The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1922-03-17
TEXAS HAVING HER
TROUBLE WITH SHINE
Investigation of Death OF
Ben Clemens.

Sheriff JW .Helton and six deputies
today started on cleanup OF the oil
field. How well they succeeded was
indicated tonight when the jailer here
received a message ito prepare stand
ing room in the Jail for the boatload
OF prisoners en- route" The drive on
lawlessness started only after Ben
Clemens, an oil field worker, had paid
with his life as a result Of it.
Clemens was knocked on the head
Thursday night at the Petroleum
club, when ne started cleanup all
his own. He had been gambling 1t is
said, at this place and as result
found himself minus his earnings
amounting to SIS. It is presumed
he reached the conclusion that the
game was not on the level and short
ly afterwards returned with a pistol
with the announced intention of
starting on a cleanup If his money
was not returned.
But Clemens was a person, who
trusted others and listened to the
pleadings of those whom he believed
to be his friends, and laid his pistol
aside for a more peaceful remons-
trance. Within a few hours his body
was in the hands of the undertaken
as result Of blow with some blunt
weapon.
Probe begins following crime.
Sheriff Helton went to the scene
Immediately and began an investi-
cation. A few hours later he re-
ported eight arrests and from time
to time added others to his list un-
til tonight when it came time to
bring his charges to the city he found
IL necessary to advise the jailer to
prepare standing room for his party.
Many of theSe are held only as
material witnesses or as suspects and
II is believed these will be reduced as
the investigation proceeds.
The sheriff found at first he was
handicapped because the Petroleum
club is organized under the laws of
the state of Texas, but once on the
inside he is said to have found
plenty of evidence that it was not
conducted according to the law.
He and his deputies began gather
ing up the gambling paraphernalia
the green covered furniture-and
shortly after sunset tonight he
held a little bond fire nearby in
which cards and dice played an i'm
portant part as fuel. Members of
the organization went about their
work or stood by silent as the green
goods went up in smoke.
Clemens Body Is Sent To FreepOrt.
The body of Clemens, whose death
precipitated the drive on lawless-
ness, today started on lis last jour
ney. 1t was sent to Freeport, Texas,
where a widow and three children
awaits it's coming.
In his investigation at the field,
Sheriff Helton found evidence of
liquor law violations. Bottles of
shiny and the higher grades of in
toxicants went into the bond fire
from time to time. The investiga-
ton into the presence of women of
the underworld will be made next
week.
This is the first word of lawless-
ness in the oil field heard here since
the report from Austin more than a
month ago that rangers would not be
available for a cleanup there until
the more pressing job at Mexia is
completed. II was denied at Orange
that martial law had been requested
or that lawlessness was rampant in
the field. Sheriff Heltop is deter
mined to find ont if the club he clos
ed today is the only institution of its
sort in the field.-Orange, Texas,
Enterprise. published on request)
Those Switch Engines!
ne lOiAOWihS SNois - NiNuieSu W
the late John Kendrick Bangs:
A train made up of day coaches
and Pullman sleepers broke through
a wooden trestle and landed in a
frightful mass of twisted wreckage on
the bottom of ravine some eighty
feet below. The wrecking crew
worked nobly, and after several hours
of heroic effort came to crushed
and splintered sleeper at the base
of the ruin. There amid the debris,
sleeping peacefully, with a beam
across his chest, lay the porter, wholly
unhurt and dreaming. He was even
snoring. The foreman of the wreck
ing crew. with suitable language ex-
pressing his amazement at the
miracle, finally succeeded in getting
Sambo half awake.
''Wh-whut's de mattah?" stammer-
ed Sambo, sitting up and gazing