Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-03-09
WOMEN EXPRESS
THEIR VIEWS
PASS RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING
ACTION OF DIES MONIES CURL
Gus FEMALES.
THE RUMOR IS FALSE
Denounce the Inventors and Circula-
tors of the Johnston Story-Get
Into Political Dis
cussion.

A righteously indignant, yet calm !
and dispassionate body of Ottumwas
womanhood was the assembly in the
auditorium of the y. M. G. A. Satur-
day afternoon, where they met owing
to their numbers overhowing the
Courier library, where they first at
tempted to hold the meeting. They
met to resent an insult and to express
! in eloquent resolutions their condem-
nation for some Des Moines women
whose lack of feeling for their sex
permitted them to shower criminal
kindness on the self-confessed murder
er, John Junkin, in the jail at Des
Moines The entire calm of the as
sembled women never left them, al
though at times the fighting spirit OF
! Americas womanhood, aroused by an
insulting act of women in another city,
asserted itself when some one not able
to contain themselves, would say:
There is not enough rope in Ottumwa
to hang high enough the beast they
lavished such attentions on Or eve
women of Ottumwa want our names
known as opposed to the actions OF
those women at Des Moines who did
homage to the murderer, for we are
not on the same level with such wom-
en-" Can some one find out the names
of those Des Moines women?" asked
one irate lady. eve should adopt res
olutions commencing the sheriff and
jailers at Des Moines for refusing ad-
mission to those morbidly curious
creatures" Another asked that the
press be urged to give as great, public
ity to the action of the Ottumwa wom-
en- as it did to the Des Moines wom-
en-. A letter from one of OttumWa's
colored women. Mrs. G. H. Owen, was
; received and read, in which she dep
recated the action of any woman do
ing such an act as the women cen
sured, and asked that her name be
put on the list of those who would re-
sent the insult, offering her assistance
and cooperation in anything done by
the Ottumwa women.
During the debate ON the first reso-
luton, Mrs Charles Connolly address
ed the meeting on the question before
the house and suggested to the meet
| ing that while they were considering
the action of the women Of sister
city in bestowing criminal sympathy
on the murderer of a pure Ottumwa
j girl, that they should not forget their
sister who still lives aud is the vic
: tim of a rumor that is being circulated
Q without regard for the fair name Of a
good and pure woman, Mrs. Charles
NJ Johnston. She then moved that a
resolution condemning those who
have circulated the rumor about Mrs.
/ Johnston and received numerous sec
onds to her motion by ladies In all
$ parts of the audience. The resolution
4 was adopted by an unanimous vote.
Calls Mass Meeting.
While the committee on resolutions
: was absent from the meeting cham
Der drafting the resolutions suggested
: by Mrs. Connolly, Mrs. George Haw
ST., addressed the women, in which
o she issued a call for mass meeting
g Of women of Ottumwa for a date
during this week, the time to be made
5 known later. The object stated was to
. better Ottumwa.
Get Political.
r In bringing up to her subject, Mrs
Haw urged that the women have
r reached the point where their in1u
ence should be made to stand fo1
3 something in the guidance of civic
affairs, and "this is best accomplish
:. ed" said she, "by talking to our hus
: bands, sons, brothers and other mer
over whom we can exert an influence
to the cid that they keep In mine
their duty as citizens in supporting a
the coming spring election, March 20
u the right party or men for the better
. and cleaner, moral and safe Ottumwa
. that the proper man for the position
be selected with the object of clear
: ing up the moral atmosphere in OF
J. tumwa and eradicating as much al
possible the element that has given |
the bad name it has obtained through
4 out the country"
2. Following Mrs. Haw, remarks wer
If made by Mrs. j. w. Neasham VIII
IS spoke in the same tenor as her prede
cessor on the floor. Others then tool
d up the discussion and for time tn
calm and dispassionate body of won
J., en- who gathered to assert their opir
tr ions of the Des Moines women for tn
insult given Ottumwa's fair inhab
is tants seemed to be on the verge of
N seething political discussion in whicl
party names and preferences were III
I'd avoidably mentioned and some feelin
o, engendered. However, the thought Q
,e their object in gathering, came to tn
mind Of many and the danger of pc