Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 150, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1918 — WHITE CAPS AT BURROWS CAMP [ARTICLE]

WHITE CAPS AT BURROWS CAMP

TRY TO BURN THE BUILDINGS BY THROWING LIGHTED WASTE IN GARAGE. ■■ An unsuccessful attempt was made a few days ago to burn Burrows Gamp at the Kankakee river near Tefft. AT large touring car containing five men drove up to the camp and stopped near the garage, where they lighted some greasy waste and threw it into the garage, then drove rapidly away. Fortunately the hired girl noticed the act and gave the alarm. The flames had gained considerable headway, but by hard work the fire was put*out before it did much damage. A day or two latter, John Smith, the proprietor of the resort, got a letter, signed “White Caps,” saying, “We failed this time, but the next time we will get you.” This camp has gained considerable notoriety since Mr. Burrows sold it a few years ago to Charles Smith, of Hammond. Smith run a tough place and sold liquor openly every day in the year and made no pretense of observing the law, and kept a negro ex-prize fighter at she place to act as and slug anyone who showed fight Smith finally had to go to war and turned the place over to his father, John Smith. There was no improvement in the manner of running the place and it is claimed that when the state went dry, the selling of liquor continued as openly as it did before the dry statute went into effect. It was claimed the liquor was brought there by truck from Illinois. Smith evidently did not find the business as satisfactory as he hoped, and recently he began dismatling some of the buildings and hauling them to Hammond, but was stopped by an injunction got out by Mr. Burrows, who holds a mortgage for $4,000 against the place, and was 'barred from foreclosure proceedings by the government ruling that no “snap” judgment can be taken against soldiers in the service. Smith has evidently become alarmed over the attempt to burn the property and the implied threat against his life and it is reported that he has ceased the sale of intoxicating liquors and is now confining himself to the sale of soft drinks and nearbeer. His family was down to visit him from Hammond the other day, but the women were quartered on this side of the river during their stay there, as they evidently preferred to take no chances. There was a large crowd at the place the Fourth and the “soft” drink bar seemed to be doing a large business. The buildings at the resort consist of a large residence, store room, dance hall, rooming house and numerous small buildings.