He called himself ‘law and order,’ then wrecked pool halls from Lebanon to Madison
Back in the 1890s, vigilantes often took the law in their own hands. William R. Tipton of Lebanon is a prime example. He detested gambling and liquor and made it his mission to oppose both. I first ran across his name while researching something else for the St. Clair County Historical Society, where I volunteer. In October of 1892 he helped Lebanon Constable G.W. Creed as a special officer. They thwarted four men who were planning to rob Lebanon businesses. He was still active in June of 1897 as a defender of liquor laws. “Mr. Wm R. Tipton, a prominent citizen of Lebanon, has notified the saloon keepers of that city that they must close their saloons on Sundays or stand the consequences,” read a notice in the Semi-Weekly Advocate of Belleville. No word on whether saloon keepers heeded the law or if there were consequences. Tipton was already renowned for butting into other peoples’ business when he was indicted in February of 1898 for assault with a buggy with intent to kill against the city attorney of Lebanon, W.J. Clucas,. The incident somehow started with an arrest for adultery that didn’t even involve Tipton. But he seemed to be involved in any business in the city. The adultery case was quashed and later the indictment was dismissed. But Tipton soon was involved in much bigger adventures. “Wm. Tipton made a record for himself as a law and order leader that will not be forgotten by the operators and frequenters of Madison pool rooms,” wrote the Belleville Daily Advocate in October of 1899. Tipton rallied supporter and went into the pool rooms, breaking up equipment, destroying paraphernalia and wrecking the establishment, the paper reported. Not even a single pane of glass remained intact, It declared. Tipton said he had been appointed as a special deputy of Madison County by constable Adam Schoeppel , even though he lived in St. Clair County. He took his helpers and rounded up a host of gamblers and drove them in a farm wagon 13 miles over country roads to Collinsville. Pool rooms were betting establishments and had nothing to do with the game of pool. Madison became a hotbed for these places in 1894, newspapers reported Despite the rereported destruction, somehow the businesses were back up and running when Tipton attempted another raid the next week. It didn’t go so well. Again he started out from Collinsville with a gang of enforcers. Then for some reason, the city of Venice became involved. Venice Chief of Police Charles Player arrested Tipton on a charge of impersonating an officer. Despite being jailed for s few days, Tipton vowed to continue his crusade. But a couple of days later the pool room operators closed their business. And the whole affair petered out. But Tipton continued to press his luck after he moved to Colorado. Acting as a deputy sheriff, or it was reported, he was killed while investigating a gambling rivalry between two gangs.
