The St. Louis Republic., 1904-03-02

J. McDermott. James Harrison. S. Belk
George Wagley, W. NJ. DAILY, B. c. Ed
| munds and Joseph Buscher.
The list of delegates was read from pre-
pared notes and included representation
from all of the townships. Fred Turner
| of Meramec. who was not a county dele
gate. but who claimed to hold proxy
was made a delegate to the State Con-
| vention. He is an anti-Folk man.
After the selection of the delegates. the
| Halves convention adjourned and the ma
| jority Of the attendants went over to the
saloon where they had come from. Thorn
as n. Jenkins. John Dolan, Lee Barton
| Fred Reid. Claude Martin. John ]. LAWN
| and others held close conference in 8
back room of the saloon. Barton. the sec
| retary OF the convention. would not give
out the proceedings until he had consulted
| with Jenkins.
Congressman Vandivene said that he
| had given money to Judge Biggs, with
which to employ twenty Deputy Sheriffs
to maintain order in Clayton.
Judge Biggs tells me that when he ap-
preached Sheriff Hencken in regard to
the matter the latter told him that he
was not going to take any side in the
political troubles
INDIGNATION EXPRESSED.
Indignation over the high-handed pro-
ceedings Of the day was generally eX-
pressed in Clayton. Doctor ]. Marshall
Berry was standing in Sudduth's drug
store when Mr.. Coult was attacked by the
band of Indians and saw one of them draw
gun and then put it back into his
pocket when a cooler member of the mob
spoke to him.
D. c. Taylor, an old and respected citi-
zen of the county. was bruised and beaten
by the crowd that broke into the Probate
Court room. He was knocked down and
trampled under foot and then dragged and
pushed out OF the room. He had been
named temporary chairman of the con-
vention. Condemnation of the ruffianly
acts Of the invaders from the city was
heard on every side.
After the assault Photographer Coult
went before Justice of the Peace ]. B.
Greensfelder and swore out a general
warrant against his assailant. Every ef
fort to locate the aggressors failed, as
they disappeared. Later in the day one
of them. 1t is said, surrounded by a gang
of his friends. caught a car to town on
the edge OF Clayton.
Congressman W. D. Vandiver was an in
terested onlooker at the proceedings. He
told his friends that he had heard there
might be trouble over the convention but
that he had never thought it could reach
the height It assumed. ]. C. A Hitler,
secretary of the County Committee, was
indignant. as were all OF the farmers who
attended the meeting.
Charles A. Cunningham of Florissant
Township. a Folk delegate and a we'll
known business man. recognized in one of
the ringleaders of the Indians the same
man who had taken the gang out to the
Florissant mass meeting last Saturday.
IDENTIFIED RINGERS"
Last Saturday I went out on the Wa
bash on the same train with a crowd of
eighteen men who boarded the train at
the foot of Olive street." he said "I found
out that they were going to F7orissant
and deliberately examined them. They
laughed sheepishly when 1 looked at them.
Nine of them had derbies and nine fe-
doras. They were here to-day. The lead
er is a rather tall man. well built. wears
a light overcoat. a soft black hat, has
gray eyes and front gold TOOTH
Mr.. Cunningham produced a list of
twenty-five names which had been given
to him by a negro named j. 3. Williams
last Saturday. Williams formerly worked
for me-" said Mr. Cunningham, "and feels
under some obligations to me-, Evidently
under the impression that was a Hawes
man. he told me that II 1 saw Mr.. Hawes
to show him the list, with the statement
that he had kept his part of the agree
ment- Williams told me that the negroes
were all Republicans. whom he had or
ganized into his fake d-government
club"
Rufus Lewis of Crescent was standing
in front of the Courthouse when a man
wearing a red badge passed out slips to
others just after the convention had been
held in the Probate Court room. These
will get you your money heard him tell
them" said Mr.. Lewis
During the afternoon much champasne
was used in one of the saloons opposite
the Courthouse. Several men were drunk
and it was not until late in the afternoon
that the Indian invasion had completely
disappeared.
MIR. VANDIvER'S STATEMENT.
Mr.. Vandiver. commenting on the result
of his observation at the Clayton conven-
tion. said:
If 1t is to be taken as an sample of the
kind of government that Mr.. Hawes
stands for, 1t would be the most disgrace
ful scene ever witnessed If by accident
Mr.. Hawes should be made Governor. All
the vicious elements of the State, and all
the brutality and barbarism which still
crops out in the human character, would
hold high carnival. while common decency
and civilized society would be lost in the
maelstrom.
"As to why we did not provide Deputy
sheriffs to keep the peace, the answer is
simple. I sent a respectable gentleman. |
Of high character and prominence in the |
State, yesterday evening to confer with |
the Sheriff. and urge that steps be taken |
TO prevent violence. We rendered the |
money to employ from ten to twenty-five |
deputies, to be selected by himself. to be |
sworn in and serve as peace officers But |
the Sheriff declined to act and instead of !
remaining there to enforce order he left