, 1872-10-27

.
or only murmured back ominouBly the nutter-
incs Of angry men, when that fatal Saturday
morniug saw the east side Of the Court House
Suusre flied with Alderman Larue's invited
breakfast-party. None were openly armed. No
ore came for massacre or mischief. They had
simply come down to o1erawe the 1nw and its pro-
cesEes by their presence. To do him Justice this
was all that Alderman Larue intended. But
there they were, sSarming up the steps into
Judge Ruckers little courtroom, which lad the
requisite capacity for 8 Bible class. The room
was filed in an instant like sardine-bo1. Then
the yestibules were packed. Then the front
steps. Then Mayor Boones gold spectacles
looked wonderment, merging into alarm, upon
several acres Of humanity that thronged the
whole front OF the Court House Square. This
excellent medicine-man knew that here was con-
6eEtion, yea, congestion Of the brain, with
all its symptoms sluggish now, but ready to flash
into fever. The writer passed freely among the
mass. There was no outbreak; not noisy ex-
preston Of wrath Or threat was heard They
were simply following the bad advice to come
out in numbers and Qverawe Justice. But there
were dangerous elements at work. The drums
we're dropping their rat-tat-tat on high-strung
nerves Of men who are naturally soldiers. They
saw 3 common purpose in one another's eyes,
and spark was all that was needed to send ire
through the whole. It came. The intense
pressure of the mass clogged the entire business
Of the Court House, and the police were set to
clear FIRST the Court House and then the square.
This was done by Captain Luther Nichols and o
squad Of policemen. 1t is in proof Of the tenn
that 1t was done with no outbreak
or resort to violence. Once without the square,
officers we're placed at oil the entrances, and
order seemed restored, but Clark street became
point the writer is forced to borrow testimony
from no one, for he stood beside Captain Nichols,
at the northeast angle of the square, when 3
burly fellow, little the worse for drink, at
tempted to force an entrance; captain Nieho1s
across the breast Of the man as he pressed
forward. "You cannot so i'm II will, -
-.' There Was struggle. an onset,
repulse, rally, and tho battle had be-
gn 9ssn3f se r TO- psxeoy T. pra xs q
account Of the fray, the writer suddenly selected
more suitable point Of view. Now, comnuni-
IT, we caro- not where they live, on Milwaukee
avenue or Michigan avenue, is interested,
latter shall fight well. God forbid the day
shall ever come that the Chicago policemen shall
ever be beaten in square hand-to-hand contest.
They are the guardians Of our peace, and rough
and violent men must understand that there
must be but one result. when the locust is raised,
So On this day, and in this fray, happily, the
police won the laurels. The battle was
short one, rough and tumble OF
angry men and fierce men, a polyglot
shower Of curses a bang of drums, and then the
destruction of the instruments the trombone
man went to tho wall with aattened tube Of
old brass in his hand; the drummer crawled out
Of the melee with two empty drum-heads and
one uncaptured stick. The more violent Of the
assailapts Of the police, to the number Of eigh-
teen, were captured and taken to the jail beneath
the Court House. and the rank and file sped
swiftly away. Alderman Larue's white coat had
been the oridamme Of the fray, darting here and
there, We honestly believe, with the intention Of
stopping the fight. Finally he climbed to the
top Of q hack, Whose frantic horses were beset
with struggling combatants, and from that
coign Of vantage lifted up his voice, " Ny
fnends-'' He said no more, for he was pulled
down by the coat-tails, and, as 4 too prominent
inciter of that days mischief. was locked up.
was gone. But they went with threats. They
carried FIRE as they ran, like Samsons foxes.
Early in the afternoon exciting nows came from
the saloons of North Clark and North Wells
streets. They. we're coming back, coming
armed, coming in force to release their friends
from Jail. And, when rally Of scowling armed
men actually appeared on the north approach to
Clark street bridge, and stood there, waiting for
reinforcements, that meant business. The
whole small police force Of the city and Sheriff
massed about the Court House ap-
proaches, but no more formal prepara-
tions could be made before up Clark street
from the river came the armed rush, silent,
"lLnout crles, steIu-eyeo, FaIlouhlL armed. Inc
whole number could not have been more than
zoo, the fowling- piece being the weapon carried
by most Of the men. Clark street and Randolph
street by this time we're packed with o crowd
mostly Of curious lookers-on, but interBpeTsed
among these were bearers Of all varieties Of i'm
proVised weapons. Butchers cleayers, stout wal
nut cart-spokes tipped with thimble-skeins iron
bars, heavy hammers, were among the spoils
left on that second field of battle. they
came on, the armed squad from the North
northeast angle Of the Court House. Up to the
instant when the gun-shots we're heard, very few
lookers-on supposed there would be firing.
There we're twenty spectators to one rioter, and
the mass was compact. It scattered suddenly.
Men ran in all directions, and for q few minutes
It is wonderful it always is on such occasions
how few Of these flying bullets hit anybody.
Witness the thick platoons exposed to tie lead
en- rain of the battlefield. The police were
rests we're made Officer 6. ". Hunt lost an arm,
and his assailant his life, the next instant, shot
as he turned to run. In the second story Of an
adjoining office 8 yagrant bullet cut open the
scalE of J. II. Rees. There we're many broken
heads, many persons roughly handled, more ar
to the North Side.
Now, War having arrived, Rumors Of War (you
know they travel together in Scripture) got out
The winged steeds and vent all over the city, and
oatuluay u1EuC 8 sun Heub QOWH On Hfa[n anu
terror. Mayor Boone had something on his |
hands not ordinarily set down among Che func-
ions Of the Mayoralty. The military ago was
not upon US. Our boys had not leaped from |
ouggies to go off on tuubrils, nor changed the
:aracole of avenue equestrianism for the cavalry
dash straight among the enemy'a guns. They !
never dreamed OF doing it. Everybody believed |
Ill that sort Of thing had been handed over to |
he Harry Lorrequers and Hector o Hallorans Of !
The eventful decade on both conti-
aents from Sumter to Sedan has
;old that humanity is much the same
n all the ages Notwithstanding this slumber- |
ng military fire among us, We had, seventeen
7ears ago, General Dick Swift, whose white |
aorse CLEANS on us out Of that past, like Don
Rodericks steed Orelia, OF Spanish legend;
Colonel Shirley. whose portly and peaceful
:orm has long since laid aside for the law
sven the semblance OF wars habiliments. And |
Se might so on with the roll Of honor. We |
and the Chicago Light Guard, who, |
n two days encampment, could build d |
oarricade about them with empty champagne |
2ottles, the Montgomery Guards, the Highland |
Guards, we had the old-fashioned citizen |
militia in that time before Pittaburg Landing,
Shen, like Birdofredum sawin, none Of uB knew |
:: why baggonets was peaked" And then, also, |
re boosted of Captain jim Smiths Chicago Bat
ery, whose bright brass guns had the Same lack |