Here’s a newspaper article from the McPherson Daily Republican about the tar-and-feather mobs Cooprider mentions:
Use Tar and Feathers
Drastic Measures Taken with Men Accused of Disloyal Utterances.
D.A. Diener of Spring Valley and George Cooprider of Groveland Township the Men Treated.
For some time past there has been a current of much dissatisfaction in this county among the loyal citizens concerning the disloyal utterances and actions of a few of their neighbors. Last night the current gained force, and a party said to have numbered about forty citizens from all sections of the county gathered, and used strenuous methods to force some of these disloyalists to fall into line. It is understood that a good portion of these vigilantes were residents of the same community as the men visited.
The home of Walter Cooprider of near Groveland was first visited. Cooprider was first given the opportunity of reputing the utterances he had made, and also as proof of his conversion to buy a liberal amount of Liberty Bonds. He was stubborn and refused, stating that he would not buy bonds until the Government forced him to. He was then told that he was to be punished. His son Charles, 22 years of age who was present at the time pleaded with the men, and offered himself as a sacrifice in his father’s place. He was taken at his word, and a liberal dose of tar and feathers was administered.
The mob then travelled to the home of D.A. Diener of Spring Valley. His whiskers were badly slashed and he was stripped and treated to the same medicine that Cooprider got. The question was then asked as to who had removed the flag that had been placed on Diener’s church by the loyal residents of that section, and Diener’s son said that he had taken it down. No time was lost in applying the same treatment to him. All of the men treated by this “committee” are members of the Old Mennonite church.
It is understood that the vigilantes were orderly [!], and gave the men opportunity to change their beliefs before they were tarred.
