The Washington times., 1921-02-06
BUTCH NAMES
men |NATTACK
Editor, Beaten Up by Business
Men, Says He'll Get Even
With Them All.

John Jay (Butch) MeDevitt, the
"millionaire for a day." came back
today with broadside against his
enemies in general and the nine
business men in particular, who beat
him UP two weeks ago.
SLAMS HIS ENEMIES
In his weekly paper. Plain Talk.
which has been printed out or town
and which was placed on saie Ias.
night. McDevitt slams his assaiiahts
without gloves. ..
"rhe court will not give me ths
satisfaction I desire" states putch,
$50 am going 20 handle the prut.s
myself In my own style, ana peiie'e
me they will be sorry LOOKING
wretches when ] get through maui-
Ing them with plain talk" -.-,
McDevitts wounds have nearly
healed. and he is about he. city as
debonair as ever. In his PAN IaIh
appears large cartoon with the cap
ton. what Might Have Happeheu'
MsDEvITT IN "COFFIN"
The cartoon shows McDevitt In
coffin which Is being carried and be
hind the coffin members OF the nam
ber OF Commerce are walking ana the
men who assaulted Butch can De
seen behind prison bars.
In a lengthy article. McDevitt sim
giles out his assailants and asks them
pertinent questions.
He also questions the newspapers
here for their attitude.
.Ieaye IL to me. I'll get the whole
damn bunch one at a time" says NC
Dewitt.
In his account today of the whole
AFFAIR, McDevitt charges that Percy
A Brown, one of the best known
men in Wilkes-Barre, and Benjamin
f. williams. cashier of the bank.
organized the attack on him ana
gathered eight other men to invade
his office and beat him up Among
others of the party he mentions Guy
Moore, Of the Wilkes-Barre Record
Thomas Heffernan, of the Sunday
Independent; John Hourigan, of the
News, and Ernest G. Smith, or the
Times Leader
Def TO AssAILANTs.
McDeyitt devotes practically the
whole issue of Plain Talk today to
his account of the beating up he re-
ceived and warns his assailants that
in future they had better watch thelr
step" He characterizes the attack as
the most cowardly in the history OF
the city and states that his issue OF
the paper would not be printed by the
concern that had printed 1T hereto
fore and that he was forced to have
It printed outside of Wilkes-Barre.
In his statement McDevitt says:
"If. however, the towards had any
motive or object in view beyond the
mere beating up OF McDeVitt'
they (and l understand there are a
few aside from those mentioned VINO
encouraged the move. but were 100
cowardly to take active parD are
under the impression that anything
was gained or accomplished outside
Of inflicting a few bruises which time
will heal and which made me feei
a bit old for the time. let me say
here and now that they are sadiy
mistaken.
my spirit is far from being
crushed My courage will know no
bounds in the future, and l have not
been so badly disabled that l am not
for the present, at least, capable OF
taking care of myself under any cir
cumstances Everything being halr
fair or half equal l ask no quarter
or mercy, neither can any be ex-
pected of me from this time on.
"CRACKs FROM A BUSTED SKULL"
Under the caption Cracks from
Busted Skull" McDevitt gives forth
the following comment on the melee:
'I expect the Chamber OF Com
rnerce is back of this attempt to bar
me from my customary haunts. They
seem to have everything else in town
sewed up. 1t has gotten so here that
if seven thugs come to town on an
afternoon and beat up merchant or
a citizen with whom they have a
grievance, the papers are to print
nothing about it, Such news excites
the baser passions of men.
"One must not make these rowdies
feel so secure, or too sure OF great
publicity for their beating up parties
People don't like to read such news
and besides the printing OF 1t crowds
out the advertising of the fake oil
promoters with grab-it-quick ideas.
'Tts a heluva world were living
In" ..... .....
BUTCHERS HONESTY CUES
~ TONED.
In one of the paragraphs under the
caption, after the Battle" McDevitt
makes the following comment:
az hear that one of the butchers
broke his thumb in the melee. This
should be a great relief to the patrons
as IL means one butcher, at least,
won't be weighing his thumb
"If 1t takes eight black and tans
MUS a retired bum and a renegade
cuckoo to lick the editor of this pa
per, how many of the same brand and
breeding would it require to clean up
the entire staff?
'If any of the butchers customers
come across a piece OF an ear in their
sausage this is to notify them said
portion OF ear belongs to the head
piece OF John Jay McDevitt."
McDEvITT TAKES THE COUNT.
But the climax of what McDevitt
alleges took place takes the form
of a description Incorporated into
the leading sport article in Plain
Talk. 1t is entitled ''McDevtt VS..
Brown ct al" and reads by rounds"