The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-24

blood flowing freely, TumIin was given
4 a final warning that he must leave
/ Birmingham or he would be killed
Then his tormentors, who Tumlin be-
| lievas were both members of the ku
/ Klux Khan and the True Americans,
I released him and departed, taking
with~them his overcoat and hat and
other outer clothing and SIS in cash.
Too weak to move at first, TumlIn
mana ged to walk and crawl TO an in
| terurhan line where in his blood
soaked under garments he was taken
aboard a car for Birmingham. His
stay there, however, was limited to
| few hours To remain longer TumiiI1
| knew would mean the carrying out of
! the final threat gainst him. As soon
! as his wounds were dressed and he
was able to get a change of clothing
Tumlin fled to another town, leaving
1 his home, property and law business,
/ all that he had been able to accumu-
! late in his lifetime, to the winds.
Was Candidate for Z. S. Attorney.
Tumlin has been practicing in the
court of Alabama and the federal
| courts there for a period of ten years
and last fall was mentioned favorably
I for United States district attorney IN
/ the northern division of that state. He
was recommended for that position by
many of the most prominent business
men and lawyers Of Alabama w ME
a lifelong Republican and referred Is
! by some of his friends as having done
more for the Republican party in that
/ state than any other man, a number
| of his recommendations for the dls-
| trict attorneyship came from Demo-
| Gratis, who referred to him as a man
| of high integrity and unusual ability,
and state they wished to see him III
| office so that they might have an
| efficient, courteous official to deal
| with These letters Tumlin brought
with him to Topeka.
Tunnlin did not get the appointment
but the fact that he was at one time
| considered a likely candidate for the
| place helped to stir the lawless ele-
ment against him, he says, and he be-
| lieves his candidacy was partly re-
/ sponsible for the determined effort 70
| drive him out of the state. DURING
| the cam oaign the Negro Republican
| League of Alabama gave Tumlin ITS
support and in letters, written to
President Harding and Attorney Cen
| eral Dougherty he was referred to as
| a second Lincoln
Issues Formal Statement
! Tup1lin lost his all in his flight
\ from the Birmingham mobs, ana
while far from an object of charity,
he admits he is having serious trou-
BILE in pulling himself together again,
and the fact that he has four small
| children to support makes his pres
ent situation more difficult From
/
| pounds. Tumlin is now nervous,
| physical wreck of 140 pounds or less
| Still weak and suffering he possesses
a spirit of gameness and in order that
his case be clearly presented to the
| Kansas public has issued the follow
! ing formal statement:
! an the last analysis. the outrage
/ that was perpetrated upon me was the
| elimination of my activities as an OK
| ponent of undiluted Americauism
I IL Il of n
! state of Alabama, judges of the courts,
J prominent lawyers and people gener-
| ally have ever esteemed me very
| highly. not because they agreed with
me politically, but because they ad-
! mired my courage in the hopeless
| fight that was making for real Re
| publicanism. I shall ever respect
/ many of the good people Of the state
| of Alabama and the south 1t is true
| that certain orga nizations, un-Ameri-
| can in chara cter, exist down Ghere, but
/ the best people do not sanction the
| lawIess acts of those classes And vet
they exist and outra ges are from time
/ to time perpetrated in spite of such
! opposition as the constituted authori-
| ties are able to muster. Those cut
| threats hate me because I have stood
for the downtrodden negro and be
| cause 1 stood as a friend of much
/ hated Catholic priest. They came
very near taking my life. and in order
! that I might live. move and have my
| being in the world, came to the great
| commonwealth of Kansas. 1 thought
! that 1 would like to live, or peBhaps.
! die in a state minority zed by John
Brown and other great leaders of the
! past. I hope to SO conduct myself in
! this state as to make every citizen
| proud that I entered her border All
| in the world that I ask as a lawyer
| and as a man IS the privilege to live
| and breathe the free atmosphere of