The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-24
SUESFO $4,000
Mrs. RigdOn Brings Action
Against Santa Fe.
Wants Damages for Brutal
Treatment by Detectives.
STORY OF HER ARREST.
Wanted Pass to Go to Denver
on Visit.
Refused to Leave Office and Was
Arrested.
STORY OF HERsARREST.

Suit was filed in the district court
this morning by Monroe & Schoch and
r. B. Welch for Jessie Rigdon against
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Rail-
road company, asking for $4,000 dam
ages.
On the first day of August Mrs. Jes-
sic Rigdon who is the plaintiff in the
case went to the Santa Fe office build
ing for the purpose of securing trans
portation so that she might visit her
mother who lives in Denver, and was
forcibly elected from the building and
afterwards taken to the police station
and turned over to the police Mrs Rig
don is a little woman, considerably un-
der medium size and totally deaf, and
is yet suffering from the effects of an
accident which occurred on the 21st of
of last September when she was struck
by street car while crossing the track
at the corner of Tenth avenue and Tyler
street At the time that she was struck
by the street car her skull was frac-
tured and she was unconscious when
taken to the hospital, and for several
days her life was deSpaired Of
Mrs. Rigdon is the wife of Charles
M. Rigdon and lives at 921 Topeka ave-
nue.. Her husband has been in the en-
ploy of the Santa Fe company for
about ten years in various capacities
but most of the time he has been en-
ployed in the office of the auditor or
passenger departments AT present he
is employed in the conpanys offices at
Los Angeles, California as a clerk 1t
is one of the rules of the Santa Fe that
transportation is furnished to their en-
ployes under certain restrictions
In speaking of the occurrence Mrs.
Rigdon said: 'T wanted to take a trip
m TEff
had not seen for some time and my
husband had told me that I could go
to the Santa Fe offices and that they
would furnish me with transportation.
went up to the general managers Office
and asked for a pass to Denver and re-
turn and told the chief clerk who my
husband was, and that he had told me
to come to him for transportation and
that it would be given to me. He told
me that he could not give me tranSpor-
tation and then tolc him that l want
ed to see Mr.. HurIey, the general man
eager, that knew thatahe would grant
my request. After going into the gen.
eral managers office he came out and
told me that Mr.. Hurley would not see
me, and made up my mind to sit down
and wait until he came out to go to
dinner. sat down in a chair and moved
over into one corner so that 1 would be
out of the way and had been waiting
but a few minutes when man in the
uniform of policeman came in and
motioned for me to follow him. He
started out and | followed him as fast
as 1 could, but account of being
crippled in a street car accident I could
not keep up with him and when l got
down stairs to the big stone steps which
| lead into the building [ found this po-
liceman there and with him were two
large men who Immediately stepped up
to me and grabbed me by the wrists
and jerked me down the steps and then
started towards Kansas avenue with
! rIerI, e,rlxr
tore my waist and skirt off while they
were jerking me down the steps and
across the street. These men, I after
wards learned, were two detectives by
the name of Law and Gregg, who were
in the employ of the company. They
took me across the street towards the
| Copeland hotel where they met a man
whom I am told is H. H. Germain, the
chief of the detective force. They did
not seem to know what to do with me,
and so I started west towards the state
house, intending to go home, as that
was my nearest route home, when they
came up behind me and grabbed me in
a forcible manner. The people ewhO are
employed in the Santa Fe office build
ing were beginning to come out of the
building for the noon hour. Law took
tight hold of one of my wrists and
Gregg took the other one and led me
through this crowd over to Jackson
street and from there to the city Jail.
They held my wrists so tightly that the
pain was intense and tried to get them
to let loose, but they must have been
afraid of me- for they only frightened
their grip and by the time that I reach
ed the police station I thought that I
should faint from the pain. When we
reached the station they turned me over
to the sergeant on duty, Mr.. Gardiner,
and l do not know what they told him.
He took me into little room and after
talking to me for few moments told
me that could go home, which I did
After I reached the station my wrists
and arms were so bruised that they
showed plainly the marks of the grip
that these two men had made on me,
and one of the police officers asked me
if they had put chains on me to bring
me down My hair has not grown out
since it was cut off at the hospital when
I was hurt by the street car, and as
the detectives would not release my
hands it had blown down over my face
and eyes and it is no wonder that they
thought that L might be crazy. 1 was
so nervous from fright and the shock
that 1 was not able to leave my bed for
several days and I am yet so nervous
that I can hardly control myself
At the time that Mrs Rigdon was so
brutally handled by the Santa Fe de-
tectives, trouble was brewing in the
shop districts and several men were as
saulted by the detectives of the road
and three of them were arrested, but
when their cases were called in the city
court the complaining witness, H. H.
Germain, failed to appear and the cases
were dismissed.
Weather TndtcafJous