Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-21
Chester Anderson, One Of
the Men Who Applied
Coat of Tar to Kansas
Teacher, Admits Guilt.
GIRL AND ESCORT
WAYLAID ON ROAD
Masked Men Play Role of
Highwaymen to Secure
Girl, Then Strip Her and
Rub Heated Tar on Body

Lincoln Center, Kan, Nov. 20-How
the Shady Bend "tar party" met at
the mill of E. G. Clark, one of the
wealthiest citizens of the community
and arranged the details Of the plot to
tar Miss Mary Chamberlain, the
school teacher whose frightful expert
/ lence at the hands Of band of men
sand boys last August convulsed all
kansas, was told on the witness stand
pby Chester Anderson, one OF the Tar
oarty. at the beginning Of the trial
today.
\ The three men on trial today were
,sSherrill Clark. brother Of =. G. Clark,
The miller, who pleaded guilty, and
John Schmidt and A. N. Simms, farm
I. srs. Anderson testified they were not
members of the band who actually
spread the tar as they came to the
rendezvous on foot and were unable
10, keep up with the others who rode
motorcycles.
County Attorney McCanless made
the opening statement. for the prose.
I cution narrating the entire history or
the case. He told how the plot was
laid in Shady Bend August Z, how
Edward Ricord, the Beverly barber.
was hired to take Miss Chamberlain
out in buggy on the pretense OF
I escOrting her to q country dance, and
then to deliver her over to the men
with the tar hiding behind the fence.
! He told how Chester Anderson and
Delbert Kindelsparger had played the
, highwaymen on the barber and the
girl n +,',
..They held UP their buggy at the
point Of pistols McCanless declared.
They took the young woman from
the buggy and threw her on the
ground. They took off her clothes
and while one poured, another rubbed
the tar upon her naked body. All OF
the men wore masks"
] While the three defendants had not
been at the actual "tarring," McCan-
less said, by their own beast the rea-
son they were absent was because
they were unable to keep pace with
the motorcycles. They were equally
to blame with the others, he said.
J Anderson Tells Of Crime.
Chester Anerson a laborer Of Bev-
erly: VINO with Kindelsparger was SEN
fenced in justice court shortly after
for part in 1t, was the hrst witness
called. He is to be tried later on ap-
peaI. He told how he had been a "go-
between betwixt Ricord and Clark.
He said he was 21 years old. and un-
& Were YOU mixed up in this AFFAIR.""
asked Attorney McCanless
Yes 54 ia~ p.
Tell about it,.
II went to Shady Bend with load
of corn for Everett Clark" |
when was that"
"On August Z. I sold it to the men
at the mill and one Of them. don't re-,
member whether 1t was Everett or
Sheriff. Clark or Mr.. Sims, asked me
that night, and that they wanted to
tar her. I said no. She had never done
anything to me. When I got back to
Beverly I saw Ed Ricord sitting in
front of the barber shop. I told him
about the scheme to get Mary Cham
berlain out.
"Then I went back to Shady Bend
and told the Clarks that Ricord
would get their girl for them. Some OF
the bows in town heard Of 1t. We gath
cred at Clark,s mill. We decided to
wear masks and and Delbert Kindel-
Bsparger were selected to hold the
1--WE were late in getting to the place
4 ana ltWnen LHe Uu66y dPPooAOuiAI - was
coming up the hill from the wrong di-
rection. We had the tar ready and held
her up. Ricord jumped out Of the
buggy and hid. Then we did. it. That's
about all' IT,
Were any of these defendants
there?"
mo. They and John Booze had not
gotten there yet. We came on motor
cycles