第 21 节
作者:
谁与争疯 更新:2021-02-19 00:36 字数:9322
knew little about the tricks of lawyers; and the unfair rulings of judges。
I will here speak of the attitude of some of the W。 C。 T。 U。 concerning
the smashing。 Most of this grand body of grand women endorsed
me from the first。 A few weeks after the Kiowa raid; I held a convention
in Medicine Lodge。 I got letters from various W。 C。 T。 U。 workers
of the state that they would hold my convention for me。 I said: 〃No;
I will hold my own convention。〃
Up to this time; no one had ever offered to hold my convention;
and I fully understood; although I did not say anything; that the W。 C。
T。 U。 did not want it to go out that they endorsed me in my work at
Kiowa。 The state president came to my home the first day of the convention。
I believe this was done; thinking I would ask her to preside at
the meeting; or convention。 I was glad to see her and asked her to conduct
a parliamentary drill。 She came to me privately and asked me to
state to the convention that the W。 C。 T。 U。 knew nothing about the
smashing at Kiowa and was not responsible for this act of mine。 I did
so; saying the 〃honor of smashing the saloons at Kiowa would have to
be ascribed to myself alone; as the W。 C。 T。 U。 did not wish any of it。 So
far as Sister Hutchinson; who is; and has been the president for some time;
is concerned; I believe her to be a conscientious woman; and whose heart
is in the right place。 She and I have been the best of friends and love
each other; and she has often defended me and spoken well of my work。
But I think the W。 C。 T。 U。 would be much more effective under her
management; if she had understood that Stanley; the republican governor;
wished to handicap her in her prohibition work when he appointed
her husband as physician in the reformatory at Hutchinson; Kansas。 Be
it said to the credit of this christian physician he never used alcohol in
his practice。 And perhaps other bearings have prevented her from seeing
that the republican pressure has injured our work more than anything
else in Kansas。 Many of the wives of these political wire…pullers
are prominent in the Union。 A W。 C。 T。 U。 must of necessity be a
prohibitionist;
for her pledge is a prohibition pledge; not a temperance one。
The Free Methodists; although few in number; and considered a church
of but small influence; have been a great power in reform。 They were
the abolitionists of negro slavery to a man; and now they are the
abolitionists of the liquor curse to a man。 They were also my friends
in this smashing。 Father Wright and Bro。 Atwood were at the convention
I speak of。 Father Wright; who has been an old soldier for the
defence of Truth for many years said to me: 〃Never mind; Sister Nation;
when they see the way the cat jumps; you will have plenty of friends。〃
The ministers were also my friends and approved of the smashing。 Bro。
McClain; of the Christian church; was at the convention; and he was
trying to apologize for the smashing and defend me at the same time;
he said: 〃We all make mistakes and crooked paths; and Sister Nation
we all know; tries to do right; and even if she did some crooked things;
all the rest of us do the same thing。〃
I appreciated his motive; but for the sake of others; I replied: 〃I
could not see that the term 'crooked' should be used。 I rolled up the
rocks as STRAIGHT as I could; I placed them straight in the box; hitched
up my horse straight; drove straight to Kiowa; walked straight in the
saloon; threw straight and broke them up in the straightest manner; drove
home straight and I did not make a crooked step in smashing。〃 This
of course was pleasantry; but it was the way I took to justify myself; as
but few seemed to see the merit or result of this crusade。
I never explained to the people that God told me to do this for some
months; for I tried to shield myself from the almost universal opinion
that I was partially insane。
I will now speak of my persecution for so…called slandering the
prosecuting attorney。 As I said; no one mentioned such a thing until
the dives were closed。 Closing the joints; called attention to the perjury
of the county officials; for it was proven to be their fault; that we
have dives in Kansas。 In order to direct the attention from themselves;
as perjurers; and to me as insane; and to be avenged; they put their heads
together to bring this suit against me。 Mr。 Griffin was no more to blame
in this matter than the rest of the republicans。 A。 L。 Noble; Polly Tincher;
Edd Sample; and Mr。 Herr; the city attorney of Kiowa; were all employed
by Sam Griffin。 This practically took all the legal ability; leaving one;
G。 A。 Martin; whom I retained。 I had witnesses enough to prove gambling
and drinking in these dives by Sam; and the sheriff; had sufficient
testimony to justify me in saying what I did。 The republican judge of
Kingman; Gillette; ruled out my testimony right through。 If my case
had been conducted properly by my lawyer; and proper exceptions taken;
I could have taken the case to the supreme court; and had it reversed on
several rulings。 Judge Stevens and Judge Lacey; who were at the trial;
told me they never saw such determination on the part of any judge to
cut out the defense as the rulings of Judge Gillette。 It was evident that
everything was cut and dried before going into court。 Judge Gillette
had several pages of instructions to the jury; telling them their duty was
to convict and that the damages should be a large sum。 I had these
instructions examined by a good lawyer; Mr。 Duminel; of Topeka; and the
judge overleaped his perogative。 He should have told the jury the facts
and the statute governing slander; but his instructions were an appeal and
command to convict me。 This Judge Gillette has a reputation for being
a respected citizen; but his zeal to save from disgrace his republican
colleagues led him to thus persecute a loyal woman Home Defender of
Kansas; and protect the rum defenders; and republican schemers; who
have done more to injure prohibition in Kansas than any other party。
If a democrat wanted to carry on a dive; republicans would grant him
the permit to do so。
The jury brought in a verdict of guilty; but the damages to the character
of this republican county attorney was one dollar; and of course
I sent him the dollar; but the cost which was; including all; about two
hundred dollars was assessed to me and a judgement put on a piece of
property; which I paid off; by the sale of my little hatchets; and lectures。
Strange these trials never caused me to become discouraged;
rather the reverse。 I knew I was right; and God in his own time would
come to my help。 The more injustice I suffered; the more cause I had
to resent the wrongs。 I always felt that I was keeping others out of
trouble; when I was in。 I had resolved that at the first opportunity I
would go to Wichita and break up some of the bold outlawed murder
mills there。 I thought perhaps it was God's will to make me a sacrifice
as he did John Brown; and I knew this was a defiance of the national
intrigue of both republican and democratic parties; when I destroyed this
malicious property; which afforded them a means of enslaving the people;
taxing them to gather a revenue they could squander; and giving them
political jobs; thus creating a force to manage the interest and take care
of the results of a business where the advantage was in the graft it gave
to them and the brewers and distillers。
In two weeks from the close of this trial; on the 27th of December;
1900; I went to Wichita; almost seven months after the raid in Kiowa。
Mr。 Nation went to see his brother; Mr。 Seth Nation; in eastern Kansas
and I was free to leave home。 Monday was the 26th; the day I started。
The Sunday before; the 25th; I went to the Baptist Sunday school then to
the Presbyterian for preaching; and at the close walked over to the Methodist
church for class meeting。 I could not keep from weeping; but I
controlled myself the best I could。 I did not know but that it would
be the last time I would ever see my dear friends again; and could not
tell them why。 I gave my testimony at the class meeting; spoke particularly
to members of the choir about their extravagant dress; told them
that a poor sinner coming there for relief would be driven away; to see
such a vanity fair in front。 I begged them to dress neither in gold; silver
or costly array; and spoke of the sin of wearing the corpses of dead birds
and plumage of birds; and closed by saying: 〃These may be my dying
words。〃 At the close Sister Shell; a W。 C。 T。 U。 said to me: 〃What
do you mean by 'my dying words?' for you never looked better in your
life。〃 I said: 〃You will know later。〃 I never told anyone then of my
intention of smashing saloons in Wichita。
I took a valise with me; and in that valise I put a rod of iron; perhaps
a foot long; and as large around as my thumb。 I also took a cane
with me。 I found out by smashing in Kiowa that I could use a rock but
once; so I took the cane with me。 I got down to Wichita about seven
o'clock in the evening; that day; and went to the hotel near the Santa Fe
depot and left my valise。 I went up town to select the place I would begin
at first。 I went into about f