Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-12-16
A MELEE AT ENNIS.
Irish Factions Indulge in a
Fierce Row.
DILLON WOUNDED ON THE HEAD.

HUNDREDS of the Participants Keep the
Doctors Busy After the "Sheevo" Ia
Over--A Battle Royal i'm the Town Hall,
in Which he McCarthyites Pool Issues
and Blackthorns with the PoIice-The
Parnellites Beaten After a Desperate
Ruction.
DUBLIN Dee l6.-The McCarthyites held
convention and a parade at Ennis yes
terday. That is they did what they could
in that line in the intervals of fighting
the ParneliteS The beginning of the di-
version was when the procession started
The Paruelites opened the fight with 4
succession of fierce attacks upon the Nc
Carthyites, stones, brickbats and black
thorns being used in tie most effective
manner possible by both political parties.
Time and again were the Parnellites few
er in number than their opponents re-
pulsed, but each repulse seemed only To
nerve them on with renewed vigor in an
other onslaught, so some idea of the
exciting nature of the procession
may he formed. On both sides there
were, scores upon scores of wounded,
the majority of the sufferers complaining
of broken heads Windows were broken on
on all sides, doors were broken in, the PC
lice were hustled and jostled about like
corks upon an angry sea.
Effective Work by the Police.
The procession, amid groans from tsa
Parnellites, was halted at the O'Connell
monument. and there Dillon made several
attempts To address the surging crowds
around him, while the battling with the
Parnellites was continued in the streets
with the utmost vim on both sides. In
vain did the distinguished member of par
lament rise To the occasion in jaunting
car and from the foot of the monuments he
was groaned down repeatedly by the war
ring Parnelltes, who were not to be cowed
by either the constabulary or the black
thorns and brickbats of their political adj
versaries. Finally the fighting became so
general and furious that the entire local
force of constabulary, reinforced from the
outlying districts, was marched to the
scene and fought its way around the Nc
Carthyite> until it formed Gordon separ-
ating them from their enemies.
\ Notwithstanding Alliance.
Even this enforced cessation of hostilities
did not danpen the ardor of the ParnelI.
ties. They gathered their forces together,
and while the McCarthyite meeting was
being held under the protection of the po-
lice they charged upon and captured the
town hall, where they began to hold an
improvised meeting. This, however, was
more than the local authorities, to say
nothing of the Metaphysics could submit
to without a protest. Consequently they
Uhe police and McCarthyites) combined
their forces and literally stormed the town
hall. Then there WAS a scene which Will
be long remembered. The fight was one
of the hottest description while il lasted.
The Parneilites calamity contested every
inch of ground, but they were outnuEl-
bered by the police and Metaphysics COM
bned, and finally had to give way, fighting
like demons before superior forces.
Dillon severely Wounded.
The police and McCarthyites then took
possession of the hall and the Parnellites
concluded that the best fun of the day was
over. There were, it may be imagined
great many people injured during this
series of convention fights, but no deaths
from the injuries are reported. On the
other hand the local physicians have
treated several hundred bad cases of
damaged heads, in addition to paying
more or less attention to several other
hundreds of cases of slighter damages.
Dillon was one of the wounded. He il
suffering from a severe scalp wound re
ceived from stone which connected with
him near the OConnell monument.