The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-09
Was Formerly President OF the
Farmers Alliance.
LIKED BY HENRY ALLEN
Once Befriended the Ottawa Ed
itOr in Time of Distress.
Was About to Be M0bbed by Al
lance Men.
Items of Interest About the
Wire Workers.

When Lit Crum succeeds to the
United States marshalship- when, re-
member-his chief deputy is to be
Frank McGrath- of Mitchell county.
McGrath has an enviable reputation as
criminal hunter. Years ago he was
sheriff of Mitchell county, and made
a record for himself in catching cattle
thieves and other culprits that few Off
GERS equal OF late years he has fire.
quently been employed as a private de-
tective.
But McGrath has a record for some
thing else besides being a criminal
catcher. He was one of the organizers
of the Farmers Alliance, and in 1891,
when the alliance was at its height, he
was it's state president and chief
prophet 1t was at the state meeting
at Salina in October of that year that
Henry Allen, now president of the state
board of charities and corrections, was
caught in the garret of the Salina opera
house, where the alliance was meeting,
and was hauled before the assembly TO
answer to the charge of eaveSdrOpplnS.
1t was a serious predicament, but Nc
Grath came to Aliens rescue, and Allen
has always been friendly toward Nc
Grath ever since.
Allen was then just out of Baker uni
versity, and had been employed by j.
master general, as local editor of his
paper. Allen hid among the cobwebs
in the dark garret of the opera house
above ventilator. and got all the in
side proceedings of the alliance Those
were the days when the Seven Ffnan-
cial Conspiracies,' and works of like
character, were read behind locked
doors in the country school houses all
over the state. and the members of the
alliance were exceedingly suspicious of
the Money Power. The reports of the
alliance proceedings We're SO accurate
that it was suspected that someone was
listening. and committee was ap-
pointed to search the garnet. The COM
mittee did so but Allen escaped until
they were about to give up the search,
when he breathed a cObWeb and 1t
made him sneeZe- He was roughly
dragged before the alliance and, covered
as he was with dirt and cobWebS, the
excited members of the alliance easily
imagined MIN an em1SSary OF the Money
Power. Some of the members were ex-
ceedingIy rabid and wanted to tie a
rope around Aliens neck and throw him
out of the window without ceremony,
and he would doubtless have suffered
rough treatment had it not been for
McGrath'S intercesSion. McGrath ap-
preciated the situation, and Allen was
let off with severe reprimand. after
being compelled to make a speech, in
which he said that he called upon
very suddenly and had had no time TO
prepare a speech. This is the reason
II
in his heart for Frank McGrath who
has long since returned to the Repub-
lican fold 1t might be said that there
was another man in the garret who was
not found and who furnished a report
of the meeting.
In the campaign last year Allen again
made a speech from the same platform
but he did not allude to his first appear
ance there, as is the habit of most
speakers.
Frank F1enniken, formerly of En-
poria, but now of Kansas City, is said
to be slated for Crums office deputy.
while Representative c. F. Biddle, of
Comanche county, and Charles Drew
of Usage, will be the other field dep
uties- McGrath will have charge of the
Topeka district. Drew of the Fort Scott
district, and Biddle of the Wichita dis
trict-
Tom Morgan, the veteran Democratic
editor. who recently sold the Eureka
Messenger after running it for seven
teen years. is skirmishing over the
state in search for a location for an
does not find a place to suit him he
will start bank Just think of coun-
try newspaper man saving enough
money to start bank!
1t is expected that Congressman Cur
tbs will stand pretty close to President
Roosevelt during the coming session of
congress because of his knowledge of
Indian affairs. The president is said to
be very friendly to the interests of the
Indians. and as no other person is any
where near as we'll posted on Indian af-
fairs as is Mr.. Curtis. it is likely that
Mr.. Roosevelt will frequently call on the
Kansas congressman for information
Mr.. Curtis spent some time this summer
in personally investigating conditions
among the various tribes
One of the few places in Kansas where
the Democrats made gains this year
was down in WyandOtte county, where
Joseph Butler who represented Wyan-
dotte in the house last winter, was
Democratic ticket He carried the Fifth
and Sixth wards in Kansas City KAN
and also made great gains in the Fourth
ward, Republican stronghold. Butler
is young man. He started in politics
through labor unions. which is not un-
common in Wyandotte county He was
first elected constable three wears ago
then came to the legislature and is now
elected county commissioner. He caused
a big uproar among the female suffrag-
lists last winter by introducing a bill to
repeal the present law allowing women
to vote in municipal elections He he
lfeves in the spoils system, and as his
election puts the Democrats in control
in Wyandotte county. he is preparing to
be vacated
1t is reported that Congressman Bow
ersock and Senator Burton have united
on Charles Sprague for postmaster of
Olathe which will probably insure Mr.
Sprague the job without any trouble.
While Chester I. Long is fixing his eve
on the Kansas senatership, there are