The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-10-01
THE FRUIT OF MOB Law
8oys and Girls Play at Lynch
ing In Belleville, Mo.
IMAGINARY POLICEMEN PRESENT.

uhO1NAh1 fUIlUbMhN fhbShN I.
New Game Has Taken It's Place With
Kites and Tops-Imaginary Mayor
Gives Order Not to Harm Imagf-
nary Mob. and an Imaginary Hang
ing FOIIows-Fire Contributes Real
istic Touch.
A new game has been added to the
catalogue of sports of the children OF
Belleville, Mo-, says the st. Louis Post
Dispatch. 1t is the game of lynch
ing" For the time being it has crowd.
ed out baseball and jackstones, being
vastly more exciting, and, If continued
4ntil fall, promises to deprive of some
of its prestige the game of football.
The children Of the town, deducing
from the light and airy manner in
which many of their elders refer to the
lynching of the negro Wyatt on the
public square that the game is proper
and creditable one and deriving from
the studied inactivity of the authori-
ties the assurance that it is perfectly
safe, have entered into the game with
zest, and many of them have become
adept at it.
If the game takes its place on the
years calendar Of sports and lynch
ing time' recurs with the same regu-
larity as "kite time" and top time
the children will by the time they are
grown be quite facile as lynchers.
The game starts with the intended
victim, generally boy, crouching in
the weeds in a make believe cell in an
imaginary jail. The lynchers. boys
and girls, gather under the nearest
electric light and VOW with great fe-
rocity that 1.-THE niger must die.'
With shouts as hoarse as they can
make them the youngsters make rush
Cor the make believe Jail and dance
about it with an imitation of fury even
more realistic than that of the crowd
which surrounded the Belleville Jail
cw weeks ago.
Make believe policemen hang about.
tut make no attempt to dispense the
mob.
A make believe mayor makes a
peech studded with terrible adjec-
ives. Immediately following which a
ush is made and the make believe
ront door Of the imaginary Jail is
roken in. The mob Is driven back by
n imaginary force of defenders. The
esperate mob withdraws a pace and
0nfers.
The consensus of opinion is that the
astile can't be taken because the de-
,nders have weapons filled with inju-
Gus bullets. and they are all agreed
4at, while they are bent on killing the
-isoner, they don't want to run any
SIX in doing so.
Some try to convince the others that
authorities are their friends and
ould not harm them for the world.
t still they hesitate. After an imagi-
Try wait of several hours bold spirit
eeps close up under the walls of the
ii and comes running back in great
2.
It's all right. felIersr' he shouts.
he mayor has given orders to the
ards that they are not to hurt us.
lr revenge is at hand. 'Sdeath!"
They shout hoarsely and again rush
on the Jail. The guards are locked
the imaginary Office and the back
or is not defended. They break it in
til imaginary sledge hammers. and
a little while the victim is bounced
on and dragged down the imaginary
ps and out on the street.
Imulating the real mob, they are not
ltent merely to take him to tele-
.ph pole and complete the magma
hanging. They pull and haul hila
ar the sidewalk and street shouting
rrily the while. 1t is such fun that
this time they have forgotten to be
'ce.
inally the victim is pronounced
ID, and piece of paper is set on fire
give the proper realism to the finish.
hen they imagine it is the next day.
/ the leaders go around imaginary
set corners telling what part they
in the make believe lynching.
he game ends with the make be-
authorities reposing on near by
n, complaining that they cannot as
ain the names of the lynchers and
guidly announcing that they will
the attention of the grand Jury to
lynchiug next year.