The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-11-10
Black ROBBED Organization Takes
Charge of Undesirables and
Deals Summarily.
STRIPPED OF CLOTHING
AND THEN PUNISHED
Tulsa Pays Its Respects to Vaga'
bonds and Warns Them to
Travel Westward.

charge of police were taken from
the officers at II O'Clock tonight
by men wearing black robes and
masks. The officers, who were OF
their way to the |. w. w. head
quarters in three automobiles,
were forced to drive their prison.
crs to a secluded spot, where each
II. W. w. was dashed with a cato
ninc-tails, and a coat Of hot tar
and feathers was applied to the
bleeding back.
With each stroke of the brush
the black. robcd man in charge of
the, ceremony uttered the words {:
"ln the name Of the outraged
women and children of Belgium. y
Stripped to their trousers, the
l. W. W. were then started to-
ward the Usage hills. Hundreds
Of rifle and revolver shots were
fired in the air and they sped into
The darkness. ...
| Large, printed signs appeared
on he 'front.' door Of the |. w. w.
headquarters, in railroad stations,
on teicpuonc poles and elsewhere.
1t bore these words:
"Noticc to l.. w. w.:
''Don't let the sun set OIL you
in Tulsa. ,-..r. .. &c
: ."Vigilance Committee -
According to one of the policemen,
upon his return to the city, the Or.
ganization is known as the '"Knights
of Liberty" He heard this name used
by one of the men: The black robes
hoods and masksAmade it Impossible
for the officers to identify any OF
! them.
Convicted in Police Court.
Eleven of the l. w. w. had been
convicted in police court on charge
of vagrancy. following a trial lasting
well into the night. d
They were fined 500 each and com
mitted to Jail. The police arrested
six others. who had appeared as wit
nesses. 1t was decided to take the
entire party to their headquarters and
exact from them promise to leave
the city before morning, in which
event the fines would tie suspended
The prisoners were, placed in three
touring cars. AS the motor cars
neared the |. W. w. hall a number OF
the knights of Liberty" jumped from
behind a pile of bricks and with
levcled rifles and revOlvers ordered
the drivers to stop. ...- .-...-
J The |. w. W. were searched. their
hands tied and the drivers ordered t.
proceed. Two blocks farther along six
automobile loads of men similarly
clad and armed, joined the procession
They were driven into wild ravine
beyond the city limits.
Guards Stationed at Intervals.
Fifteen or twenty of the knights
with rifles were stationed at 50-yard
intervals. Several cars that tried ia
reach the spit were turned back by
these guards, who threatened to shoot
if they did not move quickly. The
automobiles in the party were placed
in a circle with their lights shining
on an oak tree The |. w. w. were
made to strip to the waist. The
knights" stood guard with guns
pointed at each man. One by one the
ropes were taken from their wrists
and they were tied to the tree. One
of the party then stepped forward
with a lash and applied it until the
blood ran. Then another stepped up
with whitewash brush and pot
of boiling tar. This was applied over
the back. Several bandfuls of feath'
ers were then thrown into the tar.
The |. w. w. talked but little, &C
cordjng to one of the policemen who
was forced to witness the ceremony
with an armed man on each side of
him. Several of them boldly pro-
claimed their allegiance to the l. w.
w. An old man pleaded for mercy:
II have lived here for IS years." he
said, and have raised large family.
am not an ]. w. W. l am as patri-
otto as any man here"
But some one in the party remem.
bcred that the speaker had been ar
rested at l. w. w. headquarters and
he so informed the others.
Victims Face the West.
When the last man had done his
turn at the whipping post they were
all lined up with faces toward the
west. Let this be warning to all
l. w. w. 10 never come to Tulsa
again." said the ringleader. 'Now
get!"
The frightened and half-naked men
ran with their bare feet through the
brush
The captured officers stated late
tonight that there we're fully so men
in the party They we're all attired
alike.
Among the victims Of the knights"
were J. II. Hill, local printing press
man and J. F. Ryan. former secretary
of the |. w w. who took an especial
ly prominent part in the trial The
latter was the first to feel the sting OF
the whip and the burn of the tar, ac-
cording to the officers. He was
whipped again after the tar had been
applied, thus forcing the hot liquid
into the flesh.
Names Of Deported.
The names of the deported I. w. W.
members, according to the records at
police headquarters. are: John Nc
Curry, Tom McCaffery, John Myers, E.
NJ. Boyd, John Doyle, Chas. Walsh,