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Thus the
shouldering volcano has burst forth in all its fury, and has stricken
terror to the hearts of the inhabitants that so closely surround it and
causes one to reflect as to whether or not it will be followed up by a St.
John cyclone and sweep away in its train the dispenser of ardent spirits,
and thus give us another evidence of the moral and temperance element of
our citizens and show that the righteous must and shall prevail in the
city of Dodge."
May 3, 1883 - Dodge City Times
"The city has been under an intense commotion for several days, growing out of the ordinance in relation
to the "Suppression of gambling and prostitution." On Saturday night an
additional police force was put on, and the work of enforcement was
commenced. Three prostitutes pretendedly employed in Harris &
Short's
saloon,
as "singers," but employed evidently to evade the ordinance in relation to
prostitution, were arrested and put in the lockup. This action engendered
bitter feeling, and City Clerk Hartman who was on the police force, was
afterward met by
Luke Short, and his assassination attempted.
Short fired two shots at Hartman, the latter replying with one shot, none
of the shots taking effect.
Short was arrested and placed under $2,000
bonds. Mayor Deger, learning that a conspiracy had been formed, which had
for its object the armed resistance to the enforcement of the law and
consequent murder of some of our best citizens, organized a police force
on Sunday, and on Monday the plan was carried out.
Luke Short was the
first one arrested and placed in the calaboose. Subsequently, five others
were arrested, as follows: W. H. Bennett, a former
New Mexico desperado.
Dr. Niel, a gambler, Johnson Gallagher, a gambler, and L. A. Hyatt, a
gambler. These men, Hyatt, being retained a couple of days, were given the
"choice of trains," and on Tuesday, under orders of Mayor Deger, were sent
out of town.
Short, Lane and Gallagher went east, Bennett went west, and Niel went south.
As a
precaution, about one hundred and fifty citizens were on watch Monday
night, and a large police force is still held on duty night and day. Mayor
Deger, the police force and the citizens of
Dodge City are determined that
the lawless element shall not thrive in this city. No halfway measures
will be used in the suppression of either lawlessness or riot. Mayor Deger
is a resolute, fearless and obstinate officer. All good and law abiding
citizens are standing by him in this trying emergency.
It must be
understood that no foolishness will be allowed in the conduct of city
affairs. Let the people employ their pursuits peacefully. And evildoers
must stand the consequences of their lawless conduct."
May 5, 1883 - Letter to Luke Short
from Otto Muller
"The situation here in town is unchanged except so far as relates to public
opinion, which is gradually but steadily changing in your favor. All your
friends are at work with a determination which is bound to win in the end.
Of course every movement must be made with the greatest care and caution,
and as many are too timid to express themselves, it will naturally require
time, before the organization that style themselves "the
Vigilanters" will
be convinced that they must give way to public opinion. And a beautiful
lot of reformers they are, these
vigilanters,
under the leadership of their captain,
Tom Nixon of Dance Hall fame. But no matter how slow, you
may rest assured that this time will surely come. As the heat of passion
subsides and men begin to look over the past more calmly, they can not
help to see that a great wrong has been committed and many are frank
enough to admit that fact. Men of good standing in this community, against
whom nothing can be said, but who take little interest in the management
of public affairs, feel that they are not safe in the enjoyment of their
life and property in a place where such outrages may be committed without
the interference of the authorities, and feel more alarmed when they begin
to realize the fact that the outrages here were committed not only without
interference, but under the guidance of the municipal government, whose
duty it should be to protect even those charged with the commission of a
crime against violence."
May 9, 1883 - Kansas City Evening Star
"Just before the last city election the mayor was a man named Webster, the
proprietor of a dive, half
saloon and the other half gambling house and
variety hall. He was a representative of the tougher element of the
sporting fraternity. The head of the other faction was W. H. Harris, of
Harris & Short, proprietors of the
Long Branch Saloon. Harris represented
the quieter and more reputable element and there was bitter feeling
between the two.
At the last
election Harris was beaten in the race for mayor by one Deger, Webster's
candidate, and since then it has been conceded that it was only a matter
of time when all of Harris's sympathizers would be driven out of the town.
Thus Dodge
has been hovering on the brink of trouble for a long time. About ten days
ago it came.
Mr. Short, who is Harris's partner, and a
police officer, had a shooting affray. Neither were hurt, and the evidence
showed that
Short was Bred on first. He was nevertheless placed under
bonds, and next day thrown into jail. The marshal of Dodge, who made the
arrest, is Jack Bridges, a well known character, who formerly lived here
and traveled principally upon having "killed his man."
A short time
later five gamblers were arrested, and also jailed. That night a vigilance
committee was formed with
Tom Nixon, the proprietor of one of the hardest
dance halls that ever existed in the west, at the head. This crowd
repaired to the jail and notified the prisoners that they must leave town
next morning and that they would be given their choice of trains going
east or west. Meantime the
vigilantes took possession of the town.
The
correspondent of the Chicago Times and other leading papers were notified
that they must not be permitted to send any telegrams in reference to the
situation and a body of armed men watched the arrival of each train to see
that there was no interference. A lawyer from Lamed, sent for by one of
the prisoners was met by a
vigilante who leveled a shotgun at his head and
told him not to stop. He passed on. Next morning the five gamblers were
put on a westward bound train and
Short left for Kansas City where he is
at present.
The trouble
has by no means yet abated. The place is practically in the hands of the
"vigilantes" and the situation is more serious from the fact that the
mayor is acting with them and it was he who notified the prisoners that
they must go. The trains are still watched and armed men guard the town,
while a list of others who will be ordered out has been prepared. Every
source of reliable information indicates that
Dodge is now in the hands of
desperadoes, and that incident to the ejection of
Short and the others,
the lives and property of citizens are by no means safe. For this reason
martial law is being asked. That there will be trouble of a very serious
character there, is anticipated."
May 12, 1883 - Letter from
Governor George Washington Glick
to George Hinkle, Ford County Sheriff
"Your telegram to me of the 11th is at hand. I am glad to be assured by you that you are able to
preserve the peace of
Dodge City, and of your county. The accounts of the
way things have been going on there are simply monstrous, and it requires
that the disgrace that is being brought upon
Dodge City, and the State of
Kansas, by the conduct that is represented to have occurred there, should
be wiped out. Your dispatch to me presents an extraordinary state of
affairs, one that is outrageous upon its face. You tell me that the mayor
has compelled several parties to leave the town for refusing to comply
with the ordinances. Such a statement as that if true, simply shows that
the mayor is unfit for his place, that he does not do his duty, and
instead of occupying the position of peace maker, the man whose duty it is
to see that the ordinances are enforced by legal process in the courts,
starts out to head a mob to drive people away from their homes and their
business.
It was the
mayor's duty, if he did anything, to have appointed and sworn in special
policemen to protect citizens, and if he could not do it, to have called
upon you, or have called upon me, for assistance to aid him in executing
his duties as mayor, and in preserving the peace of his town. It is
represented to me by affidavits, and by statements, that the best men in Dodge City have been threatened with assassination, and with being driven
away from their homes, if they raised their voices against the conduct of
this mob. Now if this is true, it is your duty to call to your assistance
a respectable number of people, sufficient to enforce the law, and protect
every man in Dodge City, without any reference to who he is, or what his
business is, and if he is charged with crime, or the violation of law, to
see that he has a fair trial before a proper tribunal, and that the
sentence of the law is executed by you or by the authorities, according to
the command of the court.
It is also
represented to me that this mob is in the habit of going to the trains
armed, searching for people that may be coming to their homes, and for the
alleged purpose of driving any persons away, or threatening their lives,
who may seek to return to their homes, and to their business. The further
statement is also made to me that instead of its being disreputable
characters that were driven away for the purpose of peace, it is simply a
difficulty between
saloon men and dance houses, and that the mayor of the
town with his marshal has taken sides with one party against the other, to
drive them out of business, and instead of the mayor enforcing the
ordinances against lewd women visiting
saloons,
it is reported to me that he has called to his assistance those who were
running dance houses with women in them, and entered
saloons
to drive out men who were keeping other
saloons,
and that he has set himself up as the judge as to who may violate the
ordinances and who shall not, and that he proposes to permit certain
parties to violate the ordinances of the city, while others are driven
from their homes for violating ordinances, and not prosecuting others
according to law for the violation of the ordinances.
I hope this is
all untrue, and that the mayor has not been guilty of any such offenses. I
cannot believe these statements of the mayor of
Dodge City, as I believe
him to be a clear-headed, honorable gentleman, and would not become a
party to such transactions, or permit any such things to be done. I hope
to learn from you that he has been wrongfully represented to me. His own
good name, and the good name of the state, that is placed in his hands for
protection, certainly would be sufficient inducement to him to see that
such charges could not be truthfully made.
It is
represented to me also that at this very time, and ever since this
pretence of the mayor that he was trying to enforce two ordinances against
women visiting
saloons, that he has prohibited it only as to one
saloon,
made arrests in one case, and permitted that ordinance to be violated
every day and every night, to his own personal knowledge, and that of the
marshal and police officers of the city, by other men who were running
saloons where women are permitted to visit, and sing and dance.
Now Mr.
Sheriff, I desire to remind you that your duty as a public conservator of
the peace, and also having authority over and above the mayor of Dodge City, if he fails to discharge his duties, that it is your duty to see
that these things are not permitted and are not tolerated, and that no
citizens shall be interfered with, that no citizen shall be driven away
from his home, that the mayor of
Dodge City shall not pick out men and say
that the ordinances shall be enforced against them, and shall not be
enforced against others."
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