An Effigy, a Threat, and a Spokane Man Who Disappeared
When Charles F. Gloystein vanished, someone hung his effigy and nailed threatening placards near his home. Spokane's Republican Union blamed the Freeman's Silver Protective Federation—and demanded the criminals be caught.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
At a meeting of the Republican Union of Spokane, the following was adopted:
"Whereas, A portion of the press of this city treats the disappearance of Charles F. Gloystein in a flippant manner; and
"Whereas, The exhibition of an effigy, intended to represent Gloystein, and the nailing up of boards containing foul language and vile pictures near his home, referring to said Gloystein in a threatening manner, apparently intending to intimidate him, appear to have been done by members of the Freeman's Silver Protective Federation; therefore, be it
"Resolved, That we, the members of the Republican Union of Spokane, denounce all such acts of ku-kluxism and all papers upholding such actions as un-American and as a disgrace and menace to the rights of the civilized people of this community.
"Resolved, That we thank the governor and county commissioners for having offered a reward for the capture of the criminals."
The Populist press isn't saying much in encouragement of the attempt to hunt down and punish the murderers of the innocent Charley Gloystein. Populist editors are supposed to belong to the inner circle of Populism, where a greater knowledge of the real aims and purposes of the party is disseminated than is allowed to gain currency with the rank and file of its adherents. The editor of the Tacoma Sun practically admits this to be so.
“The exhibition of an effigy, intended to represent Gloystein, and the nailing up of boards containing foul language and vile pictures near his home, referring to said Gloystein in a threatening manner...”
Political violence and intimidation by effigy were not frontier curiosities; they were part of Washington's partisan warfare in the 1890s. The story also shows how quickly a disappearance can be recruited into a factional narrative—something familiar in today's debates over political violence and media framing.
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