Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-22
FARMERS GIVEN
STIFF PENALTIES
Judge Holds Contempt in
Foreclosure Case Is
Near Treason"
Nv the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo, September 21-
Thirteen farmers who led cursing
mob which blocked a Federal farm
foreclosure sale at PlattSburg, Mo-,
August Is were sentenced today to
from one day to three years imprison-
ment.
Federal Judge Albert L. Reeves as
sessed the maximum punishment
against Clifton Gall, ringleader, with
three years for contempt of court and
two years for conspiracy to interfere
with a Federal officer, the sentences
to run concurrently.
Your action is dangerously near to
treason, and certainly rebellion and
Instruction, the judge declared.
Sam Divelbiss. owner OF the farm
got year and day.
Still to be sentenced is Harrison
Nathan Jones, the fourteenth OF the
men accused of manhandling four
Federal officers.
Calls Witnesses Liars.
He collapsed today, screaming at
Federal witnesses:
"All these people are liars"
A physician said Jones, former city
councilman N Cameron, Mo. appar-
emily was not in a serious condition.
All the defendants pleaded guilty
Unexpectedly this morning after the
presentation of Federal testimony.
They apologized to United States
Marshal Henry L. Dillingham;, whom
they held prisoner with three aides at
the court house in Plattsburg until the
legal time for the sale of the farm, 5
pm, had passed.
The officers were disarmed, beaten
and cursed.
Dillingham; said Divelbiss identified
himself as the man the Government
is trying to steal the farm FROM" laid
his troubles to the Supreme Courts
outIawing of the Frazier-Lemke farm
mortgage act and charged that Wall
Street was back of It"
Sentences aside from those of Gall
and Divelbiss;
Homer Crowley, Dan Stoffel, c. A.
dIlu 1. EAlllOANs WV
years; J. D. Pipes and A. A. Holman,
year and day; Ivan Divelbiss, Allen
Handeley and Frank HiXon. three
months; Charles Anderson and Marvin
Arnold. one day.
Hold Action Unjustified.
Judge Reeves said he had sought
hopefully through three days Of teSti-
mony to find some indication of inno-
cence or of vindication for the men.
He found none, he said, and declared:
Other crimes were committed. This
mob, and know of no better term for
it, committed robbery, SANDER, may
hem, false arrest, felonious assault,
conspiracy and unlawful assembly in
its unspeakable attack on an officer
Of this court"
Judge Reeves presided at the trial
at the request of Federal Judge Mer-
rill E. Otis, whose order for the Dwell
bliss sale was torn up by the. mob.
Defense attorneys charged Judge Otis
was prejudiced.
This thing" said Judge Reeves,
lldO dOllC AliOlC " 1ALooONA !
and to the Nation than food, fire and
pestilence; more than any enemy bat
tleship could do Smelling New York
City"
Missouri farm lands nave decreased
in value and the infamy of this act
has been spread to the far corners of
the Nation"
In particular he criticized Gall,
farmer, editor of farm paper, secre-
tary of the State Farmers Protective
Association and the father of two
children, who sought in vain to censor
newspaper reports of the mob action. -
Calls Gall Insolent.
He was insolaht, arrogant and
impudent when he attempted to die
tate the story of Kenneth Clark, Asso-
ciated Press reporter, who had per-
feet right to be in PlattSburg," the
judge said.
He continued that insolence when
he went to the newspaper ofice of
Mrs. Edna at Maysville, &C
companied By ~ or IL ruf1anS, and
attempted to dictate what she should
print.
Gall melted Divelb;ss into this re-
bellion, this instruction against the
Government.
Dillingham; said he would move the
men sentenced to more than one year
to Leavenworth Prison soon. The
others will serve their terms in jail.