The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-19
Mayor Parker and Ex-Chief
Stahl Have " Meetfng.'
Call Each Other Names and
France Around.
MR.. STAHL'S THREAT
Told Mayor He Would Slap His
Face.
Afterward Said That He Was
Sorry About It.

Sparks flew this morning in City At
torney speneer's office when Mayor
Parker and ex-Chief of Police Stahl
got together.
Mr. stahI stated that the reason he
did not arrest any jointists during the
last three weeks Of his administration
was because Mayor Parker told him not
to.
4 didn't tell you anything of the
Sort retorted Mayor Parker, who was
sitting on the table.
You did, right here in this Office"
4 didn't
You call me ltar?"
You called me one"
Il say that you gave me instructions
not to modest the joints"
Il didn't do anything Of the kind.
People know your reputation for truth
and veraeity, Mr.. StahL I have had SO
men tell me that they would not believe
you under OATH
Il don't believe that anybody ever
told you that
We'll we have given each other the
lie"
I'm not used to being talked to this
way, Parker" said Mr.. Stahl rising
from his chair his face white and his
voice trembling. If you call rne a liar
I L
stepped around the table, and advanced
threa1eningly.
II didn't call you q liar. simply
disputed what you said. and you lid the
same" replied Mayor Parker, not get
ting off the table.
well that's the same thing. am
positive that you told me not to close
the joints. We were standing right
there by that window. You said you had
heard that I had warrant out for Ho-
barts drug store and you asked me to
not serve it,
II never mentioned Hobarts drug
/ store to YOU said Mayor Parker. i
called on you at the jail one n orning
/ and asked you not to pull Keith & J{a-
zen's drug store, as I was afraid It
would make a disturbance. in view OF
/ the way people were feeling then about
Judge Hazen. You promised not to, and
said you had no intention of pulling
4 them
Our conversation here in this office
was that same day SAID Ssnlsf StahI.
We talked about the Keith & Hazen
warrant here, too. And you said THAI
1 as I would only be in for few days
/ you wished I wouldn't molss- the joints,
and I told you Wouldn t.
It didn't say anything Of the kind
! didn't have any conversation with you
! here on that subject. have a right to
my opinion about that. But here yvu
! come around here and threaten to
I'VE got my second wind now said
Mr.. Stahl L don't intend to do any
/ thing. But I think I would have
smashed you If you had called me liar
That's just the way with you law
and order people-talk about smashing,
/ That's very characteristic of such
Christian, moral gentlemen as in that
! crowd
The two men were very near to a per-
| sonal conflict. One word would have
! precipitated trouble. Both were very
] oh Hfff6renr
ways Mayor Parker talked very loud,
and his face was very red. Mr.. Stahl
/ talked very low, and his face was white.
| But they both meant business.
/ After it was all over, and after the
! conversation had interviewed for sutf-
! Gent time for them TO cool off, Mr..
Stahl apologized for threatening to
/ strike Mayor Parker, and admitted that
| he came very near doing what he
would have been sorry for.
The conflict came about as climax
/ to a long and heated argument on the
liquor question. Mr.. Stahl had come
| to City Attorney Spencer's Office to as
/ sist in getting up the evidence in the
liquor prosecutions. While he was there
| Mayor Parker entered. and started the
/ conversation about the present condi-
] ton of the city as compared to what
it was when Stahl was chief of police.
1 It didn't take two minutes for each
man to get on his fighting clothes, and
/ then they went at it. Mayor Parker
/ has been suppressing a lot of wrath
| against Chief Stahl ever since the latter
/ made speech in the Auditorium III
j which he said that the world would be
better off without such men as Mayor
/ Parker. Mayor Parker referred to this
I speech
i to- don't care" he said, but you
know a man sometimes has a family
! who do care. You think it would be
! good thing if the world was rid of me,
ives. believe do" said Mr.. Stahl.
! We'll. fortunately you are not the
one who picks out the victims"
You have an opportunity here such
/ joints" said Mr. Stahl. You have
/ weapons which have been tested in the
supreme court. But the joints, bawdy
houses and gambling places are run
ming wide open. You can yourself walk
/ into a dozen gambling places on Kan
sas avenue. Why don't you shut them
up2"
7 did have considerable fight in me
| when I was elected" said Mr.. Parker,
hut by the time I got the Office, the
/ edge was taken off of it. had seen
| what nasco you made OF trying TO en-
force the law. You didn't do anything
/ but hamper the joints q little. AS much
/ Hau0r was sold IS ever
What if I did faii2 That don't ex-
cuse YOU. does it. from trying to enforce
the law / claim that we did close the
/ Town while was chief are now back
+ here running Joints If YOU will close the
! joints the people viii stand by you
They stood by me all right in the last
/ election as it was" said the mayor. We
have three Democrats in the council.
Fifty per cent Of the people of this town
endorse my administration I understand
| you are going to run for sheriff. I wish
+ you would We'd show you what sort Of
/ a race you could make. We'd beat you
I SO bad you wouldn't know you were run
4 ming"
I wish you would run for mayor re-
4 torted Mr. Stahl. Il guess there would
be something showed up which would
/ surprise you
Maybe I win run for mayor again, IN
spite Of my refusal. said Mayor Parker.
/ II YOU people keep abusing and Iannpoon-
I ing me, I viii get into the race. The more
/ you abuse me the stronger I get
after the slapping crisis was passed,