Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-07

OF tne macnlne. he was successful, put
his expenses were S96, 1000, of which $12, 900
came out of his own pocket.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE D1sPATcH.1
CHICAGO, April Gone of the most in
teresting features of the municipal CAM
paign and election in this city, was the
part taken by Frank Collier, who set out
to beat George II. Williams, Republican
candidate for assessor in the West di-
vision. Collier is Republican in good
standing, an Englishmans birth, and
lawyer who enjoys lucrative practice. He
is also in possession of considerable proper
ty. He is short and stout and smooth
faced, with nervous manner, a restless eye
and tongue that never tires.
In the preliminary skirmishes in the
West Division, Collier made it manifest
that he was opposed to Williams and all the
othermachine candidates of his party. These
worthless, fearing the result of his hostility
at the primaries, sought to placate him, but
failed. Then the night before the Westside
primaries were to be held they put up job
on him which they believed would be sue
cessful
1t was known that Collier would spend
the evening at the Illinois Club, and that
as he was also a member of the LaSalle
Club it would be comparatively easy to in
duce him to come over to the LaSalle House.
DRUBBED BY THUGS.
About II P. M. a telephone message was
received at the Illinois Club, stating that q
party of Golfers friends were at the La
Sale Club and would be glad to
see him. The lawyer unsuspectingly
set out on foot, the distance being
short. As he turned the corner
of Ashland avenue into Monroe, he
thugs who gave him severe drubbing, but
he made such a sturdy resistance that he was
able to escape with no serious injury. Pro-
ceeding to the LaSalle Club he found that
no one there had sent for him, and that he
had been made the victim of conspiracy.
Then Collier got mad. Calling for horse
he got into the saddle, and rightly conject-
uring that the telephone message received at
the Illinois Club had come from some drug.
store, he visited every such place that he
could find, until finally he came upon one
where the clerks remembered hearing local
Republican politician send such a message
through the instrument in their store.
HAMMERED ONCE MORE.
Collier then laid his plans for work at
the primaries next day, but owing to the
desperation of the machine men, he did not
have an opportunity to make much
progress. On his appearance at
one of the polling places in the
Eleventh ward he was set upon by four or
five men in the interest of the machine, and
hammered so viciously that he was not able
to do much that day except parade the city
and exhibit the bumps on his skull and the
welts across his face.
Williams was nominated, and Collier,
with his head tied up, inaugurated the most
remarkable personal campaign against him
ever known in this part OF the country. He
abandoned his business and made a public
announcement that he would devote all his
time and money to the defeat of Williams.
He opened campaign headquarters, en-
ployed host of detectives to run down:the
men who had assaulted him. hired hun
dreds of men to patrol the entire West
division for the purpose of watch
ing Williams and describing in proper
language the wrongs that Collier had
sustained, and with dozen or more shrewd
workers as assistants he began a man-to-
man canvass of the 10000 or 20, 900 voters in
that division.
POLICEMEN WERE THE THUGS.
Before the campaign had gone very far it
was discovered that the men who attacked
Collier were policemen in citizens clothing,
one of them lieutenant, and Collier at
once took out bench warrants for their ar
rest. The West division police had long been
under a cloud, one of the most conspicuous
Captains in that district, recent appointee
of the Republican machine, being a man
who less than three years ago was indicted
for burglary, and the disclosures made by
Collier created great stir throughout the
town.
As the campaign went on other we'll
known citizens began to manifest interest
in the affair, several wealthy men sending
checks for large sums to Collier,
who was throwing money right and
left in organizing meetings and clubs,
in printing, music bonfres, flags and
every other vote-catching device known. In
front at almost all these demonstrations was
Collier on horseback, wearing tall hat, a
knit jacket, velvet trousers and high boots.
To reach the people he issued millions of
circulars.
ELECTROMAGNETIC WITH MUSIC.
On election day Collier had three or four
bands, with banners, at work in various
parts of the division, and one big military
band was detailed to accompany him
wherever he went. Towsrd z o'clock
parent that Williams had been beaten,
Collier telephoned down town for still an
other band, and with the two he marched
down to the Desplaines street station, where
he made the musicians play 1.-THE Rogue's
March" Collier was sitting on his horse
meanwhile. and smiling. When the
police captain came out and wanted
to know what the trouble was, Collier
shook roll of bills at him and offered to
bet him $500 to 800 that he would lose his
badge and his buttons in two weeks. Then
the Johnny Bull led the bands to the news
paper Offices.
The next morning it was found that
CollieT had cornered nearly all the bunting
in town, and that his handsome residence
was festooned with it from top to bottom,
inside and outside.
READY FOR CONGRATULATIONS.
In the afternoon Collier appeared in his
regular raiment, at his Office, for the first
time in two weeks In expectation
that his friends would call to offer
congratulations he provided a wagon
load of jack roses, and many boxes of fine
cigars, and every one who presented him
self received torch and had rose pinned
to his coat. Collier also bought great deal
of wine at Westside clubs, but he drank
none himself.
Williams was defeated by majority of
Z 900. 1t is said that Golfers campaign |
cost him $4,000. His own personal ex-
penditures amounted to about $12, 900. The |
episode has had very healthfui effect In |
the city, and Golfers action is regarded by !
many as new and very important declara-
tion of independence.