The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1921-04-01
VICTIM OF KANSAS MOB
WRITES COMMANDER OF
LEGION ABOUT OUTRAGE

man stating they wanted law and
order maintained in Barton county,
Kansas, and the said meeting. thru
committee OF five farmers, went
to the deputy sheriff OF Ellinwood
and asked him to come before the
meeting, where action of said meet
ing was taken by the farmers, and
the deputy sheriff Of the county
gave us his protection to go to Great
Bend to enlist the service of the
sheriff to apprehend the violaters of
the law who. had maltreated and
kidnapped our speakers. When we
arrived at Great Bend, we called up
on the Office OF the sheriff and asked
what had become OF our speakers.
He said he did not know and did not
propose to go out and look for them
Realizing that we could get no ac-
tion from the sheriff, who said he
would refuse to act until he had a
court order we we're directed to
Judge Banta, with whom con-
| versed. Judge Banta called in the
leader OF the mob, DIR. Nixon, who
had returned to Great Bend by this
time. and asked him what he knew
about the proceedings. He said, II
know nothing Judge" Whereupon
the Judge asked him II he had any
control over the legion boys, and he
said he had. Judge Banta Their
proceeded to call in the sheriff and
told him what the duties Of the sher-
in were, but the sheriff was very
arrogant and did not seem to care
to participate.
1 conferred with DR.. Nixon priv
ately and he admitted that l didn't
need to be afraid about the woman
that was in the party, as she was not
harmed, as he saw to this himself,
and that he had offered to take the
wife of former Senator Burton back
with him and put her on the train
and separate her from her husband
but she refused to consent to do this.
After this conference persuaded
DIR. Nixon to come down and talk
to the legion boys (and again to
show you the camoufiage) DIR. Nixon
told the boys that anything that
happened from now on must not be
officially under the direction of the
American Legion and that whatever
action they took should come under
the direction of the American De-
tense League.
From Great Bend we went back
to Ellinwood and held the meeting
that was scheduled there. After the
meeting we started back to Salina
and American Leagion men under
the direction of an American De-
tense League man, whose name I
will give you IL it is necessary, over
powered us at Chase in the evening
and took US back to Great Bend,
where the same mob that had threat
ened US in the afternoon and mall
treated the farmers in Great Bend.
mobbed j. o. Stevic and myself
There were some 200 Of them. We
were tarred and made hold up our
hands by force, half dozen men on
each arm, while they would take
turns at striking us. In my expert
ence as an ex-service man, never
heard of the Germans ever using
such tactics as these.
Trusting the above information IL
convincing enough to you that these
men as officers of the legion, either
are ignorant OF their bylaws. and
the principles of your organizatin,
or they secretly carried on an in
trigue on the inside to carry out
these outrages. 1 hope to hear from
you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely yours,
CARL o. PARSONS.
State Chairman World War veter-
ans of Minnesota
From (Fargo) Courier-News