St. Paul daily globe., 1889-06-03
DRIVEN FROM HOME.
Poverty-Stricken Squatters
on the Flats Are Prepar-
ing to Skip.
Sheriff Bean and His Forces
will Begin the Evictions
To-Day.
An Unknown Man Burned to
a Crisp at Union
Park.
Democrats Are Arranging to
Capture the Presidency Of
the Council.

Today VIII marx Tie eNouuS VI Do-
hemianism from the Polish flats located
on the eastern bank of the river, under
the new uptown bridge. This is the
last day on which the squatters have to
move from the premises owned by a
large syndicate. of which AnSel Open
helm. A. Kalman and other representa-
tive men of the city are the stockholders.
The property in dispute is strip OF
land lying directly under the bridge and
extending east and west of its piers
about 600 feet, and from the Milwaukee
short line tracks to the meandering line
of the river. Upon this piece of prop
erty there are standing about thirty OF
the 100 shanties which occupy the en-
tire flats. 1t is the occupants of these
thirty with whom the syndicate is deal
ing. and against whom writS of restltu-
ton have been issued. ordering vaca-
ton of the premises by 6 o'clock this
evening.
The population of the flats is divided
into classes, the SwedeS occupying about
two acres at this end of the territory in
dispute. and south of an alleged street
which divides Sweden from Bohemia.
live, and hold their midnight orgies
about saloon kept by a Bohemian and
located in the main street. Holland, too.
is represented by sweet-looking set,
and Ireland comes in for asmall share
of the free land system practlced here
for the last eighteen years; and Hun
gary has minister pienlpOtentlary,
who holds his own and all else that he
can lay hands on or drive into his eS-
tates. The whole is motley gathering
of the poorest people on earth. They
are poor for no respectable reason, but
their poverty is due to their Unsuitable
thirst for beer. On this account it is
made doubly painful. Two saloons-
the toughest of joints-dO all the business
and generally garner the salaries OF the
poor, ignorant labOrer between Satur-
day night and Monday morning. So
much has been said about the probable
riot of the SO uatterS IN case the sheriff
forces them from the land, that GLOBE
reporter was induced to make visit to
the locality yesterday afternoon and as.
certain from the varied expressions OF
whole affair. The reporter gained the
entree to this select circle by wearing
dog license on the lapel of his coat
and entering the city of paupers
fro M the east: peregrinated around
and about until he had heard
the almost uninteliigible piaint and
howl of every SQuatter Interested i'll the
evacuation. Some of them were quite
tame, and only showed their teeth and
growled at the overtures; while others
were slightly mad, some little madder,
and still others were so mad that they
set the dog On the unOffending visitor.
The first place visited was small plat,
in which two huts were standing. lean
ing slightly leeward. Neither of them
looked large enough TO shelter human
beings, but the Improvements upon the
premises, in the shape of an. onion and
Oyershoe patch, suggested that there
might be human SquatterS inside the
diminutiye shanties. Stepping up to
the manhole of one of the picturesque
abodes, the door fell in. and a terrible
commotion followed. By mistake the
visitor had broken into the cow stable
instead of the lords house. The inmate
of the COW stable, by a malicious move
ment of the hindquarter, directed the
visitors attention to the other hut. The
boss of the place was soon found, and
engaged in earnest conversation as to
the outcome of tO-day'S dOingS. No
information was to be obtained from him
and the same Interrogation was vent
ured at the next hut. After spending
an afternoon with the people, watching
some of them tearing down their
houses. others moving them to West st.
Paul, and listening to animated
speeches at several small congregations
in back alleys and along the rivers
edge, the conclusion was drawn and
maintained that nine-tenths of the
squatters will leave, say nothing, and
saw. The remaining fraction is made
up of men who, if they fight at all, will
battle desperately and finch at moth
ing. The saloonkeeper, who has been
reported as endeavoring to incite his
fellows to riot, stated that he did not
intend to bulge one inch, but would
not interfere if the sheriff tore down
his place. He said that the
city will have to take care
of the destitute families which will
be thrown out of house and home, and
that he, for one, would apply to. the
mayor for protection and shelter for his
family in case the officers tore his place
down. His wife is sick and cannot
help in the work of moving, and he is
unable to do SO on account of a lame
shoulder. He claims lie has nothing to
do with the other squatterS, and has
told them no more than to do as they
pleased and he would do the same. All
the crime which h as lately occurred on
the flats can be indirectly traced to this
saloon, and it is dark, dingy, quarrel
ing den of iniquity, where the fiat
topers load up with the poisonous malt
juice and quarrel, cut, slash, shoot
and murder. Some of the squatters
have moved to West st. Paul, others to
East st. Paul, and some intend
to go to Swede Hollow. 1t is
touching sight to see a struggling
ill-clad mother, freighted down with
dirty twins. and Juggling mob of chill
dren of all sizes, shapes and shades
through the Uttered alleys to place of
safe retreat. The situation. 1T will be
seen, is rather doubtful. Most of the
families will leave without being urged,
some will ask for few more weeks
time in which to find homes, and the
others may resent the proposed evic-
ton and create disturbance. One very
sensible Polander has raised flag of
truce over his hut. 1t is a once-white
shirt, and is attached to clothesline
pole. Half of his hovel is torn down,
and he is living in the other half until
he can erect his new house on the
island.