Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-12-12
HAULING DOWN THE FLAG.
A LONDON Meb 1rampleS the star. and
stripes underfoOt.
SON Nork Tlmes.

I Gilllg, of the firm Of Henry r Gillig
CO., proprieto's OF the American FIX
change in Europe, has fallen into with
his London landlords, promises to rs
sumo the importance Of an information
al question, unless the enterurisins
young American receaes from his pur
pose of Haunting the flag OF the Unitec
States in the faces of our sensitive Erg
fish cousins. The American Exchange
occupying an imposing and commodi
Gus building in the Strand, No 449
facing the Chariug Cross Hotel and the
Main Continental Railway Station, is an
institution pretty familiar 10 American
tourists in London. II was founded IN
1878 by MIR. Henry + Gtllig and few
associates for the accommodation 81
American visitors in London, to supply
information respecting hotels, routes IL
travel, and such facilities rs n stranger
III q strange clty may require, and Il
facilitate intercourse between Amer.
leans living in London by providing q
resort whele the files of all American
newspapers, the directories of American
and foreign cities, magazines, reports
guide.hooks, gazetteers, maps, etc, are
accessible at u tritlng coSt or monthly
subscription. Arrivals are registered
and transmitted weekly, letters and
Geographic messages transmitted and
received, and drafts cashed Since Jan
| /, 1879, period of eleven months, the
establishment has registered about e..
/ 600 American visitors, and is regarded
\ by the reporters of the London newspa.
/ pers as the great centre of authentic in
formation respecting America and the
! Americans. On Lord Mayors Day, or
rather on the day following, as Nov. .
the proper date OF the festival, hap
pened on Sunday,-Mr, Gillig, in rec
IGNITION of the occasion, hoisted the
American fig over the building oc-
cupied by his establishment, Miss
Emma Thurshy and large delegation
OF the Amercan'colsny i'll London be.
ing present and participating III the
ceremony. Mr.. GiIlig, who is now stay
ing Mt the Windsor Hotel, III this city,
left London day or two after the
affair above mentioned, and gave no
| further thought to the matter until he
was advised hy his superintendent that
the owners of the building had served
upon him n formal notice to remove
the obnoxious ensign. Alter advising
with Mr.. Gillig's solicitor, and being
assured by him that the flag could law
fully remain, the superintendent de-
clined to acCede To the terms of the
notice, and was formally notified by the
owners that, unless their request was
forthwith complied with, it would be
removed by force. The threat passed
UNDECIDED, and the owners proceeded
to make good their determination by
forcing their way through the iron lat
tice.work from an adjoining roof and
hauled down the offending colors. They
were hoisted again on the following
morning, whereupon the owners of the
building applied to the High Court of
Chancery, for an injunction to prevent
the flag Of the United States from fly
ing over the root of building occupied
by an American. This application be-
ing refused, they instituted an action
for damages, and thus matters stood
until Nov. Is, when. according to n
statement transmitted TO Mr.. Gillig by
his solicitor by the last mail. the
owners again had recourse to violence,
backed by q London mob, who
tramped the offending stars and stripes
underfoot, after removing them from
the pinnacle of the building.
Mr.. Glllig was found at the Windsor
last evening, and, in response to a re-
quest for information, showed state
ment consisting of some fifty folios of
closely written manuscript, which he
had Just received from his London So
hcitor. The statement recites the cir
cumstances Of the hauling down Of the
flag by mob on the afternoon of Nov.
Is; intimates that the affair has created
considerable feeling in London, and
earnestly advises Mr.. Gillig not to act
hastily i'll ordering lis reinstatement.
When asked whether he proposed to
carry the controversy further, Mr. Gil
ig said he had no intention, in the first
instance, of putting any aflron, upon
the English people, as some Of his best
customers were English. He had long
wished to have the American flag hoist
cd over the establishment, partly be-
cause i, could be seen considerable
distance, and would thus serve as n
guide TO the reading.rooms FOR strangers
in London, and partly because he had
u pardonable pride in giving such to-
ken Of his nationality. He intimated
that the sentiments Of the ruling classes
in England we're not particularly friend
~ just now to the United States, owing
to the fact that the balance OF trade is
constantly in our favor, and that our
manufacturers are underseling English
competitors in their own market. The
prospective emigration TO this country
of thousands Of Farmers. each bringing
his e 900 or E2,000, had also tended to
embtter English publcists in their GEN.
timents toward America and the Amer
leans. He had received many anony-
nous letters s-lce the controversy com
meneed, intimating that his establish
meut would be burned or mobbed nm
less the flag WAS t.ken down. II was
not his intention To relnstate II for the
present, as such proceeding might
result in serious international complica-
tons, in case an injunction was grant
ed, and what was now mere trespass
by private parties receive the official
anctiOn III the British government.