Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-07-07
FouRTH or july EIGHT
Bloody Riot ut Brandywine Sprin
in Which Several Persons Were ia,


A Bloody Riot ut iirandywine Springs,
in Which Several Persons Were Badly
Hurt.
The Grand Army held celebration
upon the picnic grounds at Brandywine
Springs, Monday afternoon, and
sham battle took place between divisions
of the veterans. During the battle in
the field above the picnic grounds, a
free fight, which eliminated in riot,
was started by gang of hoodlums
whom an eye witness says embarked
from the neighborhood of Hedgeville in
this city. Whites and blacks fought
until they could fight no longer, or until
they became exhausted from loss of
blood and had to be carried away. Two
negroes were beaten almost to insensi-
bility, and one of them crawled away
from the scene of the fighting upon his
hands and knees. Rum flowed freely
during the afternoon and was leading
factor in one of the disgraceful atfrays.
James Tweney, who is engaged as fore
man of f. Blumenthal e. Co.'s morocco
establishment, at Lancaster avenue and
| Monroe street, was found az Front and
Market streets about 8 o'clock last even
ing, suffering from injuries received at
| the riot. He had just returned from the
| grounds. He was taken to the police
station in patrol wagon to have his in
| juries dressed. Tweney was covered
with blood aud presented shocking
spectacle. A deep cash was noticed on
top of his head, which bled copously.
His hair was matted with gore, his shirt
front and his coat and vest were satu-
rated and his face was covered with
| streaks of blood. His right hand was
sweiled to twice its normal size. When
asked who his assailants were Tweney
said they were Constable Brown and his
two brothers. He added, ~ know who
they are, and | propose to get sqaure
with them"
Iweney said that when he went out
to the grounds he saw gang Of toughs
from Hedgeville beating number of
men whom he knew. He attempted to
act as pcacemaker, and the ASSISTANTS
turned on him. Tweney said that two
negroes were beaten by the gang almost
to death. 1T is id shame" he
added, "the way they beat those men.
They knocked them down and then
| jumped on them and stamped them
with their feet. l saw one 'nigger' with
his head right in the mud, while the
L
He was covered with blood. Another
was SO badly beaten that he crawled
away on his hands and knees under the
! pavilion, 1t was All awful fight I'll
attend TO the three fellows who assaulted
me. was sitting on the railing at the
depot when they came up behind me and
threw me oil on my head. | fell on u
stone pile. could have licked them
| al Ian tait haI, Il
me. | settled one fellow, Exhibiting
his swollen hand); pasted him right in
the jaw"
Tweney said there were three bars in
full go on the grounds, and tina: they
were promptly closed as soon as the
fighting began. Several police officers
who heard rweney's statement said
that they saw Constable Brown in
this city in the afternoon. The names
of the two colored men or the other
white men injured could not be learned.
An aged white man was brought to this
city about z o'clock that night with his
head frightfully gashed. He was weak
and scarcely able to walk. His name
could not be learned.
Mayor Wiley, who was on the
grounds, said he did not see the fight.
| IlC was uppbhlel W lOE OlllCSrS, DuI lie
had no authority there, he said, and was
powerless.
James Glenn of No. sol West Fourth
! street, this city, was one of the men
injured in the disgraceful affair. Glenn
went out to the grounds with his two
grand-daughters. When the fight began
he gave his grand daughters some money
and sent them to an ice cream booth while
he awaited their return. During the fight
a drunken negro threw an empty beef
bottle at another colored man and the
missile struck Glenn on the left side Of
the head and face, cutting frightful
cash and causing blood to flow freely
Glenn was brought to this city at Gas
O'Clock that evening and taken to his
home. lie was very weak and ex'
hausted but will recover. Two othel
men came to this city badly cut and
bruised aad were sent to their homes.
CONSTABLE BROWNS STATEMENT.
Constable Isaac h. Brown approached
a GAZETTE reporter on Tuesday morn,
ing and stated that he desired to deny
the statement of John Tweney to the
effect that Brown had assaulted him a,
Brandywine Springs Monday. Con
stable Brown said: ~ never struck
Tweney and do not know the man.
never saw him before. | was out al
Brandywine Springs but did not see the
fight. wish you would deny this.
wasn't in the fight at all"