Blames Billy Sunday for His Notoriety

BLAMES BILLY SUNDAY FOR HIS NOTORIETY E. M. Wentworth of State Center Declares That Episode at Mason City During Buttermakers' Session Was Overdrawn. E. XI. Wentworth of Stale Center was in Des Moines yesterday, his first v:sit here since the recent convention of the butter makers at Mason City, and he was asked as to the sensational stories published from that town relative to an assault on a bell boy at a hotel by some of the commission men. He said that they were not true and they were given prominence because Evangelist Billy Sunday used the incident out of which they were exaggerated as the text for a sensational series of talks. I "I have never seen so much smoke from so little flame or so much misrepresentation of any affair in my life," said Mr. Wentworth yesterday, at the office of the state, dairy commissioner, who got through the butter makers' convention the rcsolutioin condemning the men said to have been responsible for the incident. "Tho facts of the case which 1 have ascertained from careful personal investigation show that about twelve or fifteen men, a part of whom wen; residents of Mason City, had gone down onto I ho office floor of the hotel preparatory to the residents going home. They started to sing 'Good Night,' when the night clerk ordered tho lights out and the men to go out also. "This brought about a wordy argument during which a porter called W. S. Reynolds a vile name which resulted In Reynolds slapping his face. Then the porter grabbed a stool, raised it in the air and starting for Reynolds said In substance: Vou , I'll beat your brains out.' "Reynolds then defended himself and after considerable dodging around the otliee, the porter made his escape, and the other porter got Into the game. He attacked Reynolds, who defended himself, knocking the porter down and out. No bell boy ever was in the affair. "There was no one near the porter hut the younger Reynolds, and the night clerk, no one jumped on the porter, kicked him, or struck him after he was down, as has been stated. There were but two marks upon his person, one high up on the cheek and the other a cut on the lip. "There was no furniture broken, no doors smashed, no women Insulted, and but one transom broken, that In Room 61, an hour or two before the trouble in the office. "In my candid opinion, there never would have been any sensational stories circulated about the matter had it not been for Evangelist Billy Sunday, who seized the opportunity and rolled it as a choice morsel under his tongue In connection with the revival services he has been holding at Mason City. At no time has tho porter been dangerously 111. "At the hearing on Saturday, the state's witnesses all testified that the elder Reyholds waB not implicated whatevor in the affair. He has been completely exonerated. "The state's witnesses also testified that the younger Reynalds acted on the defensive. The hearing; went over till Friday, when Reynolds will call his witnesses and the case will probably be dismissed and Reynolds discharged fully exonerated."