The Labor enquirer., 1886-07-10
BoNFIELD AND THE RIOT.
Continued from first page.

BoNFIELD AND THE RIOT.
Continued from first page.
the Central that there would be no
trouble, and the reserve might as well
go home. These four companies were
then dismis= =ed, and Eversold and the
mayor went to their respective resi-.
dences, thinking all prospect of distur-
bance was at an end. Bon6eld was left
at Desplaines with the FIVE compnies to
stav the thing out.
"Ebersold was no sooner home than
the inspector determined ID break up
the meeting. After communicating his
intention to the lientenants the compa-
nies we're drawn I'D in the squad-room
ready to issue forth. '...
IF the attack in itself was unordered," "
continued the officer, ''the manner IN
which it was conducted was unwise. The
FIVE companies were marched up Des-
PLANES street in solid mass, and halted
at the south end of the crowd in that
form. The bomb, of course, did tentold
the damage in the center of the mass
that it would had Bonffeld not laughed
at the advice Of old officers in discussing
the plan in the station. The police were
virtually surrounded and assailable on
every side. The firing began from both
sides of the street, as well as from in
front, when, if the proper precaution
had been taken, the sidewalks would
have been cleared by single Gordon
stretched from wall to wall across the
street. also know it to be fact that
very large number of the police were
wounded by each others revolvers. SIX
officers of Boards command started up
Desplaines street towards Lake after t.:
bomb was thrown, and five of them were
seriously wounded by their brother
officers, Besides these calamities no
precaution was taken to protect the ave-
nues of escape on every side, which
might easily have been done. In fact,
the whole thing was asty and lll'ad-
vised, arising out of Bonfeld's desire to
distinguish himself The report which
he recently made, six weeks after the
riot, Is laughed at by every man on the
force who has any idea of the facts IN
the matter. He speaks of recognizing
the companies Immediately after the
bomb exploded, when everyonek noWs
that no such reorganization or closing
up' occurred. 1t was every man for hlm-
self, and while some got two or three
squares away the rest enptied their re-
volvers, mainly into each other, and
then, after the crowd had fled, collected
their scattered senses. The 'falllng-in'
and reorganlzing' were all done after the
fight was over"
Inspector Bonfeld is out of the city,
but it can be stated upon the authority
of Chief Ebersold that no conversation
between the two officers and the mayor
was held on the West Side previous to
the explosion. Inspector Bonfeld the
night of Nav went to the West Side to
aid Captain Ward in the discharge OF
his dutv, while the chief remained IN
the telephone room at headquarters to
control the operation of all the forces,
for Captain O'Donnell was having con-
stant trouble with the crowds who were
throwing stones and tearing down patrol
boxes along Eighteenth street. The
detectives from Central were sent to the
haYmarket with orders to report to
Bonfeld, and we're sent into the crowd
with instructions TO report frequently to
the station, only block away, the tenor
of the speeches and the actions of the
people about the platform. The first
speakers, as every Nody has since agreed,
were remarkably mild in their talk, and
the chief was informed at $50 that all
appeared quiet. The reserve at Central
was then dispersed to the different sta
tlons, because there we're no sleeping
accommodations at headquarters, and
Bonfeld even ordered the companies on
duty with him at Desplaines to return
to West Chicago Avenue station. The
mayor rode into the crowd on horse
back, and Kerndel, the employe in the
water Office, told him he was known and
had better 90 home He went TO the
station, and agreed that the talk he had
heard was very mild, but he acted on
Kerndel's warning and went home, Just
the same. After the West Chicago ave-
nue. men were loaded into wagons to
leave, the different detectives began to
change the tone of their reports, and at
Captain Wards instance thev were or
dered to remain.
EUROPEAN NEWS.