Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1917-12-06
Citizens of Parsons Form Z
Vigilance Committee to
Check LaWIessness.
40 UHOESIRABLES DEPORTE(
and Two Children Caused
People to Act

CitlzenS OF Parsons nave taken the
execution of law and maintenance of
order largely into their own hands in
determined effort to "clean up" the
town
Hundreds of men, including those
most active in the business and social
activities of the city, have responded
to a summons to become vigilantes,
and the city night police force, nor
mally consisting of four watchmen.
has been augmented by three hundred
volunteers who, working in two shifts,
have patrolled every street and alley.
The net result of the surveillance
has been the deportation of forty
strangers who couldn't give satisfac-
tory account of themselves.
1t may be added that since the vigil
1antes organized themselves there
hasn't been a robbery or shooting
Early in the fall burglaries and
holdups began with increasing fire.
quency Often a dozen houses were
entered in a night The authorities.
apparently, were helpless, as arrests
and convictions were infreQuent.
Then came the climax. Mrs. H o.
Wick and two of her children received
fatal pistol wounds between and
O'Clock the morning of November ID.
The belief that the murder was COM
mitted by a thief who sought to es-
cape detection by killing all the mem
bers of family was strengthened
when the authorities finally decided
there could be no motive other than
robbery. The officers, however, had
little to guide them, they said, in trac-
ing the crime and they frankly ac-
knowledged a few days ago that all eff
forts to find the unknown assailant
were likely to prove futile.
But the burg1aries didn't wane.
Neither did the holdup men seem more
cautious about shooting persons who
were tardy in taking orders. The
night before the vigilantes became &C
tive six houses were robbed; one vic
tim of a highwayman on brightly
lighted business street was slashed
across the throat and another received
two bullet wounds.
4 Monument to Lincoln.-Dedica
tory exercises for a monument COM
memorating an address delivered at
Atchison in 1859 by Abraham Lincoln
were held on the court house grounds
recently. Frank A. Root of Topeka,
w. S. Washer and Louis Weinman,
mayor of Atchison. delivered adj
dresses. All the school children of
the city and Boy Scouts took part in
the exercises. Mr.. Root is one of the
few survivors of the large crowd that
heard Lincoln in his campaign speech.
The stone ON which a copper plate
bearing an inscription was selected
near Cummings and is of the large red
type found on the hills of Northeast
ern Kansas. 4
Jumped Into Week.-Mrs.. Lean BIS
by, 81 years old, committed suicide at
her home near Wells, ten miles east
of Minneapolis. the other night by
jumping into a 45-foot well.
II X X
Club Woman Dies.-Mrs Benola
Russell, secretary of the Kansas Fed
Grafton of Women's Clubs, is dead at
Parsons, after a short illness. Mrs.
Russell had been active all her life in
church and club work She is sur
vived by two children.
Waterman Found Dead.-John A.
Showalter, IS years old, employed as
night Waterman at the Arkansas City
Mills, was found dead recently in the
mill when the first shift came on at 6
o'clock. Showalter was lying on the
floor near a. truck. There were no
marks of violence on the body.
*
Dies in Camp.-The first of Atchf- |
son county's drafted men to die in the |
service of his country was Irade1l |
Babcock, aged rs. News of his death |
at Camp Doniphan as result of |
spinal meningitis was received re-
Gently.
X x
kansan Died at Funston.-Joseph |
Roach, wha was in the first contin- |
gent of drafted men sent from Leav-
enworth, died recently at Camp Funs-
ton, word was sent to his mother, Mrs. |
Thomas Pike.
Ask College Head to Quit--The Y.
NJ c. A. at Paramount College, dissat-
isfied with the conduct of affairs I'M
der President Edmund Stanley, has
adopted resolution calling on Doc
tor Stanley for his resignation.
X * X
College Boys to Aid Farmers.-A
score or more of boys from the Kansas
State Normal School will assist near
by farmers in harvesting crops Satur-
days and holidays Arrangements for
this cooperation have been brought