The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-07-30
POLITICAL GOSSIP.
Rumor That Dave Leahy Is to
Be kidnapped.
Dark, Deep, Dank Plot to Is Be
Executed Tonight.
THIS is A WARNING.
Hoped That the Awful Calamity
May Be Ayerted.
Story of a Mysterious Conference
and Its Consequences.

leaking out one by one and soon all
will be known. Too many conspirators
were let in on the deal and some one
of them could not keep a close tongue
in his head A State Journal reporter
learns that the deed will be done to-
night, some time between the hours
of shutdown and sunrise and takes oc-
casion in this way to warn the secre-
tary of his danger and hopes that his
friends will redouble their watchfulness,
else they will lose their great letter
writer just on the eve of battle.
For some days past the enemies of
the Stuobs administration have viewed
with alarm the almost supernatural
powers of Dave in unearthing their
plots against his master. 1t did seem
as though the Irishman from Tralee
was endowed with the gift of prophecy
and had second sight even as a Hindoo
magician. Not since Daniel read the
riddle of the kings dream has there
been such one in any camp court.
Dave alone is standing between the
conspirators and victory. His warning
pen. guided by a prophetic soul, mas
spread Commissions among those who
would break all of the ten command
staff.
Early in the week Sam Fitzpatrick
was sent for. Then came Memo and
BILLY Morgan and certain other Phil
istjEe leaders who would stop at moth
ing, and they assembled in the tent of
Dave Mulvane, that Agog of the Amel-
kites, and Morton Albaugh was with
them and divers others who live by
crime. Thursday night it was practi-
cally agreed upon that assassination
was the only way in which to save the
day, but certain mollycoddles objected
to the sheddir~ of blood. Something
had to be done, however, Dave was
sounding warning to the state at
large like a Zulu beating a war drum;
each daily letter Of his for a week past
had foiled a sure and certain plan to
steal the election. All would have been
settled long ago and the worry ended
hut for Dawes exposures. So a Friday
morning meeting was held by the above
mentioned conspirators, at which j. M.
Nation attorney for the Bleakley kid
| ore suggested abduction and then Ma
| ton pointed out the advantage of US
| ing a buggy in which to carry the vic
| tim away. So far, so good. But Null
vane and Stitch wanted to take Dave
| further away from Topeka than horse
| could travel in three days, and they
| proposed that an airship be secured ano
anchored just outside of town, then they
could transfer the prisoner from the
| buggy to the aerial craft and quickly
transport him to parts unknown The
ether conspirators hailed this sugges-
| ton with shouts of delight. There was
daylight ahead if no hitch occurred in
| the workings of this well oiled plot.
But no chain is stronger than its
weakest link. C. E. Denton talked in
too mysterious a fashion FRIDAY aft
ernoon about a threatened danger that
hung over the governors secretary.
Denton even went SO far as to say that
his conscience hurt him and that he
| felt like warning Dave of impending
danger. Armed with this clue. it was
easy to unearth the rest of the murky
treason against the great state OF Kan
sas. The airship itself was discovered
/ in little thicket on the banks of the
Kaw, mile above the city The
stable. The driver was found in. the
hayloft and with the aid of liquor,
was made to talk. Fitzpatrick was
found in the cellar of the Mulvane
building. Mulvane himself was dis
covered buying rope, a gag and other
weapons at hardware store. All is
known. 1t now remains for Dawes
| friends to protect him for 48 hours
| longer and then these plotters can do
their worst.
| 1t is possible that the conspiracy will
succeed in spite of this warning. The
plans are we'll laid and the men who
| planned are desperate and cunning.
But it is to be hoped that Dawes light
will not be taken away nor snuffed
out He is needed at this time worse
than he was ever needed before None
but he can see the dangers ahead for
| the Stubs administration Tuesday.
None but he can point out the am
bush or write so we'll about the terrors
| of the future. Without him all is lost.
| No one can blame the Wagstaffians
| for resorting to extreme measures, but
all good men and true should take it
on themselves to thwart this conspir-
acy if possible. Let all who love the
right be on guard tonight. Let every
IT, CT Of
| tary be watched and warded as he
walks in the darkness, fearless of the
present and preoccupied with the fu-
ture, to his rooms out on Buchanan
street Let the guards watch for a
| buggy drawn by a black horse, for an
airship of the Curtis type and above
all let them be on the alert for men
in masks, squat men desperate and re-
sourceful, who seek to quench the fires
of prophecy that burn on the desk OF
| the governors private secretary.
| If there is no daily letter to the
governor Monday, if there is no warn
| ing of attempted crime that day, then
| it can be taken for granted that the
secretary has been kidnapped and TAX
en- away to another part of the world
and the election will be lost beyond
redemption.
Paola, Kan, July so.-Governo1
Stubs addressed an audience of one
thousand assembled at the Paola
| Chautauqua. He said:
"I would rather listen to J. L Bris-
| tow than talk myself. don't ask the
people of Kansas to elect me because
! it is a second term. If you don't like
/ what I've done, fire me. The first si1
months I put in investigating the state
! institutions. found some rascals in
the grain inspection department. They
! had stolen $9,400 in cash We put thai
department on as safe a basis as any
bank in the state. They say we have
been extravagant in the management
of the state penitentiary I say the
| man who says the penitentiary is not
run on economical lines is either lial
or else doesn't know what he is talk
! ing about. We found that institution
full of bedbugs. and bad politicians
We have exterminated both. The out
put of the brick plant has beer
doubled because the men are bettel