Show SYKES AND THE another blow has been struck k at time honored traditions regulators have been regulated T white caps have been trea treated ted to a dose dole of their own medicine and the intended victim is the only one who escaped injury the peru neighborhood t of county florida is filled with conster consternation natio n powder smoke broken threats and dead or dying t inhabitants A citizen by the thenamae name of sykes we hope he is no relation of bill had a way about him that his neighbors like so they undertook to reform him first they organized and elected officers then they drew up a constitution and bylaws by laws to the effect that sykes was not dot congenial and that the space he be occupied was more desirable than his presence they even went further and declared that sykes had to leave the neighborhood 0 voluntarily within ter ten 1 days from the date of notice exclusive of the day of service eer vice or as leadin leading man in a funeral excursion A copy of the resolution was ordered spread upon the minutes and also aleo upon the front door of the sykes cabin sykes evidently liked his neighbors better than they liked him bim for ir he was loth to leave them in fact he be made elaborate preparations for remaining ri right ht where he was the ten days expired but not sykes chenever he never felt better in his life A smile of contentment spread across his features the future seemed full of promise one dayo day of fgrace grace went by and found sykes Syke alive with a good appetite and a strong breath he wound the clock as ersual usual toasted his feet and went to bed A little past midnight he was roused from his hie slumbers slumbers by the crashing in of his front door grabbing a winchester Winch erter lie he began to treat his callers to the best he had bad four shots killed four men the others declined to be interviewed and hurried out to see if their horses were getting seared scared sykes followed and every time he be pumped his winchester se some me one answered answer pd the roll call the visitors retired to their respective homes without bidding their host goodni goodnight but sykes mind lie he refilled f the rifle magazine propped up the door and went back to bed next morning sykes went to the county seat eat and swore out a warrant against every man in the neighborhood the officers took it and after spending a day in the I 1 peru district returned the information that there an able bodied male citizen to be found that those who were not dead or byng were sorely and severely wounded that every house but the sykes house was a hospital and that nobody was physically able to go to jail or make an escape thus ended a whitecap white cap raid in the wilds of florida sykes may not be a good man or an agreeable neighbor but as may be seen white capping is not the proper way to deal with him if he had committed a crime or a nuisance the law should have been invoked but however disagreeable he had his rights and no one except by due process of law had the right to question them sykes says that he has made up his mind to stay where he is if he has to kill every man in the community in order to make it possible |