Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-25
A STREET FIGHT.
The Outcome of a Caustic
Newspaper Article.
H. T. D. WILSON AND GEN. BOYCE.

They Exchange Compliments In q
Lively Manner In a Public
ThOrOughfare.
Quite an exciting encounter occurred on
Spring street yesterday afternoon about
2 O'Clock, between General Boyce, of the
Tribune, and Councilman Harvey 7. D.
Wilson. 1t appears from the statements
of those concerned that Mr.. Wilson took
exception to an editorial which ap-
peared in yesterday mornings Tribune.
The encounter took place in front of No.
A North Spring street, and that part of
the city which was quiet enough but
few seconds before, was the center of in
terest during the remainder of the after
noon, when but little else was discussed.
Many versions of the affair were told by
the witnesses and it seemed peculiar that
so few people could have seen the same
thing the same way.
A reporter of the HERALD who arrive d
on the scene few seconds after the last
blow had been struck found it almost
impossible to secure two statements of
the affair which agreed in essential par
ticulars. This is the way the fight took
place: Mr.. Wilson, accompanied by
friend, Mr.. Cain, walked up to
General Boyce and asked him if he
was responsible for the article
that had appeared in the Tribune.
General Boyce replied in the affirmative
and suggested that they retire to the
office of the paper to discuss the matter.
This Mr.. Wilson refused to do and struck
Boyce in the face. Boyce struck back
with cane and Wilson warded off the
blow with his stick. Boyce's cane broke,
and by this time Captain Seamans had
come out of his Office and took Wilson
by the arm, standing alongside as he did
SO. Boyce in some way got possession of
Wilson's cane and struck him with
it. Wilson's friends pulled Seamans
off and thus gave him chance to
to strike back. Seamans denies that
he had any personal animus in the af-
fair, or that he feels otherwise than
friendly to both men. His desire, he
says, was merely to stop fight. After
being released Wilson struck Boyce sew
eral hard blows in the face and made the
claret flow freely, to use pugilistic ex-
preston. A locker. on states that Wilson,
while being held fast, partly drew re-
volver from the waistband of his panta-
looms, but showed it back when he found
his arms free.
WHAT THE BY-sTANDERs SAY.
Mr.. J. P. Moran, who had been stand
ing near General Boyce when the affair
commenced, said that he had been look
ing the other way and only saw the en-
counter in it's second phase. He had
witnessed the breaking of General
Boyce's cane, and then saw Captain
Seamans catch hold of Mr.. Wilson from
behind. General Boyce then took Mr..
Wilson's cane and struck Mr.. Wilson
over the head, bringing the blood. Mr..
Cain at this juncture broke Captain
Seamans' hold on Mr.. Wilson and the
com batants went at it again until
separated by the bystanders.
Mr.. ]. G. DAILY, who was also on the
spot when the affair occurred, heard Mr..
Wilson ask General Boyce if he had
written the article which appeared in
the Tribune. General Boyce said he had
not, but that he was responsible for it.
Mr.. Wilson then demanded an apology
from General Boyce, butt General Boyce
said he would not opologize, and asked
Mr.. Wilson to 60 to his office and they
would talk it over. Mr.. Wilson then slap
ped General Boyce in the face, and the
balance of the occurrence was about
the same as told by the others.
When asked if he had seen Captain
Seamans hold Mr.. Wilson's arms while
General Boyce struck him with the cane,
Mr.. DAILY replied eyes, sir; that is what
1 Witnessed"
Captain Seamans said that he did not
care to appear in the matter. He had in
terfered only to stop the fight which he
said had been commenced by Mr.. Will
son.
WHAT THE PRINCIPALS SAY.
Mr.. Wilson said that he was walking
along Spring street with Mr.. B. B. Cain,
and seeing General Boyce standing talk
ing to some gentlemen, stepped up to
him and asked him if he had written the
editorial which appeared in the Tribune.
General Boyce said that he did not
write the article in question.
Mr.. Wilson then asked him if he en-
dorsed the article, and General Boyce
replied that he was responsible for all
that appeared in the tribune.
MIR. Wilson then asked General Boyce
to apologize, and the General asked Mr..
Wilson to talk the matter over in his
office. Mr.. Wilson replied that he did
not care to discuss it anywhere
else, and slapped General Boyce
in the face. General Boyce
then struck at Mr.. Wilson with his cane
and Mr.. Wilson received the blow on his
own stick. General Boyce's cane was
broken.
At this point Mr.. Wilson said his arms
were seized from behind, and while
struggling to get loose General Boyce
struck him twice on the head with his
cane. He was then released and struck
General Boyce on the face with his fist.
Other parties then stepped in between
them, and General Boyce walked down
the street and Mr.. Wilson went into the
building, where the cuts on his scalp
were attended to. He said he had no in
tention of using his revolver. During
the struggle it had become partly
loosened in his pocket and showed. He
had only pushed il back in his pocket SO
that it should not fall to the sidewalk.
General Boyce SAID that he was stand
ing in front of No. A North Spring
street talking to some friends when Mr..
Wilson came up and said: "You had an
article in the paper this morning that did
me an Injustice
Continuing General Boyce said: 'I
told him to come up to tho office snd /
| would correct H. He than askad If WAS