St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-02
While the Democrats Capture the
Streets and Sidewalks in Out
Numbering Crowds.
Republicans Begin Fight on the Demo-
Gratis and Get Into a General
Melee.
The Police Endsavor to Quell the Tur-
moil and Were Assaulted by the Men
With Torches.
A Series of Street Rows Ensue in Which
Nearly a Hundred People Are
Injured.
Hoodlums on Both Sides Are Responsible,
For an Affair Altogether
Disgraceful.

DlSgraceful.
The Minneapolis Republicans closed their
campaign last night with t0rchlght pro-
cession. 1t was the effort of the campaign,
and the result was very satisfactory to the
Democrats. Ever since the great Demo
cratic demonstration on Saturday night the
Republicans have been terribly frightened,
and they knew thai they must Outdo that
procession or give up all hopes of carrying
the city to-day. To this end they made
thorough canvass of the city to secure torch
bearers, begging and imploring some. buy
ing Others and urging still more by repre-
senting it to be their solemn duty to turn
out, if only for this once. The result was
that men who had never appeared i'll line
before came out, shouldering torches and
carrying broOms; boys came out and got in
line. and old men took their places. The
line, according to various estimates, inclu
ded from $500 to 5. 600 men and boys, de-
pending on the author. 1t was very good
procession, as all admitted, but scarcely a
marker to the tremendous outpouring of the
Democracy on Saturday evening. Several
counts placed the number in line ranging
from 2, 700 to 5000. but Secretary Craig, of
the Republican committee, gave it as his
belief there were 5000 to 1000. Accept
ing his highest figure. the result stands as
follows:
Democratic line. Observation-Disclosures. 900
Republican line. e...................... 1000
Among these 1000 were a great many
boys and comparatively small number of
torches, the marchers supplying their
places with brooms and lanterns, some few
carrying brand new tin pals.
THE SCENES ON THE STREET
battle description. Early in the evening the
hoodlums i'll both parties came out in great
numbers and thronged the streets to almost
impassibiity. Washington avenue. be-
tween Nicollet and First avenue, was the
general center, the presence of both head
quarters attracting them. Long before the
procession formed heated discussions arose
and words led to blows, but nothing of a
serious nature occurred. On Saturday
night the Algonquin club had been assaulted
with eggs OH First avenue. and the dis
graceful occurrence, which the Republicans
called great fun, was the cause of some of
the disturbances. 1t was discussed vigOr-
ously and viciously. and led to more than
one fight. Anticipating trouble, half-a-
dozen officers had been stationed along the
avenue within block. and the wisdom of
the move was apparent later on. The
street contained the worst elements of both
parties and the state of feeling was such
that an outbreak seemed imminent at any
moment.
THE TROUBLE BEGAN
about Z o'clock, when a drunken Repuhli-
can, at the mouth of Lookup alley. swag-
gered by with a broom on his shoulder.
He made several insulting remarks, and
presently pushed a bystander with the han
die. In moment he was set upon and the
broom taken. His partisans endeavored to
recover it and small fight ensued. but the
police promptly checked it. Presently
another fight over broom occurred and the
broom was set on fire. Another prompt
interference prevented disturbance and
extra officers were sent to the scene.
Nothing Of note occurred until the process
sion came along. The street was so
crowded that the throngs were very close
to the line of march and the paraders and
the crowd interchanged campaign epithetS
freely, but in general good humOr. 1t then
looked as if everything might pass peace
ably along, but at o'clock an incident oc-
Cured which changed the current of affairs.
n
cheered for Ames. A marcher, in his
anger, punched him with the butt of his
torch in the stomach; the other seized the
torch and struck back, and then
THE ROW BEGAN.
First it was one side and then the other.
For moment quiet would prevail and then
a new provOcation would lead to a new
fight Torches and broOms were used On
one side, and sticks and fists on the other.
Sticks were thrown from the procession
into the crowd and from the crowd into the
procession. A disturbance at one point
would move the crowd there
and paraders and watchers would rush over
to take part. The police did valiant work
and prevented dozen times what seemed
likely to result in an lndlscrimlnate row.
1t was generally remarked that the officers
seemed to take the part OF the paraders and
that many of the assaults made were by the
paraders upon the very officers who were
doing their utmost to preserve and prevent
violence. A dozen times the police were
overpowered and beaten back by torch
bearers when they rushed in to prevent
collision. 1t was noticed that every sepe-
rate disturbance of the dozen that occurred
was precipitated by the paraderS,
THE PRovoCATIoN
being offered by them. Their assaults
were usually upon small boys, three or four
newsboys suffering from cuts inflicted by
torches and burns from the lights. One
bov was badly cut by knife or razor in
the hands of one of the colored paraders
The excitement ebbed and flowed. Word
was passed along the line that trouble
might be expected, and as fresh men came
up they carried their torches menaeingly,
occasionally thrusting them into the faces
of the crowd and even punching the officers.
When the first trouble occurred Dr.
Lee. who had eXerted himself
to maintain order, sent word to
police headquarters and had dozen officers
sent up. Some of these were stationed at
the crossing below and warned the coming
paraders to refrain from their disorder,
which had the final effect Of restoring
quiet. In the meantime, however, con-
siderable damage had been done, nearly
one hundred men had been variously hurt
bv blows with torches and one or two of
the marchers had been beaten with sticks.
The affair was altogether disgracefuI and
the Republican cause Will suffer from it
to-day.
TIE DIsoRDERLY MARCHERs
armed with torches seemed to search for
onnortunities to insult and attack the
crowd and the moment fight occurred and
the poljce endeavored to stop it, they were
assapIted and pounded with torches,
number of them being seriously Injured.
At times sticks, stones and torches were