The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-02
YELL OUT GET ROPE
MOB AT SWANvILLE WANTED TO
LYNCH DIR. H. M. BRACKEN.
Life Of the Secretary of the State
Board of Health Was in Danger;
Had Gone to Village to Look Into
An Epidemic: Acted the Part of
Peacemaker; Arrested Because
He Was Good.

Dr. II. Nj. Bracken, secretary Of the
state board of health, was threatened
with lyncbing while cnacting the role
of pcacemaker at Swanville on Fri
day, brief reference to which was made
in The Free Press Saturday evening.
According to the story set afloat the
doctor was followed by an angry mob,
that cried, 'lyncll hint" Get a
rope!," and soak the stiff With
these EXPLANATIONS ringing in his ears,
DIR. Brackcn was arrested, charged with
assaulting the local school superim-
tcndent, a. y. lIutchns.
Taken into custory with him was
DR.. Il. Campbell, village health officer,
and the two were arraioned before the
local justice of the peace, where they
gave bond of 800 to insure their
appearance before magistrate next
Saturday. Assault and battery was
the charge against both
Bracken's Life Threatened.
After he left the office of the local
justice of the peace, DR.. Brackcn says
the mob again followed him. and that
some one in the crowd tried to trip
him up. Threats against him were
shouted and the town marshal was
obliged to drive angry men back.
DIR. Brackcn, who returned to st.
Paul Saturday. declares his arrest was
a mistake as he had no part in the
fight beyond that of acting as peace
maker.
A factionaI fight over school quar-
antinc regulations put into effect by
DR.. Campbell and endorsed by Dir.
Brackem was the cause of it all. As
Il result, the school superintendent re-
ceived rather severe drubbing and
Drs. Brackcn and Campbell are the
most unpopular men in the town
As Dir. Brackcn explains it he went
to Swanville, which is near Little
Falls. Friday, not so much to take
any hand in the towns stand against
DR.. Campbell's health order, AS to
give the officials talk on sanitation
in general and to see if future cpi
denies of diphtheria could not be
prevented. Because of case at the
local hotel. where one of the teach
ers was the victim. the schools had
been closed and much dissatisfaction
caused. Unpopular by reason of local
differences in the past, the prejudice
against DR.. Campbell was further in
creased because he had failed to in
cludc the hotel in the quarantine and
when DR.. Rrackcn arrived the town
was rent with the controversy.
Doctor and Teacher Mix.
Arrivin" at noon. DR.. Bracken says
he visited the president of the village
council and asked him to get that body
together SO they could talk over mat,
tiers. This the president refused to
do, and to add to it INDUCED in some
remarks about the
state board of health.
With DR.. Campbell DR.. Bracken next
visited the school building and called
on the superintendent. A. n. Hutchins.
and asked for IL conference covering
the matters at issue.
u was preparing to tell Mr.. Hutch
ms" said DR.. Brackcn, that it was
up to him to straighten out this mat
ter, as he had been charged with the
failure to carry out some of Dir. Camp.
bells health orders, whereupon there
was some words between the two, and
the first thing I knew they were strik-
ing at each other.
For few minutes the mix up was
For Il few minutes the mix up was
lively, the two alternating in getting
the Others head under his arm and up.
percutting savagely. ! begged them
to desist. and when that failed I cot
in between them and separated them
That was my part in the affair, but il
seems that one of the school children
who was passing the door of the room
when the superintendent and DR.
Campbell were fighting said that | also
was pummeling the superintendent"
dent"
Superintendent Hutchins is said tC
contend that DR.. Bracken held hin
while DR.. Campbell struck him.