Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1898 — WORK OF KANSAS MOB [ARTICLE]

WORK OF KANSAS MOB

qKURDERER SLAIN AT GREAT bend. Kansas i olin Becker. Who Killed a Sixteen* Girl, Taken from Oflicera •nd Hinged-Revolution in Vetie- | traela at an End. Mob Law in Kansas. pin the public square, fronting on the j trincipal business street of Great Bend, Can., a murderer was lynched at 8 o'clock bn a recent evening by a mob of probably 300 persons. It is estimated that at least .£,OOO of Great Bend’s population of 2,500 Joersons witnessed the tragedy. The vie* Aim was John Becker, aged about 50, who >1 »n April 8 killed Myrtle Huffmeister, the 16-year-old daughter of William Huffmeister. a farmer living midway between fcreat Bend and Ellinwood. Becker was by the farmer and professed ™love for the daughter, and the tragedy followed the girl’s refusal to accept his Advances. When the girl came to the stable in the evening Becker shot her to death, sending eight bullets into her body, .after which he set fire to the farmer’s sta- ' tiles. At first it was reported that the murderer had shot himself and that he had died in the flames, but later it became Itnown that he had fled, and search was Instituted. On April 13 a posse of farmers captured the murderer near St. John, ),Stafford County, and for safe keeping he Was taken by the sheriff to Hutchinson, i there having been inany threats that he Would be lynched. On the day of the lynching Becker was taken to Great from Hutchinson to be put on his

preliminary examination. Shortly before In the evening the mob wan swarming Unround the jail. Evidently believing he 'could outwit the lynchers, the sheriff rushed Becker from the jail to his buggy, (jwhich was in the street, but he had no .■Conor done so than he and his men and *the prisoner were surrounded. The mob - through sheer force of numbers prevailed. A fo]>e was drawn around Becker’s neck, ,and after he had been beaten almost to insensibility the rope was thrown over a limb of a big tree and he was drawn up. Race for the Pennant. Following is the standing of the clubs »in the National Baseball League: W. L. W. L. t Cleveland .. .30 17 Philadelphia. 19 24 ,< Boston 30 17 Brooklyn ....17 20 Baltimore .. .25 17 Washington. 18 29 i Chicago 25 22 St. Louis 10 30 j New York.. .24 22 Louisville ...15 34 Following is the standing of the clubs Jn the Western League: W. L. .. W. L Indianapolis. 31 12 Milwaukee . .20 21 Columbus ...20 10 Detroit 17 30 ifit. Paul 28 20 Minneapolis. 15 30 ■ Kansas City. 26 19 Omaha 11 30

Chinese Territory for England, r It is reported from Shanghai that the Chinese Government has signed an agreement ceding to England a strip of the mainland opposite Hong Kong, negotiations for which have been in progress for some time. As the new boundary includes Kowloon and Mirs Bay, it may be necessary for American dispatch boats to find a new base in Chinese waters, in order not to offend against the English neutrality laws. Venezuelan Revolution Ends. Information has reached the State Department at Washington that the revolution which has prevailed in Venezuela for the last six months has been ended by the defeat and capture of Hernandez, its leader. The people celebrated the termination of the revolution by public demonstrations. As a result President Andrade remains more firmly than ever seated in the executive office in Caracas.