The Mena weekly star., 1907-09-12
EARLE ACTION RESENTED
Eccentric Artist Who Sent Ills Wife Back to France Roughly
 Handled.
DRAGGEO THROUGH MUD BY VILLAGERS
When Earle Returned to His Home in Monroe the Townpeople First in- suited and Hooted at Him ana Then Upset His Carriage-Driven From Steamship Dock.

New York. Sept. 6.-Ferdinand Earle. the artist who sent his wife to France, her old home, to secure divorce so that he might marry an other woman, received a sorry wei come when he returned to his home in Monroe, N. Y, Wednesday night after bidding his wife farewell at the steamer. according to advices re ceived here Thursday. Earle was met by crowd of villagers as he stepped from the train, who at first insulted and hooted him and then pulled him from his carriage and dragged him through the mud of the village streets. Earle courageously faced his tormen. tors. exhorted the crowd in an at tempt to vindicate himself and then, goaded for an instant by the insults of the people, he seized his carriage whip and slashed at the crowd. A man snatched the whip from his hand and, bystanders state, struck the art. ist stinging blow. Further trouble was prevented by the appearance of officers who forced Earle to drive to his home, though he consistently tried to explain his views to the angry crowd
 Earle reached Monroe at 7:9O o'clock. Rain was falling in sheets but the artist carelessly dressed stepped out in the rain. A crowd was there and the people jeered him, but the artists who had passed through similar experience at the steam ship pier earlier in the day said noth- ing. He walked across the street and entered a drug store to wait for his buggy which had been summoned. The newspaper men and part of the crowd followed him. While talking to the reporters members of the crowd again began to make jeering remarks. Others cried Get rope, tar and feather him." as the people assumed 8 threatening attitude Earle went out to his buggy which mean while had arrived, jumped in and started his horse at gallop. Several persons were thrown down by the sudden start of the vehicle, and this | seemed to increase the anger of the mob, which made after the carriage, and, catching It, turned the vehicle on it's side. Earle was thrown into the muddy road. He picked himself up. but made no further move. Wheth- CT he simply did not know what to do, or whether he welcomed the opportu- nifty to pose as a martyr for his ideas, he made a strong picture as he stood bareheaded in the rain, facing an ever widening circle of people around l him.
 Several men ran out of the circle and struck at him. Then Earle used l his whip. Three of the attackers went down, but one managed to seize the whip and slashed the artist across 1 the face. This seemed to satisfy the crowd for there were cries of that's enough" Village president Pulleford and several officers here appeared upon the scene and Earle was told to get into his buggy which had been righted, and drive away.
 q am willing to explain my posi-. tion,' called out the artist but the officers insisted that he drive on and Earle, who had shown splendid courage throughout the trying ordeal, finally did so, going slowly The crowd broke up into small groups af- ter that and stood about the streets for long while discussing the in- cidents of the night and the artists strange domestic story.
 In the afternoon Earle had mar. row escape from being mobbed by a crowd of unsympathetic longshore. men which he was waiting on the Hamburg American pier in Hoboken to wave farewell to the wife and in. fant son. Five minutes before the lin. CT left with his wife and his baby aboard the artist-socialist-m poet fled from the Hoboken dock of the Hamburg company, lodging the blows that were aimed at him by the crowd of dock laborers, who knew nothing of the longings of the temperamental nature or the