Strike bulletin. (Clinton, Ill.) 1913-1915, 1914-12-09

tn. 'ovathh assallants had struck him from the
rear Agaln he ~s- commanded to leave Clinton
and threatened with death u he disobeyed.
THIS second attack failed of Its purpose The
strike bulletin came out on time.
They had threatened Person. They failed to
drte him frnm his duty They had emphasized tn.
good faith of the threats bt Administering To
Person two terrible b"atings Calmly and eooliy
Person made up his mind that he would not quilt
the firing line, and further that he would not be
driven from II lp To this time Person mad never
his lie owned carried a revolver. The last
h.atiug IN Decatur brought him to = decision.
quietly he went To a hardware store in Clinton
aud openly and without comment purchased a
thtTtN-two Caliber magazine and hox OF
csrtridgex lie went back To his newspaper office.
loaded the revolver AMI put IL in h~ pocket This
all done quietly that James }. Meagher
aud Lewis Nicholson who were In daily associa.
tlon with him. did not know that Person had
taken steps 10 protect his life against gunmen
THIS Was In July, 1sl5.-just six months before
the tragedy. Tn. first time Person ever shot this
revolver cor any oth.rb was on the afternoon OF
Ip.cember 30th 1913 when he sent nine of its steel
bullets into the body Of Tony Musser
Anton Muser. terror of Clinton, formerly its
chi.f of police and later chief strikebreaker for
the Illinois Central Railroad COMPANY. took per
sonal charge of the getting OF the daring editor
of the Bulletin Ausser,s reputation AS = bully
giant-a man Of enormous physical strength. He
lowered above ordinary men. He measured good
six feet two lie was broad and well muscied
lie weighed something like tive hundred and TWEEN
~ pounds In compile xion he was dark and wore
"A long black mvstaehs which intensified his fierce
Iooh In his veins ran riot the hot blood OF the
Portuguese Nusser cent word to Person . day
or two after Christmas to leave town before the
first of the year OF dreadful things would happen
to him
Person made no move TO obey He gave no evil
d,nce that he feared tn. threat
on December twenty ninth, isia Ausser can
yass-d the situation concerains Person out at the
Illinois Central shops. Rousey was one OF the
s,rik.br~akera with whom Nusser conferred on
the evening OF December twenty-ninth from MIN
Mus..r learned that Person ate his meals at the
Int.rurbsn Cafe Nusser arranged TO have Rousey
come with him that evening st supper time 70
nd
cafe-at least this much Of truth Ne wrunx from
the UNIV iiinx lips of Rousey. Ausser stayed out
slide Rous.y went In to reconnoiter fsrson
missed dinner that night because the work In the
office too pressing to permit OF ms 'esvins
II h. had not who doubts but he would nave oeen
lured by strikebreAker Rousey from the restaurant
and under cover OF night. murdered In the alley
adjoining the station
D.cember thrtieth was cold. The year VA
coming 10 an end. The Bulletin Was growing In
circuia ton and power. Person was stiii IN 'hs
job. The promise that Person would be sotten
and nut out of business before the beginning o'
tn. New Year had not been made good The Ill
nois Central was stin bleeding Its yellow drops
of gold -, :,
Tony Musser could hav. been seen entering ths
saloon Of Bryant cackley on the notth"est cor
I n.r OF North Monroe and East Main streets one
block north was the office of The strike Bulletin
one block to the south was the interuroan s's
tion just between the two. on North Aonros
81" So, =. prysn q Cacki.ys saloon into which
Mnsser had Just entered Musser asked h'
m uht leave his oyercoat In the saloon. me pf's
! lltNe
and hung II ON the fire fence adjoining the par
Al tn. other end of the bar Is a telephone. Ih'
number of this telephone Is ss7 Ausser wsises
10 tn. telephone, took down the receiver an'
called 75s The subscriber to telephone ,Se y
carl Person Telephone 73s Is In the office o
The strik. Bulletin. The operator made the con
n.c,ion Telephone bell 55s rans Person an
.u.r,d the call The voice at the other END 0,
m. lin. was the voice of Tony" Ausser lie sais
to Person: -. 49,,
Ia IN. Int.rurban station. l have some important
.t,tk. news to give you l have only a lie" MIN
u,.. between cars or | would come up
1 have shown you. gentlemen OF the jury nov
carefully thought out and planned the "gettlns
~ Person WAS You remember that Fred XIII
tesufi.d here. Fred kim was one OF the me'
Who had gone on strike with Person MIX wa
working at Memphis at the time He was rasee
i, CLINTON and Musser knew that kirk knew
I,.,.on and that Person knew kim Thus he usee
IN. name of Fred Kirk an alias Ausser u
,",i,0 person to his DEATH bated him with
friends name. -, -, -,
Pre-, nut on hts overcoat and hat. left the OF
,,c. Of the Bulletin and walked south on monroe
s,ra.t toward the station two blocks away
Nu...r having set his trap by the FAKE tsie
,,on. message left Bryant caekieys saiooi
/ aa".rco,t.l.s~ and ready for action. Quickly M
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