Arizona republican., 1921-03-15
SENATOR BURTON. DENOUNCES ANTI. NIP ACT|vIT|E |ES
 AS SUPPRESSION
 0F FREE SPEECH
Victim of Kansas Deporta- ton Says Saturdays Epi- sodes Blackest Of All Crimes On Calendar
tRepubnean A. p. Leased Wirel


 SALIVA, Kansas. March 14-J. R. Burton. in statement today. de- nounccd as "crime worse than bank robbery the occurrences at Great Bend Saturday night in which Nom Partisan league officials were driven from the community.
 Burton was escorted out of town. He asserts ]. O. Stevic and c. A. Parsons were beaten and tarred by the mob and left to die"
 Both men are in Salina today, how ever. and their injuries are not dan gerous. it is said.
 Mir. Burton said he had appealed to state officials to punish the leaders or the Great Bend 'mob.'
 T will not now discuss the facts in the case.- the statement said. T de- sire to wait and see what is said and done in Kansas about the blackest of all crimes in the calendar-suppressio of free speech by force"
 About 30 o'clock Saturday we left Great Bend for Ellinwood and two or three miles out we were stopped by a mob of 50 men, the statement said. The mob made demonstrations as if they would take us from our car, but were restrained by their leader. He said they intended to take Prof. Wilson and myself to St. John and my wife to Great Bend and send her back to Sa- lima by train. But he changed his mind about taking my wife away un- der my protest"
 Burton said he asked to be taken to Ellinwood and sent home from there but the mob put it to a vote.
 The few who voted" continued the statement. said St. John. Some of the mob brought an American flag and compelled Prof. Wilson to hold it in r-t- H. L. rslanteau- An aged farmer drove up. Some three or four boys. one wearing soldiers uniform, were in the car. The mob badly beat up the old farmer and the boys were compelled to join in our procession"
 Exhibited to Crowds
 Arriving at St John they exhibited us to r1be crowds About 5 o'clock, half a mile from Stafford, they told us the legion was not organized at Stafford and we could go on our way The leader told us his gathering was made np of legion boys
 MT. Burton said he assumed Judge D. A. Banta of this district, Sheriff Samm Hill of Barton county and Phil Weber. county attorney, supported by Attorney General Richard J. Hopkins, and Governor Allen would take prompt action.
 My assumption that the local au- thorities would act against the mob re- ceived n shock Sunday" he continued. As the following event will show, J. O. Stevic. editor of the Leader and C. O. Parsons. Captain Mallon's secretary, were driven into Salina yesterday, each having been brutally beaten, stripped cf their clothes, their naked bodies covered with tar and left half dead on the prairie at midnight It was the same men who mobbed us, who moboed them"
 Parsons and Stevic reached Ellin- wood Saturday afternoon" he said and learned we had been kidnaped Hastily gathering some legion farm CTS they drove to Great Bend, found the sheriff and inquired of him where we were and what steps he had taken 10 rescue us. Not being able to get any information from the sheriff. ex- cept that he said he knew nothine about our being mobbed and had not done and would do nothing to rescue us, unless some one would make a written charge and a warrant be is- sued Failing to enlist the chief off, cer to stop the carrying out of a crime worse than bank robbery. they ap- pealed to Judge Banta. The iudet then called the sheriff and the leader of the mob, who had returned, but the, couin not get any help from tha- source They returned with their es. cort of farmers to Ellinwood. held th, meeting and started back home in tbei car. They were captured by mob taken back to Great Bend and ther turned over to the mob that had can r1red r,s Nh