Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-29
.KTDNAP PACTFTST
AND BEAT HIM UP
Ohio Pastor Found in Ken
lucky Roughly Handled by
Unidentified Men
DIPPED HIS HEAD IN OIL
CINCINNATI q Oct

CINCINNATI, o.. oct. 20.
Stripped Of his clothing and beaten un-
mercifully, Herbert s. Bigelow. pacifst
leader and pastor Of the Peoples Church
here, was found at Florence. Ky, today. He
had been kidnapped by band Of men I'm
twenty-one automobiles who turned him
loose after dipping his head in crude petro-
leum.
All evidence indicates he was the victim
of an oath-bound organization. sworn to
wreak vengeance on pacifsts and others not
In accord with the Governments war
policies
A blacksnake whip had been used on
Bigelow
Bigelow was president Of the recent Ohio
constitutional convention. He was kid
mapped at p. m. Sunday. as he was about
to enter a hall TO address a meeting OF
Socialists.
With him were Professor Edward j.
Cantrell, Minneapolis, and Vernon Rose,
Kansas City. Two men approached Bige-
low, seized him. handcuffed him and thrust
him into a waiting automobile Those with
Bigelow supposed he had been taken by
Federal officers.
The kidnappers were traced to Latonia,
where they had rendezvous with another
posse.
Farmers saw a strange procession of
automobiles winding through the Kentucky
hills and counted twenty-one machines
The autos returned from the scene of the
whitecappng singly. Automobile parties
of searchers were unable TO apprehend them.
Bigelow had received vague threats re-
|
were rumors that a secret organization
had been formed In Kentucky to teach a
lesson to pacfsts." Sunday Bigelow's
automobile was followed about Cincinnati
by another machine.
Bigelow was able TO tell Of his expert
ence. He had entered a physicians office
in Florance at 1880 a. m. and remained
| there till morning. His back and legs
were lacerated and portion of his hair had
| been cut off. After he had been stripped
his hands were tied around a tree. Then
| the leader of the Vigilantes said:
"ln the name of the women and children
! of Belgium and France strike :"
| Then the first blow fell. Seven more
| lashes fell across his back. Then there
was a pause, said Bigelow
| Apparently the man with the whip was
| waiting for orders" he said. Then the
whip came down on my back again.
| believe there were ten or a dozen lashes u
|
| aprons. They reminded me of the Ku-KluX
| figures I saw in The Birth of a Nation
| After | had been seized and handcuffed
| I was taken out into the country. A sack
was thrown over my head. My feet were
| tied | had no notion of either time OF
distance / could tell only that were
| going over rough roads and smooth ones
| Nothing was said"
| AT last we came to stop. I was lifted
out of the automobile and the sack wa!
| taken off my head. They led me up hill
| to a schoohouse and took me to a tree tC
| which they tied me,
| "'OT with his clothes" somebody ex
claimed
MY clothes were taken off my back"
Then follows Bigeows description of tn,
lashng.
| They cut off some of my hair" sale
| Bigelow, "and then poured something out o
a bottle over my head. l judged it wa
crude OIL The men then left me, excep
two, who remained TO guard me. one had
| revolver.
"when the others were gone consider
able time, my guards also left me afte
| telling me not TO go away for ten minutes
They instructed me to go to a certain
| house where / would get directions.
ct occurred to me that the oil had beei
poured on my head so that l might b.
| identified at the house to which had beel
directed.
Il feared something more was in store 70
| me- there, so l walked away in the opposit
direction and finally reached Florence"
| Bigelow said that in parting his kid
| nappers told him he must leave Cincinnati
within thirty-six hours and stay away iron
| Cincinnati during the rest of the war.
| He said today he would stay I'm Gin
cinnati If given proper protection by Fedora
| authorities