The Topeka state journal., 1908-12-09
BATTLE IN KANSAS CITY.
econ,inued from Page one.)

CConrinued from Page One.)
| greatest odds was made by Patrolman
Mullane, who ran down Fourth
| time to meet the enraged 1anaucs
! fighting their way toward him. Louis
/ Pratt, Mrs. Sharp and Lulu, the Oldest
Pratt girl, all attacked him, paying
| little heed to the shots of others. He
at that time was the only po1ceman
! IN uniform in range. Mullane Would
shoot at Pratt and when the woman
and girl would walk right up to him
and Shoot at him. the big Irishman,
realizing that they were women, only
dubbed his gun and struck at them.
The three cornered fight lasted un-
I'll Mullane's gun was empty and they
wagon on the north side of Fourth
street. While he was attempting to
get at Pratt the woman and girl
pumped shots into him from the rear.
the station. where both men fell to
the floor. Doctors attended them
there. They were later removed to
the emergency hospital. their wounds
dressed, and sent to st. Joseph's.
Spectator Is Shot.
While there were no fewer than
500 spectators in the crowd when the
shooting began, only one was shot.
That was J. j. SuIzer. 2414 Benton
boulevard, a retired farmer He was
an OIlOOkeF ana was MT ny lNO Dul-
let's, the fanatics evidently taking him
Tor an enemy. He was shot in the
right hip first and almost i'm
mediately afterwards in the right
chest. That ball ranged in such a
manner that the spinal cord was
severed. Mr. SuIzer dropped on the
car tracks in front of the city hall
The doctors think he cannot live, as
ne IS paralyzed from the shoulders
down.
Escape in Sl1iff.
Information that men and women
VINO mad participated in the shooting
had escaped and were making their
way to houseboat they had moored
IN the river was given to the police.
Chlef of Police Daniel Ahern ordered
captain Walter Whitsett, Lieutenant
Al Ryan and Inspector of Detectives
CHARLES Ryan to go to the river with
thirty detectives and patrolmen.
When the officers arrived at the riv-
er bank, foot of Main street, they
found one woman, two girls and a boy
guarding the boat. Inspector Charles
Ryan acted as the spokesman for the
police and, climbing down the sand
embankment approached the gang
plank. He was stopped by the wo-
man, Mrs. Della Pratt. who threaten
ed to shoot The woman stood at the |
head of the scow gesticulating with |
her left hand as she warned the Of |
hers not to come any nearer, while she |
kept her right hand on a rife hidden |
behind the canvas flap of the boat |
covering. Lining the top of the bank !
for block in each direction people !
stood watching the police trying to !
toll the woman away from the boat. /
She refused to allow anyone to ap- |
proach the boat nearer than the end |
Of the gang plank.
When ordered to come out on the |
bank she said she would give herself
up if the police would bring Mrs.
Melissa Sharp to the river and allow
her to talk to her. The police refused |
TO grant her request. - Then she asked I
them to have James Sharp. whom she
called Adam, brought to the house
boat
Refused to Surrender.
For As minutes the police argued with
the woman and pleaded with her to
but she stubbornly refused.
Her two daughters, Lula. IA, and Mary,
IL, Joined the TRADE against the police.
While the officers did not want to shoot
The woman and two girls, they were
afraid to make a ruin for the boat, as
t was believed that some of the men
might be in it.
Finally the woman allowed William
Engnell, 15-year-old boy, to leave the
boat and the police officials urged him
10 try to influence the woman to give
up. He returned to the boat, but he
lid not have any success and again
eft the boat and was placed under ar
rest.
d
Of the small houseboat, the woman or
1ered the two girls into it, and taking
several revolvers and a rife. the wo-
nan entered it and showed off toward
AS the skiff, which had a
,anopy over it in the bow Hoated out
nto the current loud cheers rent the
lir from many of the persons in the
crowd who sympathized with the wo-
nan and her kind.
Ordered Not to Shoot.
Mayor Thomas T. Crittenden and Po-
ice Commissioner Andrew E. Gallagher |
we're spectators upon the river bank
and had ordered the police not to shoot
he women and children. But as it was
seen that the woman and children
would soon be out of reach Mayor
Crittenden gave the police permission
o attempt to shoot holes in the boat
n an endeavor to compel the woman
@ put back to shore.
Immediately upon receiving the or
ler, Lieutenant Harry E. Siege armed
With a riot gun, shot at the boat and
lis fire was at once returned by the
woman, who used Winchester. AS the
bullets from the Slxiff were aimed at
he crowd and were heard to sing as
hey passed overhead, the crowd wav-
red and finally broke and ran. The
police fired volley after Volley at the
kiff but could not tell whether their
lsing all of the ammunition in the
,oat, the woman sat down and the girls
sot under the canopy.
Mrs. Sharp's Statement
Ed Fisher, a member of the band who |
5 said to have been the houseboat at
he time of the trouble, was taken to the |
ounty Jail. He was not questioned by
he prosecutor. Edna Pratt, years old. |
vas taken to the Detention home. Her |
tory of the happening was unintelligi-
lie
Mrs Melissa Sharp wife of one of the
aen shot. herself in the county Jail, made
statement to l. B. Kimbrell prosecut-
1g attorney, last evening. Summarized,
he said: