Gibson, upon
her requesting them to leave as she was
at home alone with a niece, some of
them returned and threw eggs at the
house.
1--WE, with all law abiding citizens.
condemn such acts upon the part of
either men or boys, and have no excuse
whatever to offer for such conduct, but
when it is published to the world
through the daily press that our mayor,
councilmen, city marshal and intimated
that some of our county officers were
implicated in the affair, we believe it
our duty to brand such statements and
insinuations as being false.
There is not city officer in Alma or
an officer in the court house that would
lend his influence or countenance even
the disturbance of Rev. Gibson, to say
nothing of his estimable wife, and all
this riot going the rounds of the daily
press is an outrage our town and
people, and we would suggest to Mr..
GODDARD, before rushing into print in the
future, that he advise himself fully as to