The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1921-09-16
TAR VICTIM is
GRANTED NEW
DAMAGE TRIAL
JOHN ME1NTs, LUvERNE, IS
WINNER IN APPEAL ON
800, 900 ACTION
Rev. H. w. Bedford Named By
Meints As One Of Four who
Tarred, Feathered and
Flo1ged Him


Flogged Him
A new trial of the 100000 dam.
age suit of John Meints Of Luverne,
Mimi, against 80 prominent busi-
ness and professional men of that
city,charged with being responsible
for the tarring and feathering OF
Meints in 1918, has been ordered by
the United States circuit court Of ap-
peals in st. Louis, Mo. Arthur LIE
Sueur, St. Paul attorney for
Meints, was notified OF the courts
decision last week.
Rev. H. ". Bedford, former
Methodist minister at Luverne, and
subsequently assigned to the Metho-
dist church at South st. Paul, was
named by Meints as one OF the four
men who tarred, feathered and dog-
ged him. The others concerned in
the actual tarring and logging,
Meints said, were Leo Connell, Otto
Ihlan and Bert Weiss.
The tarring and fogging of Meints
took place the night Of Aug. 19,
1918. Earlier in the night Meipts
was visited by mob from the town.
These men insisted on s'escorting"
Meints from his home to protect"
him. They took lin acs,ssthe sorsh
Dakota line, whore they were met by
four masked men, who took Meints,
stripped him, and tarred, feathered
and flogged him.
Escorts Made Defendants
Besides the four men named as
concerned in the actual tarring and
fogging, Meints made the members
of the "escort" party defendants in
his civil suit. Pierce Butler, appear
ing as counsel for the defendants,
pleaded that the members of the mob
that deported Meints had done so for
his own protection. The charge to the
jury of Judge Willis Booth follow
ed this theory and verdict was
rendered for the defendants. The
case was carried to the circuit court
onappeal from Judge Booths rul-
tngs and notice of the granting Of a
new trial has Just been received.
Besides the four above named de-
PENDANTS. alleged mob members were:
o. P. Huntington, president, First
National bank. Luverne; Otto Stein
feldt, blacksmith; George Michel
son, real estate dealer; James Horne,
tombstone salesman; A. F.. Miner,
foreman in tile factory: w. G. Parr,
real estate dealer; Harry Rodman
Bert Cross. president Of Farmers
National bank: L. Woodrow. retir-
ed farmer; w. H. White, implement
lumber compar-.: j. A. Albert, har-
ness maker and former saloon
keeper; L. d. Long, auctfoneer; r..
B. Hinckley, former banker; o. F..
Ferguson, clerk Of the Rock county
district court; A. A. Anderson. CASH
fer of the First National bank; DR..
Olson, Edward Halves, merchant:
Irwin Turnbull, Albert Hubert, Har-
ry Kimmerling. Herman Rickert, AL
bert Leach, Jock Koehn, Harry Hall,
Harry Bunford. Will Ellis, g. e.
Ellis, w. L. Ward, Kicks Kennedy,
Samuel Nelson, merchant, and form
er state senator.
Support Of Paper Shown
Although not q farmer. and there
for not eligible for membership in
the Nonpartisan league, Meints had
given financial support to the Rock
County Leader. a newspaper friendly
70 the farmers organization, which
had been established in Luverne
that year, the testimony showed.
Because Of his attitude toward the
Nonpartisan league, Meints was dub
bed .spro-German" by the clique of
business men and politicians in the
Rock county city. A son. Fred J.
afeints, belonged to the league.
Prior to his deportation to the
South Dakota line and the attack
on him there. John Meints had been
deported to iowa BY . mob. He re-
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