The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-10-29
$4,000 DAMAGE
suit FILED FOR
HORSEWHIPPINC
VIM. ID. Mcbride and Morris
V. Harris, BlOdgett,
Named Defendants.
MEN SINGLED FROM
NIGHT-RIDERS RANKS
Masked Citizens Beat Howard
Levan With Water Soak
ed Ropes.

Morris V. Harris and William D. Nc
Bride, head bookkeeper of the B. F.
Marshall Mere. Co., at Blodgett, are
named as defendants in a $4,000 dam
age suit filed yesterday morning in tie
Circuit Court Of Stoddard County A.
Bloomfield, by Howard Levan. The
suit is the outgrowth Of a horse
whipping Levan suffered several
months ago by party of might rid
ers."
The suit was filed for Levan, by Os-
car A. Knehans, L. S. Referee in Bank,
ruptcy, and Senator Thomas F. Lane,
as his attorneys. The petition was sent
to the Bloomfield clerk Wednesday
night and filed early Thursday morn
ing.
Levan asks the court for $4,000
actual damages for the pain, humilia-
ton and suffering he sustained from
the horsewhipping, and $4,000 exem-
JldiN VI EJulillllNt udlilSSto.
A group of several men in BlOdgett
beat Levan with water-soaked ropes
after they had taken him from his
home. Levan was accused about
Blodgett of window peeping. Levan
denied the charge and invited a prose-
cution of himself on that charge.
He alleges that Harris and Mcbride
were members Of the party that per-
formed the horsewhipping. Before
the suit was filed, Knehans made an in
vestigation Of the circumstances in
Blodgett, to obatin the names of wit
nesses and obtain evidence.
He asserts that he has evidence to
prove the connection of the two men
named in the suit with the might rid
er" party
He declared he has evidence that
will connect other men with the case,
and separate suits may be instituted
against them later Knehans holds al
so, letters threatening Levan and an
old man who had befriended and cham
pioned his cause in Blodgett after the
assault had occurred. These will be
used in the prosecution of the suit, he
says.
The case will come up before Judge
Kelley in the November term of Court.
The crowd of men that took Levan
away from his wife, hurried him into
the front yard and there stripped off
his shirt for the whipping, were mask
ed and armed with reviewers. They
tied his hands and feet before they
commenced the beating.
1t is said that one of the men in
the party is a bank officer. Others
held responsible positions in BlOdgett
The petition in the damage suit is as
follows:
Plaintiff states, that heretofore, to-
wit, on the--day of "A. D., 1915,
in the City of BIodgett, County of
Scott, and State of Missouri, the de-
PENDANTS herein conspired wantonly,
maliciously, and without Just cause,
reason or provocation, to assault, beat,
wound, injure, and do great bodyily
harm to the plaintiff herein, and that
on said day aforesaid, the defendants
herein acting in concert, did wantonly,
maliciously, willfully and wrongfully
assault, beat, injure, wound, bruise,
MAIN and dishgure the plaintiff here
in, by kicking him, and by brutally
whipping and beating plaintiff on his
back, arms and body with whips and
ropes, without any Just cause or pro-
vocation and thereby rendered plain
tiff PROSTATE and he'll lesS by reason of
said aforesaid beating and kicking;
that by reason of such whipping and
assault aforesaid plaintiff was caused
to suffer great bodily pain and mental
anguish, and great humiliation and
disgrace in the eyes of the public, all
to plaintiffs great injury and damage.
Wherefore, by reason of the prem
Uses, plaintiff asks for judgment
against the defendants for the sum of
$4,000 actual damages, and $4,000
exemplary or punitive damages, and
for costs"