The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-14
BURCH's LITERARY STYLE.
An Opinion in Which He Gives It
Full Sway.

Justice Burch is now recognized as
the litterateur of the supreme court.
When he writes an opinion he usually
gets something of style into it other
than the usual legal Dhraseology.
In his opinion rendered Saturday in
a railroad case. for instance, he intro
duces it with a very picturesque de-
seription Of an average Sunday exeur-
sion. He says;
Among the restless rushings to and
fro of fretful man upon the earth was
q Sunday excursion in July, 1901, from
st. Joseph to Excelsior Springs, Mo-,
and return. conducted by the st. Jo-
sepn & Grand Island railroad company.
The little town of Cover. located some
fourteen miles from st. Joseph, con-
tributed eight or ten young men to the
ferment of the teeming train. The
schedule gave the day to the excur-
sionists at the Springs. On the return
homeWard in the evening it soon be-
came distressingly apparent that the
Cover boys had abused their holiday
into drunken spree. Hilarity was
presently succeeded by effrOntery,
which readily descended to Vulgarity,
and tended constantly to reach the
pitch of maudlin fuss and quarrel.
They surged back and forth along the
aisles of the car with staggering oath
and hubbub of babble and fS-faron-
ade of clubs they had cut for canes,
hectoring men and insulting women.
Some of the passengers were intimi-
dated and made afraid. Many protests
and appeals We're made to the train
men, whose efforts to preserve order
were quite feeble. Passengers them
selves demonstrated with the young
men, and one of them. after witnessing
an indignation to a young woman,
collared rowdy and took him out of
the car.
Because the st. Joseph passengers
interfered with the prerogative of the
Cover boys to be vulgar vicious and
vile the latter. hnPa iF1P0nSad a nd
turned their distempered thoughts to
the subject of revenge. They cursed the
st. Joseph people and swore they would
get even when they got off the train at
Cover. This threatening talk continued
for long time before Cover was
reached. The train officials frequently
passed by while it was going on. Upon
its arrival at Cover the traee~had stop
ped but a moment until these threats
were being carried out. No sooner had
the Cover party alighted than some of
them assailed the persons who remain
ed upon the train with fusilade of Gin
ders, gravel and dirt thrown through
the open window. Men and women suf-
Sered alike, and one gentleman was
struck on the side of the head with
rock. Other of the ruffians walked for
ward and back, ramming their rude
canes into the car and punching the
passengers. AS he did so, one of them
calculated. How do you like that?'
ADA Spangler, 6. maiden of seven
teen years, under escort of Joseph
Manon, whose homes were in ST.
Joseph, were on the train. They oecu-
pied a seat together and though GER
tain ugly circumstances of the turmoil
had transpired near them they had not
become involved in it themselves. The
young lady sat on the side of the seat
near the window. At Cover they were
both sitting upright and heard the
storm of cinders and gravel striking
against the side of the car. During the
confusion one of the Cover boys came
to their window and thrust his club
cane through it, striking her in the
breast, and causing her to cry out.
OH Mr. Manon Immediately closed
the window and just after the train
had started a heavy iron burr from off
n bolt, hurled by the hand of one who
dropped his cane to do so, came crash
ing through the glass and struck her
I'm the eye. She fell forward as he
caught her, all limp and apparently
unconscious, and endeavored to sup
port her head with his arm, the fluid
portions of her eye ran out upon his
hand"
This is the case in which Miss