Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1933-04-28
MARTIAL LAW
DECLARED IN
IOWA DISTRICT
Governor Orders Out National
Guard Following Yesterdays
Attempt To Hang Judge.
SITUATION Is DANGEROUS
Prompt Action Taken To Pre-
vent Any More Instances Of
Lawlessness.

LIE MARS, Iowa, April %. (U.P)
Three hundred national guards
men including a machine gun unit
brought martial law to this danger
spot of farm unrest today after
judge narrowly escaped lynching
by an irate mob.
Gov Clyde l.. Herring acted swift
ly to Quell disorder which broke out
as leaders of the National Farmers
Holiday association prepared to
meet at Des Moines Wednesday to
consider a national farm strike.
Governor Herring dispatched Col.
Glenn G. Haynes of his personal
staff by airplane to assume charge
of military operations in plymouth
county. He characterized the riot
ers as a "gang of hoodlums."
81 want it expressly understood, -
he said "that this gang which
outraged Judge Bradley is not a
representative group of Iowa farm
ers.o
Troops from Sioux City and
Sheldon we're rushed to this typical
farm center of 5000 population.
The town which has been center of
farm disturbances since the Iowa
farm strike last summer was out
wardly quiet. Merchants attended
customers in their stores as usual.
On the streets farmers gathered in
little groups to discuss the out
break.
LIE MARS, Iowa, April %. U.P)-
Iowa farmers revolt against mort
gage foreclosures burned at finder
box tenseness today kindled to
white heat by two attempts OF
masked men to hang judge whom
they dragged from his courtroom.
The veteran jurist, Judge c. G,
Bradley, past so, was beaten, maui
ed smeared with grease and CRIME
and jerked from the ground by q
moose as $50 vengeful farmers
shouted their protests against his
foreclosure activities.
Only a prayer for divine guidance
which Judge Bradley uttered as he
knelt in the dust of a country
road Sobered the mob and saved his
life, witnesses said.
Sheriff Ralph E. Rippey of Ply
mouth county, who himself was
subjected to threats of violence and
hanging. could not be reached at
his home or office. Other author
tiles regarded the attacks on Judge
Bradley and Sheriff Rippey as the
first open revolution in the Smould-
ering corn belt resentment against
foreclosures. They expressed fears
that attempts to arrest the attack
ers would lead to open warfare and
bloodShed.
The violence began shortly after
noon yesterday at Primghar, Iowa,
about so miles northeast of LIE Mars.
Deputy sheriffs who had been sent
to maintain order at foreclosure
sale we're overcome and beaten.
The farmers then marched to a
farm near LIE Mars where family
has defied district and supreme
court orders to surrender the prop
erty.
Sheriff Seized
A group of the militant farmers
appeared at the home of Clarence
Becker, declared by the court to be
owner of the property. An argu-
ment developed and Sheriff Rippey
was called.
Farmers seized the sheriff and
Becker and carried them to the
town ball park. Shouts of chang
them" we're heard. Rippey talked
at length with the farmers and
succeeded in persuading them to re-
lease himself and Becker, after
which both disappeared.
The mob then started for the
courtroom of Judge Bradley, who
presided at hearings in both the
Becker and Primghar cases.
Judge Bradley was on the bench.
One of the intruders demanded a
hearing. His head was swathed in
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