The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-01-17
ARE NOT. SORRY.
LeaVenwOrth Refuses to Adopt
SackcIOth and Ashes.
Citizens Still Excited Over the
Burning of Alexander.
VIGILANCE COMMITTEE
One is Organized With Twenty
five Members.
Mayor Neely Defends Leaven-
worth, But Not the Mob.

Leavenwortb, Kan, Jan. 17.-f there
is regret in Leavenworth over the
burning of Fred Alexander it is not ex-
pressed. Kansas may deplore the work
Of the mob but Leavenworth does not
It may be that when on Sunday the
preachers mount their pulpits they. who
teach the doctrine OF turning the other
cheek, may denounce the lynchers. but
they are not DONG so now. When asked
for their views. few had any TO express
It was supposed that, of all people.
the clergy would have something 70
say against mob violence. I cannot
justify the act" is the exact language
OF Rev. Father Ward. which was a long
way from assailing it.
LeaVenwol tn is still o. the verge of
mol, rule. 1t requires but a spark ta
make it burst into force The work on
Monday did not finish the offices of the
mob: it merely began them. A vigilance
professional men has been permanently
organized, and last night they looked for
a negro who, it is reported to the COM
mittee, had boasted that he could have
nine out Of any ten white women in
LaavenWorth." "
They win make way with him the
minute they find him. said a city Off
ciaL
who are 'they2'" =
The vigilance committee
And who is on the committee2''
1ne O0lclal Q1Q not know. The very
next man who was spoken to said he
understood" the official was on the
membership committee of the vigi-
lantes-- All Ieavenworth is on it.
Platte City is across the Missouri from
IeavenwOrth- There are said to be some
famous rough riders there. If a legisla-
tive committee arrives in LeavenwOrth
to Investigate the affair it will learn if
l. learns anything, that every act of
Tuesday was done by men from Platte
City
There were pictures taken of the SUM-
mary execution Of Alexander. a news
paper man succeeding in getting about
20 views He was requested by the com
mlttee to destroy his plates, or at least
70 paint out the faces Of those in the
crowd assembled around the object of
the attack. AS fast as these pictures or
those from other cameras are discovered /
they will lie confiscated. It is the hope
o. the Alexander family to get hold of
soTfe OF them and the father and moth |
er of the dead man were loud in their |
walls and means yesterday for some |
such evidence. They cannot hope to geS
any All LeavenWOrth was in the mob |
and all Leavenworth's best people are I
represented on the committee on public /
safety Snap shots viii not circulate in |
LeavenWorth.
I'VE have gone through hell here. said /
Mayor Nicely 1T is unfair for the 1
newspapers to criticise us. They do not +
know what we have gone through. In /
four months the city has learned Of sew
negro In that time there have been
three times as many assaults. The pub
lie did not learn Of them. I learned Of
many Fine families, fine girls. brute.
He held one Of them in captivity for an
hour on Labor day. When she would +
beg to be released, he would taunt her
and when she struggled to escape he
would choke her
And the newspapers all over the
are denouncing Leavenworth. I
am not defending the mob, but I am de-
Tending Leavenworth" "
All Leavenworth is agreed that there
has been a reign of terror here for
months An army officer, Captain Uline.
said 1t was accepted that no woman dare
go into the city after dark The people
have borne much,'' said the captain. |
They have man now in Jail who, if not
as bad as the brute Alexander. owes
much to Providence that they did not
take him out ani Sang him. Exaspera-
Ied at repeated outrages, unable to find
either the culpr- OI an adequate nun
shment their feelings were lent up un-
I'll they burst their bounds. Then moth
ng was the extreme and the marvel is
they refrained from torture"