St. Paul daily globe., 1888-07-31
BASS LAKES BATTLE
Will Give the Authorities an
Opportunity They Have
Long Desired.
Further Details of the Dis
graceful Scenes Enacted
Last Sunday.
A Boy Beheaded by an En-
gine on the Omaha
Railroad.
Matters Of Local Interest
Picked Up Between Dawn
and Darkness.

Inc subject OF conversation yesterday
was the disgraceful fight which took
place at Bass lake Sunday. To those
who know anything about the place it
is no surprise to hear of rows and fights
on smaller scale, but when it happens
that ten or fifteen gamblers and strikers
engage in battle with twice that num-
Der of quiet picnickers, seeking pleasure
only, 1t is the general verdict that the
county authorities should take a hand
IN the suppression of the place that har-
borS and furnishes refuge for such
people. AS stated in the GLOBE of yes
terday, the picnic grounds are some
three or four blocks from Boggs' road
house, where the disturbance took place.
1t seems that the ten or fifteen ''sure
thlng' men engaged in running the diff
ferent games had been told by the
managers of the picnic that they could
not run their games on the grounds. 1t
was, according to the statement of
some of the picnicers, with reluctance
that the games were stopped-while
one of the gamblers told reporter yes
terday that the games were stopped be-
cause there was no business going Oh.
AT all events, they quit and went up to
Boggs' hotel,
THE GENERAL RENDEZVOUS.
just what started the row is still un-
known. One story, and probably the
correct one, is that one OF the Swedes
went to Boggs' and was either "stuck
up" or skinned out of his money.
lie was beaten and afterwards went
down to the grounds for help. An
other report is that among the
Saltwater contingent to the pic
nc was reporter on the
Saltwater Gazette, who had at some
time made enemies out of two of the
Swedes. They jumpud on him and beat
him up so that he was unable to walk.
One man, who was rubbing his head,
playfully remarked, ''His neck is
broken," and from this arose the report
that one man had been hit in the back
OF the neck and had his neck broken.
The reporter was carried up to Boggs'
place and laid on sofa, where he
shortly recovered, with the'eXception of
bruised eye. While he was
some of the Swedes saw him, and, con-
Guiding that it was one of their number
who had been slugged, went to the pic
mic grounds with the report and so
raised the row. Which is right will not
probably be found out. At all events,
about 4:30 the Swedish Guards in uni
form, who were detailed to keep order,
marched up to Boggs' place to demand
the money which some of those at the
picnic had lost. Their coming was
the signal. for an attack. In a
minute everything was confusion. A
man who took in the battle from ham,
mock says no person can imagine
what it was like. The gamblers used
stones, bottles, clubs and anything they
could get hold Of. The uniformed
Swedes drew their swords and
BEGAN sLASHKNG AND CUTTING.
There was yelling, cursing and
groaning, and men fell down and got
up again like spiders on wall. 1t was
regular pitched battle, only there was
no shooting. When it was over
there was hardly man who
was not bruised, cut or injured in some
way. A Swede named Johnson was
the only one fatally injured, while P.
A. Benson, j. K. Ecklund and J.T.
Anderson, of Minneapolis, were all
more or less injured. montana Jack.n
one of the men in the fight, was struck
with a sword on the side of his head.
1t was the side of the blade, but it
bruised him considerably. Boggs him
self, it is said, took hand and was cut
on the wrist. In fact, everybody was in
jured more or less.
johnson, the man most injured, was
cut by knife. When he fell to the
ground his bowels rolled out. He was
thought, in a dying condition, until
physicians went out from st. Paul. His
wound was then dressed, and he was
carried to house some distance away.
AT Z o'clock last night he was still alive.
but the doctors did not think he would
recover.
AS stated in the GLOBE, James, better
known as Jimmy Donovan, was the only
man arrested. When he was taken
prisoner crowd of excited Swedes
wanted to lynch him, but the constable
succeeded in getting him safely to the
city and behind the bars
No other arrests have been made, be-
cause there is no one who knows or will
tell any of the gamblers in the fight.
County Attorney Egan and Sheriff
Richter went out to Bass lake yester-
day afternoon. They went to the house
where Johnson is lying at the point of
death, but they found him in such a con
dition that they did not try to converse
with him farther than to ask him if he
could identify his asSailant if be saw
him. His answer was so incoher-
ent that they came to the con-
clusion that he was not in his right
mind. Word was left with his
attendant that in case johnson be-
came able to talk, that should be
sent to the sheriff, and that he and the
county attorney would go out and take
his statement. The officers did not stop
at the Boggs place, knowing it to be
useless to try and find out anything
there.
They met Boggs ON the road, how
ever. He had big bandage about his
left wrist. whats the matter with
your wrist?" he was asked.
'Oh, got struck with beer glass in
little row the other day."
Several persons say Boggs was lead
ing figure in the fight, but he denies it.
A GLOBE reporter went ont to see
Boggs, yesterday morning. Asked about
the fight he said: II have just come in
from town and don't know anything
about it. l don't want to wake the men
up because they have just gone to bed
tired and l don't suppose they would
give you
A CIVIL ANSWER"