The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-12
Court Versus
Committee Law
By ALAN HlNSDAE

One night John Arbuckle. while
peacefully sleeping in his home, sur
rounded by his family-a wife and sew
eral little children-was awakened by
a loud rap at his door. Going down
stairs, he opened the door and by the
light Of a full moon saw a dozen men,
each man covering him with a re-
volver
"What's become of your clerk. Tom
Bowles?" asked the spokesman.
"I don't know. He left me without a
word as to where he was going or
why"
"That story won't go down with US.
You were heard the day before he dis
appeared to accuse him Of robbing
you"
81 did not accuse him Of any such
thing. He was my bookkeeper. sales.
man and general utility man. He had
so much to do that he got the books
into a muddle. was vexed and told
him that, he might as well have robbed
me. AS l said the two last words Cy
Jenkins came into the store and heard
them and saw me looking angrily at
Tom. Afterward / apologized to Tom.
and he seemed perfectly satisfied. The
next day he disappeared"
Every plausible" replied the spokes-
man. "How do you account for blood
on a towel found in Bowles' room?"
There's nothing in that Bowles
was cutting some meat for a customer
and the knife struck his finger. He
went to his room to stanch the blood"
John Arbuckle, your explanations
are mighty thin. You were heard &C.
cusing Tom Bowles Of having robbed
you. The next day he disappeared
without a word Of information as to
where he was going. II you was In
the eastern country where such cases
as yourn drag along for months, you'd
probably get a lawyer who would
prove that you never saw Bowles. In
this country we take things as they
are; there amt no lawyers to throw
dust in our eyes. Come along"
BY this time Mrs. Arbuckle and the
children had come downstairs and
despite Their cl:Esing to the husband
and father he was hurried away.
";l: make you men pay for this" he
said. Every ore Of you"
You'll have to come back from
..;;..Lsiom come TO do f." was The cold
~cni-
They took their prisoner 10 zee
ccd were a5oat to hang I'm WIZ"
:Gs.n rode w a2I as;aei what We t.2
Charge against him. When told he
said that about the time indicated he
had met Bowles early one morning
walking on road leading southwark.
The informant couldn't remember the
date. but he judged it was about a
month before.
The committee had started in to
hang a murderer and did not relish be-
ing turned from their purpose, but
several of their members insisted on an
investigation of Bowles having been
seen going southwark and after long
dispute 1t was determined to put him
in Jail till this could be done. He was
therefore lodged in cell and the COM
mlttee went home to bed.
One world naturally suppose that
these men who considered that Justice
rested on their shoulders would have
taken the pains to send out In the d.
rection Bowles had been seen going to
make inquiries for HIM. But while
they made 1t their business to dispense
justice and gloried that there were no
lawyers in the territory to delay them
In doing so. no one of them seemed to
consider 1t his business to hunt up
were bent on hanging Arbuckle they
had so far cooled as to take very little
interest In his case.
However, Mrs. Arbuckle placed her
children in the care of friend and,
without announcing her intention,
started out to hunt for the missing
victim. She spent a good deal Of time
in her quest without immediate re-
suit. After being away from her little
ones as long as she felt it practicable
to leave them. she returned, bitterly
disappointed
Time passed. There was no trace of
Bowles, but the thoughts of the vigi-
lance committee had been turned into
other channels and no movement was
made to execute Arbuckle. Six months
he remained In jail and would proba-
bly, have remained till the crack Of
doom had not court been organized
to take the dispensation Of justice out
OF the hands of a self constituted COM
mittee. When this occurred the prison
ers case was looked into, and since.
there was not sufficient evidence
against him to warrant his trial he.
was discharged.
A few days later Bowles, accom-
panied by wife, turned up, happy I'm
being bridegroom. He had been
turned down by the bride, but she had
relented and given him hope. He had
gone for her, but being a modest man
and fearing further disappointment
had kept the reason for his going to
himself.