CHAPTER XII
THE STORY OF KANSAS CITY
The Gate City of the Great West in the War—If K. C. Ever was Wild and Woolly, That was Long Ago—Let Us Have Peace, if We Have to Get It With a Gun—All Quiet Along the Missouri.
Kansas City claims and has claimed for a long time the title of Gate City to the Great West. This is hers by legitimate right and has been ever since wheel-power first went west of the Missouri River. Independence, Missouri, which we may call the mother of the modern Kansas City, was for years, early in the last century, the jumping-off place for all the great western transcontinental trails. That way lay Oregon, on the upper fork. The left fork of the main traveled road led to Santa Fé. The men bound for the Arkansas Valley passed by here, and the old fur hunters said good-bye to civilization at this point even before the wagon had replaced the pack saddle on the Santa Fé trail. Here began the wagon-road that later was railroad, and all the time, from the wildest to the tamest days, whether in staid 1842, or in wild 1882, Kansas City was the Gate of the West, letting in and passing out a wild and tempestuous life in the days of the Homeric West.
Time was when Kansas City was bad, and had her man for breakfast with the best of them. But always the worst was farther West, and Kansas City sat tight. She did not care for the movies of the future, but quickly went in for law, order and business. So she has grown up, by very virtue of her geography, her situation, and her history, into an immense commercial center, solid, law-abiding and prosperous.
There was no reason to expect any great outbreaks of violence in Kansas City at this date of her history, nor do we find any; but the A. P. L. was there as it has been in every other great city of the Union throughout the war. That it was active may be seen by a glance at the totals. In D. J. work, forty-five cases of alien enemy activities, 1,237 cases of disloyalty and sedition, and eight cases of propaganda cover the list. The War Department offered more work, the selective draft alone involving under its several heads 3,182 cases. There were 410 investigations connected with character and loyalty; 227 cases of investigation of civilian applicants for overseas service. Raids to obtain evidence for illegal sale of liquor to soldiers brought visits to fifty-three doubtful saloons, and twenty-five convictions of violators. Kansas City is dry, so far as the Army is concerned, as may be witnessed by an editorial of September 17, 1918, in the Kansas City Star—which also shows why it is dry:
The sale of liquor to soldiers has been going on in Kansas City for months. Officers at Leavenworth and Funston have complained of it. The consequences have been apparent to everybody. Yet the police—Governor Gardner’s police—did nothing. It took a voluntary organization to get the evidence and force the arrests. The law-breakers whom the police—Governor Gardner’s police—could not find, were run down by the volunteers of the American Protective League. They discovered the most open and flagrant violation of the law. It was no trick for amateurs to get evidence and find the people who deserved arrest.
A tough North-end colored saloon was visited by A. P. L. operatives late one Saturday evening. A large crowd was encountered. Most of them had been drinking heavily and were in rather a noisy condition. The A. P. L. men first encountered a large colored fellow. He explained that he was past the age, but that he had served in the 21st Kansas (colored) in the Spanish War, and produced his papers to prove his assertion. A colored fellow was encountered who refused to show his card. He said he had one, but stated he would not go to headquarters and that it would take a fight to get him there. Whereupon this ex-colored soldier stepped up and informed him that if there was to be any threshing done, he asked the first opportunity, and that no. 2 would show his card or he would take it off him. He was supported by two or three other colored men, with the result that every man in the crowd brought out his card. This story is given to illustrate one fact—no matter how tough and disorderly the crowd, eighty-five percent at least still had manhood enough left to be loyal.
In another saloon a big fellow was leaning on the bar. He was notified that operatives outside were looking at the cards, and he said: “I have my little old card right here,” slapping his breast, “but the man who sees it will first have to walk over my dead body.” Operative B——, who had entered the saloon a few minutes before, was leaning on the bar facing the fellow and when he finished his tirade, he said quietly and very low: “Let me see your card, please; I am from the American Protective League”—and he showed his star. Instantly the fellow replied: “Oh, certainly, here it is”—accompanied by a roar of laughter from everybody in the saloon.
A man was reported by neighbors as having taken down a flag that was put on his house. It was said that he read the reports of German victories in the early part of the war on the front porch to the neighbors and gloated over them. He also said he knew how far to go, what to say and when to quit. A. P. L. operatives had a quiet interview with this party. He was well educated, held a good position, and was desirous of arguing the question. At that moment he was reinforced by his wife, who immediately ordered the operatives out of the house, with the statement that no one could accuse her husband of being disloyal. She was very determined and unusually long of wind. His change was immediate. He took his wife to a back room. Evidently he runs the house, for she did not reappear. He assured us he had made a mistake, and, in fact, termed himself a plain d——d fool. He promised to be loyal and said that he invited checking up.
It was the experience of the Eastern District of Kansas City that about twenty percent were American-born citizens of German descent, or naturalized Germans who looked upon the war as simply a question of taking sides, instead of a question of loyalty. A. P. L. pointed out to these the need of being loyal, what they owed this country, why they should be subservient to the law—and what was going to happen to them if they were not. This twenty percent either was made into good citizens or it remained a class of people who said nothing and did no harm. The five percent of bad stuff represented the actual Germans who were interested in the success of the Germans, and the slackers, deserters and men who had violated the law and had to be apprehended.
A typical Kansas City case was commented on in the “Spy Glass,” the national A. P. L. paper:
Fred W. S—— was born on March 29, 1888, entered military service in Crefeld, Germany, October 15, 1909, in the 53rd Infantry Regiment of the 5th Westphalian Division, Co. 6, and received his discharge on September 25, 1911. His military book in addition to giving his record as first-class marksman, shows that he was recommended for corporal. In April, 1913, he secured a furlough to North America, but was subject to call in March, 1915. Claims he came to this country to visit his brother. Interviewed, S—— was frank. He stated that he made it a rule never to talk, but that prior to the United States entering the war, he had let some remarks slip to his fellow workmen, which he had regretted, as these remarks had caused him a great deal of trouble since then. He showed us his registration card. He stated that he had applied for his first papers and that he was ready and willing to take out his last papers the moment he was permitted, and that he wanted to become an American citizen. He had four brothers in the German Army, and has not heard from them for three years. This was given as an explanation for his mistake in making a few remarks at the beginning of the war. He asserted that he would live up faithfully to every rule, would attend strictly to his business and would report whenever desired. He declared that he had bought First, Second and Third Liberty Loan Bonds. He also stated that he had given to the Red Cross. Conclusion: He has violated no law and do not believe he intends to violate any. Kept under observation.
Here is another story which illustrates that curious psychological bluntness and one-sidedness of the German intellect. The widow of Fred E——, deceased, who had a drug store, was asked for a subscription to the hospital fund. She said: “I won’t give any money to the Research Hospital, but maybe, if you take the old name back, I will give to the German Hospital, but not to the Research Hospital.”
The manner in which she said this and the spirit demonstrated by her attitude showed that she was thoroughly pro-German. Operative No. 60 called on the party, and says in his report:
We charged her with disloyal talking. She stated that she had done no disloyal talking, and in fact had taken good care not to talk against the Government in any way; furthermore, that she had a son in France and if she was against the Government she certainly would not have allowed him to go. We then asked her about her statements regarding the Research Hospital. She stated she had spoken to her lawyer about it and he had told her it was not so necessary to change the name of the Hospital as it would be to change the name of a business. She thought the name should remain “German” because the Germans had in the beginning founded the Hospital. We stated that there were no Germans over here to found it. “Well,” she said, “I mean German-Americans.” We then stated there were no German-Americans here, either, but all Americans. She began crying and said that no one could understand her position, that she had sisters in Germany and nephews fighting in that Army, while her own son was in the American Army fighting against them. She stated that the dirty stories about the German army were all lies. We told her that it was our duty to demand that she should not do any talking. We were convinced that she is very pro-German and that the only way to prevent her from talking would be to put her where there are no other people except Germans.
This is a very fair statement of one of the greatest problems of America to-day. What shall be done with the hyphen? It must go, else this war will be fought again.
While the war was yet young, a tip was received from the draft board that a certain young man had failed to appear when called. Investigation showed that he had deserted his wife, leaving her in a destitute condition. He had three sisters in the city, consequently A. P. L. assumed he would at some time communicate with one of them. By certain means, operatives established a watch on the mail as it was delivered, locating him at different times in Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona and other western points. One day a telephone call was received stating that one of the sisters had been heard to converse with him over the ’phone; that he had arrived in town at 2:30, and at 4:00 would be at a certain place to visit a sister. A. P. L. men arrived at that place. In a few minutes a man of the draft-evader’s description, wearing a cowboy hat and typical cowboy attire, came swaggering up the steps. When taken, he put up a somewhat original and unique story:
You see, I am hard of hearing and have a bad heart. I am not at all yellow. I am ready to fight at any time, and have always been ready, but it occurred to me that as I could not fight on account of my hearing and bad heart, I ought not put the officials to the trouble of examining me. You see, it would take a lot of time to examine me, so I thought the best plan was just to save them that trouble, and as I was going west anyway, etc.
Operatives then locked the cowboy up for the night, and the next morning took him before the Department of Justice. He was very repentant, and while adhering to the same story, was anxious that something should be done to keep him out of the Army. This matter was explained quietly to the Department man who met him, and upon being advised by the cowboy that he was hard of hearing, had a bad heart, etc., the latter said: “I feel awfully sorry for you, but you see, you are delinquent. You have laid yourself liable to the law and a penitentiary offense. Now, we usually are considerate and give a man a chance of going to war, but you tell me you are hard of hearing and have a bad heart, and of course, under those circumstances, we cannot send you to the Army. That is too bad, and I suppose the decision of the court will be that it is the penitentiary for you.”
A very pale, excited listener immediately said: “Mister, now I think you misunderstand me. A man who goes through what I went through yesterday, being arrested and being locked up with a lot of bedbugs all night, has a fairly good heart. In fact, I believe I have entirely recovered my hearing, and am all over the heart trouble. If you will only let me go to the Army, I will waive all examination.” He went.
In one day A. P. L. received three different complaints that a spy was working in the north-eastern part of the city. He was supposed to be German through and through, though he had never said anything pro-German. He was generally considered to be a wise fellow who worked and did not talk. Every Saturday night he met a bunch of spies in his basement, one tall and one short, both dangerous looking. They always carried a secret basket of mysterious contents. Neighbors were very much aroused. Insisted that the Department do something, quick. A. P. L. placed operatives on a Saturday night, the night on which these mysterious meetings all occurred, and watched the long and short men come with their deadly baskets. Shortly after, a light appeared in the basement. Curtains were at the windows and the windows were up, so the operatives crawled up closely and quietly and listened to the conversation, which was about as follows, in mixed German: “I played the ace.” “No, you didn’t, you led with a king!” “You don’t know anything about playing pinochle.” And so forth. S’nuf, Mawruss. The mysterious basket contained beer bottles!