The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1912-07-13
Unmasking The Beast
In Kansas City, Kans.
n, e.ors. Ru,, s,,,, c.,~..,..a...
By n. George Buss, stsff Correspondent

ANHaAnh - NIl1As AutaAs hA4uAs uulll
Of brick The entrance steps are OF
stone. These steps are blood-stained.
stained with dark. ugly spots and
splaehes that no scrubbing and no
uhite-Sashing can ever erase. For
on the night Of May ~. last. an Amer.
ican citiren shed his blood there
there In the black dark. there under
the very shadow OF the cross up
reared upon the pinnacle OF the froNn-
ing. embrasured tower. there Il was
that muffled cries Of agony. mingled
with the dull murderous thuds Of the
cruel iron bar that bit deep into the
ekull OF John Severovic. And the
eyes OF the night saw that the blud.
Teon vas held In the brawny fst OF a
POLICEMAN In uniform. and saw a
huge black.visaged Croatian priest
ehuckling In ghoulish glee and wait
tng with upraised ears the death-cry.
But the bruised form that was
picked up from on those Catholic
nteps was not that OF a corpse. The
spark OF life still fingered. Living
men tell tales-sometlmes. This one
did. This child OF the church. crushed
that night beneath her iron heel. this
slave OF the beast has arisen ana
dared TO throw on the yoke. And
thereby hangs a tale AZ interesting.
and withal as corrupt. under modern
Euise. a. was the Inquisition Of old. a
story bristllng with cold. bald. dirty,
ugly facts that betray a political rot.
tCnnegs and a municipal prostitution
OF law. liberty and justice 30 dan
gerous and 20 revolving that your
correspondent was simply appalled,.
The Catholic church OF st. John the
Baptist is located In the midst OF the
Croatian colony In the first ward OF
Kansas City. Kansas. and this parish
comprising some two hundred aud
nifty families is presided over by a
priest. NJ. ID. Krmpotic. a Croatian by
birth. who came 10 Kansas City some
ten years ago from Chicago, where,
rumor has Il. his record was dark
and unsayory. Under his iron rule
for the past few years these inofens-
i've people have been a political as.
set to the notoriously rotten admin
istration Of the Kansas City. Kan,
municipal affairs.
But seven months ago there came
another Croatian from Chicago. a
young man, rather slight OF build,
gentle and courteous In speech and
manner, but, withal-dangerous omen
TO priestcraft in John Severovic's dark
eyes there burned the clear light OF
thought. his face was the face OF the
student And yet John was a laborer.
he went to work for the kansas City
Wholesale Grocery company.
Now. Il Is the Croatians who man
the packing houses principally and az
a class they are quiet, peaceable, hon
est, but by centuries OF Catholic he
redity and environment, they are like
dumb-driven cattle under the lash OF
the priesthood.
Soon the priest scented his natural
enemy. Seyerovic, let us remember.
was a Catholic, a member OF this
Croatian Catholic church OF st. John
the Baptist and a member OF the great
Kansas City, Kansas, lodge Knights
OF Columbus. But evening by evening
he was quietly visiting in the homes
OF his "brothers-in-blood" and teach
ing them a strange doctrine of per.
sonal and political liberty. The
beast growled ominously.
John Severovic even made two or
three public speeches openly advocat-
ing socialistic freedom from all bond.
age.
On the evening OF May % last John
Severovic attended a Good Govern
ment" meeting held in the basement
Of the church by the priest Krmpotic.
Several times the priest vehemently
denounced all political movements, es-
pecially soclalistic, that taught lib
erty from the Catholic church. RI.
nally John Severoyic took issue with
this priest, Krmpotic, quietly. In
stantly the priest ran 10 him. shaking
his fists In Johns amazed face and
shouting. "You say lie. you say lie
take Il back-take II back"
This was the signal. The Beast
struck-but I'm the dark, as ever. John
Miller and Joe Cigic, two croatian
policemen in uniform seized John
Severovic and rushed him out upon
the church steps. The report given
the Kansas City papers was that here
he fell and received a cash across the
head, from striking the steps.
But he was taken 20 the hos
pital unconscious. and there were
ioar ugly holes in his scalp at
the base OF the brain. And every blow
was struck from behind. and while in
he custody OF the two policemen in
inform. The next morning a Croatian
laborer passing by the church with the
cross on the steeple. picked up q
heavy iron bolt some twelve inches
long with heavy square head. such
as is used in structural steel work
in the city. This bolt had been thrown
near the church steps. and as your
correspondent looked carefully at this
awful iron blundgeon he shuddered
fort was bloodstained and bits OF
human scalp and hair clung to u still.
This was picked up by Rudolph Stur-
buns and Is being held as evidence for
the forthcoming damage suit.
Severovic spent a week In the hos
pitai aud then was fined 500 In the
police court. Then Severovic brought
suit In the wyandotte County (Kan.D
district court for $4,000 damages
against the priest. Krmpotic. and the
.wo policemen who elected him from
The church and whose hands were on
him In the dark when he was slugged,
John Miller and Joe Cigic This suit
. still pending.