The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, April 29, 1918, Page 5

-~ . \ " lantern and T threw my hands up. He said: “Come out of there,” “citizen of Quinlan, in this county, stated that hié lower limbs W'ere ficers, who advised that the two be released and permitted to go _ in such condition that he was ‘afraid he “would die of blood poison their way, and accordingly they departed on one of the Katy morn- before night.” ‘ ing trains en route to Fort Worth where Higdon’s father resides. The men stated they were working with Offutt on a commis- Higdon, a man of not more than 80 years, is a portly fellow, weigh- i ' ’ : ; i rhaps 225 pounds and apparently well bred, while his com- N . sion and that the Nonpartisan league has national headquarters at pl;%igg, Cg’th ér, isp(:\ slender, scll)'gwny gink and had every mark of B St. P'aul, Minn., anq state headquarters at Waco. Their experience a full-grown L W. W. . at Mineola, they said, converted them to Americanism. Both gave "The men stated that they were innocent of fostering an anti- .« E evidence of being so sore from their whipping they were hardly American organization in the Nonpartisan league, and we venture able to get about. f the prediction that they will not again undertake to work for the Chief Polk got in telephonic communicai;ion with Mineola of- League in or near these parts. TRUE STORY OF THE HORROR _{ League Organizers Accuse ‘“‘Leading” Citizens of Such “Patriotic” , ' Acts as Jumping on a Prostrate Man : 1 .have been 25 or 30 each one. They did not cease beating us until B s some time after we began to cry out for assistance. THEN THEY ~ & POURED SALT AND WATER ON THE STRIPES. . Qur bodies were badly bruised. After pouring the salt water X on our bruised bacis'they cursed us and told us to “get up and go South.” We climbed through a barbed wire fence into a plowed field, o and WE WERE SO EXHAUSTED THAT WE FELL SEVERAL . TIMES while running. Then they shot at us, and in running through P the woods to escape the bullets, we became separated. AT : et Higd(l)lllll a?od’ (lllot%er we?zt Ponefiway landdIt thei{ ot_h:r. hI tcamg . \ 3 A 2 er a while to the Texas acific railroad track, got a hat and- | . HURSDAY evening, April 4, 1918, I got back 10 * preakfast at a farmer's house and flagged a train for Waco. we 5 TR Mineola from a trip in the country, about 6:30 I want to say that so far as I could notice there were few, if - Bo o’clock, and while standing in the room at the ; hotel, I saw the députy sheriff, Hiram Apel, and any, farmers in the mob. : How do martyrs behave under cowardly attacks? On this page are given the statements of the agents of the Nonpartisan league who were the victims of assault in Mineola, Texas. The first is that-of H. F. Hoover. Before he became an organizer for the League, Mr. Hoover was a carpenter. He went West from New York to Arizona, where he was active in furthering the election of his friend, Governor Hunt. Like his companions, ¢ ' 'he is a Democrat. His statement is as follows: = 4 s I have seen hundreds of farmers during the five weeks that - three other men approaching the hotel and I said § ywag stationed at Mineola and secured perhaps 125 members, and j to Cother: “I guess they are coming to get us.” i oo one of the farmers with whom I talked can certify that at I then left the room and stepped into another po"time did I do anything or say anything against either the war i I room. Then they came upstairs and entered our op the government, but that on the contrary, I boosted the Red < room and placed Cother under arrest on a charge of Vagrancy.” Crogs, Liberty bonds and war stamps wherever I went. & b They took him away. ' . - I know of one case (Morgan Boozer, Star route, Mineola, Wood . <8 I went back to the room and procured some written evidence . county) who asked me what became of the money received from the b Y of speeches and remarks against League organizers and speakers, . . A as &9 madedbg défgerent business men and officials. This evidence was m%’figl‘fi};frtié)&gdgnaflg z:;s %in}‘?séhilnfixfihaglfg ggtfio};gg;";g signed by 50 names. ) = : 5 3 2 ! have explained this thing so plainly to me.’ The deputy sheriff, Hiram Apel, came in where I was with a " Tpiq i just one of the many instances that prove that I am : 5 g a loyal citizen. The same can be said of Organizers Higdon and | using abusive and profane language. He then took me out in the Cother, with whom I was in constant touch. ; yard and, holding the gun on me, searched me with the assistance s 1 of another man. I asked him what he was arresting me for and : ; he said vagrancy. I asked him if he had a warrant. He said: “We don’t need any.” They then put me in their car and took me down town where we were held up at a crossing on account of a train passing. A railroad man came over to the car and the deputy sheriff said to him: “Wouldn’t you like to use your hammer on this fellow ? He is one of the Nonpartisan league organizers.” The railroad man didn’t say anything. ; A MOB WITH GUNS AND KNIVES AND A ROPE The joint statement of H. L. Higdon and A. A. Cother is filled with names of the men whom they accuse of mistreating them. It opens with a brief account of their experi- ences in a nearby town, Quitman. : N THURSDAY, April 4, about noon, we (Cother . and ' Higdon) - drove into Quitman ‘in Cother’s a automobile and stopped at the oil station for gas- . After the train had passed, they took me to the city jail of oline. We were approached by Sheriff Apel of o | Mineola and put me in the same cell with. Cother. The deputy sheriff, Wood county, in company with Lawyer Andrew at Hiram Apel, locked up and went away and brought back Mr. Hig- J. Brinton, Merchant Charles McCain and a num- o don, one of our organizers, and locked him up with us. They then ber of others. Sheriff Apel demanded to see our R asked if we wanted something to eat, and brought it to us. - literature and other papers. Cother stood up in " About 10:30 p. m. a crowd attacked the jail and broke off the the car and read a letter from the state manager of the League in outer door lock and entered the jail and tried to cut the lock off which statements from the federal authorities of Texas were quoted, + T the-cell with a cold chisel and hammer. They got tired of that and showing our right to proceed with organization. From the same y went out and got a heavy bar and smashed the lock. During the letter Cother also read Federal Statute 5508. But then Sheriff Apel pounding on the cell door, we begged them not to harm us and to demanded that we go to the courthouse. o let us go that we would leave town, but they did not answer. After getting into the courtroom, a fat man closed the door 4 P They took us out and Mr. Higdon appealed to a friend to as- and said to the sheriff: “Is that all you want in here?” McCain o sist him. His friend told him “I can’t do anything for you.” They pushed his way in at this moment. Lawyer Britton asked: “What e took us out in the alley and loaded us into automobiles. They bran- business_are you engaged in and for whom do you work? Who © 1 - dished guns, knives and I saw a rope in the alley nearby. I said to employed you ?” : R W the man that had me: “What are you going to do with us?”’ He Cother answered: “We are organizing for the Nonpartisan ] said: “We are going to hang you, you damn German spy.” . league, by whom we are employed.” : 4 P They drove east of town, followed by several cars. After about He asked with whom we had signed the contract to go to work." i two miles they unloaded us. One man stood in front of us with a We told him E. R. Meitzen. He asked if Meitzen were not a Ger- pistol in his hand and raised it up and said: “WHICH ONE WILL man. Cother told him Meitzen was born in this country. Then o p2 1 SHOOT FIRST?” We did not say anything, but he did not shoot. he asked if Meitzen did not look like German, and other such re- il Perhaps because (at least that is my impression) some one whis- - marks. ; ’ F pered to him mnot to. 3 : Hefaskecl gf we 1(lhdn,€Vh::°‘iZi tllllat the dl\lIgnpartisan Leader was i 3 arred from the mails. e to im we did not know it. o v?;?ggclfioggf’[%ggg o : ety Cother said: “You know the law about' interfering with the - E ‘ i ) : constitutional rights of citizens like us; if not, I will read it to you.” It was a crowd that seemed determined and well organized and MIDDLEMAN WITH N‘o G e % was not noisy, but occasionally would call us names. In no ease did’ RESPECT FOR THE LAW : o : s g any of them accuse us of disloyal remarks. The attack against us was il 1 Ry e B i solely because of our work in behalf of the Nonpartisan league. _Brinton said: “I don’t give a damn about the law; this is . . ‘They then made-us lay on the ground on our stomachs and war time.” : : : - B stripped the clothing from our backs and BEAT US WITH A Then McCain stepped up to Cother and at the same time some & BLACKSNAKE WHIP. I did not count the strokes but it must Ll Continued on page 23) R S PAGE FOUR i oy . e : <, B R S S