Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-08-23
TOOK ABSENT TREATMENT.
To Avoid a norc Drastic Dose From
Angry Citizens.

To those who were disposed &"
take it all seriously the town OF
Rocky Ford looked Monday nigh; As
Il il were on the verge Of serious
riot. IL no; 4 iyuching. Between six
o'clock aud midnight there was con-
siderable mu,;cFing and some dire
threats OF what could. would and
should be done with a young colorcd
man who has for several months
been following the peaceful pursui,
OF boo,blaek in the Tucker Bros.
barber shop.
|, all grew ou; Of his writing n
note to- a young girl who waits ON
table at Turner's restaurant, on Elm
street. asking her To meet him ~
the evening a; a designated point.
The girl who is abou, - years OF age
and whose name !; is not nccdiul To
mention. handed the note TO Mrs.
Bailey. the cook in the restaurant.
and she in turn gave II to MI. Tur.
ncF. The latter was promptly and
properly indignant about IL. and went
ou; to find the marshal and have the
eolorcd man arrested. In the mean
time Mrs. Bailey inadvertently tore
up tho note.
Marshal Croop heard the story and
concluded that tho note in question
hardly furnished the ground for n
criminal prosecution OF the negro.
Du; he in;ima,cd his willingness to
sec him and advise him OF the wis.
dom Of making himself scarce II he
80, - ftss lac
had created in the easiest way. This
view Of the case. however. did not
satisfy Turner and some oi the pat
rons ni the restaurant. and. hy night.
fall there was enough friction gcnrT
aIcd 8" get together quite number
81 men for what they called "a mig
ger hunt" Inquiry around town re.
vcaicd the fact ;ha; the negro had
learned wha; was up and LET; prceip.
iiatcly for Swink. Then the qucs-
ion 81 following him up was raised.
Ani in the meantime Colorci friend
had wind Of the excitement. had got
as'riic a horse and was uT to SWink
\; brCakucck pace to- warn the Gull
pri; ni coming vengeance. The
crowd decided to- follow and "gct
him" The reports uf the number
who wen; TO Swink differ nc party
il ready to swear to a crowd Of -.
Another says that ono auto and ono
single buggy carried all who went,
Some say that the crowd visited cv-
cry house or tent occ upiCd by color
cd people in Swink. demanding the
delivery Of the negro. Others say
iia; IL was simply tho regular Rocky
Ford evening excursion to Swink for
liquid tcfrcshmCnt The Enterprise
has 50 far utterly failed to- get tho
straight Of H. But this much seems
true. that the fugitive did not locate
permanently in Swink when his
horseback friend told him what was
still ON at Rocky Ford lie found
another friend who drove him on TO
La Junta The town marshal of
Swink. riding ont of la Junta on a
lcisurcly journey home, met the two
coiorCd men going into town: and 50
reported to the Rocky Ford party
when lie got home to Swink. So the
party returned to town and to the
Turner restaurant where well on to
midnight they were still debating the
proper punishment of the wretch and
tho failure Of our marshal to do his
duty. While this debate was on
Croop dropped into tho eating house
and made a spiel to the crowd. But
nothing more serious has come OF it.
On Tuesday the negro had the as
surancc to phone ZIP to the Tucker
Bros and ask il he would he protect
cd II he came back to his job. They
reported the query to the marshal.
who replied that he would give him
the same protection under the law
that he would give white man: but
suggested that it would be just as
well for all the parties concerned II
he took absent treatment" for a
considerable period.