Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 260, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1915 — LOUIS WHICKER AND JOE THOMAS MIX [ARTICLE]

LOUIS WHICKER AND JOE THOMAS MIX

Quarrel and Fight While ettling Accounts and Thomas Is Very Badly Beaten Up. % Joe Thomas, of near Surrey, was badly beaten up shortly before the noon hour today, Tuesday, by Louis Whicker, of near Mt. Ayr. The men had worked together in the com shredding business and had met in town to settle their accounts. They went to the Little Indian Cigar Store and some disputes about the accounts led to a lively discussion which later settled down to a fair prospect of settlement without trouble, but suddenly there was some loud talking and Thomas was heard to call Whicker a vicious name and then the coats of both men were thrown off and before they could be parted Whicker, who is a powerful man and somewhat younger than his also large adversary, had given Thomas a very severe beating, so severe, in fact, that fye was taken to a doctor and then to his home in the country. Thomas had made several ineffectual efforts to hit Whicker with pool balls, but his aim wAs bad and as the pool balls rained about the poolroom and the occupants were dodging Whicker was planting lefthanded uppercuts on Thomas’ face. After the affray Whicker went to the office of Prosecuting Attorney Sands and talked with him and swore out a warrant for the afirest of Mrs. j Joe Shindeler, of near Surrey, a relative of Thomas, whom he charged with provocation. , Shortly before Mr. Whicker had ! made the affidavit for the arrest of Mrs. Shindeler another affidavit had been filed for the arrest of Ed McFad- ; den, also of near Surrey. The prosecuting witness in the case was Charles C. Parks, who drives the school hack in that neighborhood. McFadden, who is a streetcar motorman in Chicago, has his family living in Newton township and some of the children ride in the hack Mr. Parks drives. He says that he v has had trouble with one of them especially and that the father and mother of the child, an 11-year-old girl, had told him to punish her, which he had found it necessary to do. The driver of a school hack is given the disciplinary authority of a teacher and Parks says that the little girl has been incorrigible and that one day recently he slapped her. He says that he did not strike her in the face, although he expected to do so, but she dodged and he hit her on the shoulder. This caused her father to want to fight and he proceeded to the school hack and invited Charley to come down off his seat and scrap, but Charley was seated so comfortably that he deicded not to get down and when McFadden said in tones known only to a descendant of the Emerald Isle, “It’s a damned coward ye are”, Charley simply said “giddap” to the horses and drove into town and swore out a warrant for McFadden’s arrest. Constable Childers went out after Mrs. Shindeler anjl McFadden at the same time and when they arrive Squire Woodhull I. Spitler’s court will be a very busy one for some time.