The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-03-22

PARTICULARS OF SATURDAYS Row.-A
row occurred in this city on Saturday eve-
ming just as we were going to press,
which, at one time, promised to become a
very serious affair. Not having time to
give particulars at thai time, we give
them now. Up to 2 o'clock in the after
noon everything had passed off in a very
quiet manner. At about half past two
several drunken men were to be seen on
the streets, and Mt three o'clock the num-
Der was greatly increased. A number of
saloons and doggeries havingopened their
back doors, were dispensing their poisons
freely, which account for the drunkenness.
At about four o'clock the drinking calu-
minated in a fight on Front Street, be-
tween a discharged soldier and an Irish
man. Both were pretty light and each
had stiepds with him, who eventually be-
came mixed up in the rumpus. They
fought their way from the corner of Court
and Second to the corner opposite our off,
ce market and Second) their numbers
constantly augmenting, so that by the
time they had reached Market Street their
S"cllcu W t"o hilt
three hundred. The Marshal arriving up
on the ground by this time commenced
making arrests. Experiencing considera-
BILE difficulty and resistance, he was COM
PEELED to call assistance from the crowd,
which was rendered, and bv which he was
enabled to arrest several of the belliger-
ents; the crowd following to the Mayors
office and congregating around the corner
and between them and the river. BY this
time the news had apread, and the Irish
began to turn out in force, and before a
half hour had elapsed over eight hundred
people there were fully that many were
c~ongregated i'm the street talking, shouting,
gesticulating, and the greater portion
more or less under the influence of bad
whisky. Words led to blows, and before
we were aware, of it, the whole crowd en-
gagged in fighting. The scene for a while
was exciting, the crowd surging back and
forth, curses, yells and blows were freely
exchanged. Persons came running from
all directions, and the house tops in the
vicinity were crowded with spectators.
Fists, clubs, slung-shots etc. were freely
used, many getting seriously injured. At
about this time the excitement was i'll
tense. The Marshal and Deputy Sheriff
were in the crowd making arrests, but
they had so many to arrest that one crowd
of arrested persons would run off while
they were engaged in arres,ing others.
The fight extended up Front Street a
piece, and at about five and a half O'Clock
the excitement began to subside, the crowd
breaking up into small knots, gathering
at the street corners, where the fighting
was kept up between themselves nearly
all night. The cause of the whole trouble
can be traced to whisky. The scene was
.disgraceful in the extreme, and n more
excited set of mortals we never set eyes
upon. The belligerent spirit still mani
tests itself land was manifested yesterday
in a lot of the railroad hands, who, being
idle, employed their spare time in ''plug-
ging'' one another. A large number of
arrests were made yesterday and to-day,
the Mayors Office being crowded all morn
ing. OF one thing we are certain, that is
the City Treasury will be benefited by
the proceedings if nothing else is. We
commend the following remark to those
Fenians who were 'spileing'' for a fight
Saturday, made by one of their number.
that ''they he'd a id sight better do their
fig ting in Canada and not among them
seiyeS,' a...m