The record-union., 1892-01-02
BULLETS IN THE AIR.
Reckless Discharge of Firearms on
New Years Eve.
The Hoodlum Element In It's Glory
Pistol Bullets Fly About the
Streets-Lowry's Close Call.

New Years Eve was an unusually noisy
and turbulent one-so disgracefully so,
In fact, that there is reason to hope some
means may be found before another gen
eral holiday comes about to put a quietus
on the riotous proclivities of certain
classes.
The shades of night had hardly fallen
upon the city when guns, pistols, bombs
and all manner of firearms and explosives
were turned loose upon the public streets,
the constant roar and rattle being made
even more obnoxious by the inharmoni
Gus footing of myriads of tin horns. 1t
seemed as if about one-half the down
town male population went forth armed
with guns, pistols or horns. bent on see
ing new much noise they could make.
1t was wild night, meteorologically
and socially The wind howled and
whistled and the rain poured down, but
it could not drown the rattle and din of
firearms and horns, nor the manipulators
thereof, a fact which is, perhaps. to be
regretted.
The occasion was taken advantage of
by the tough and rowdy element, which
was in its glory, although many young
snen who lay claim to decency gave the
toughs a close race in the effort at dis
turbing the community.
Frequent telephone messages were re-
ceived at the police station, asking that
officers be sent hither and thither to sup
press hoodlum gangs that were annoying
decent citizens, but there were no officers
on hand for special duty, the few in the
pay of the city being out on their regular
duties.
wHIsTLED HIMSELF TO JAIL.
Shortly before midnight three young
men from whose general appearance bet
ter conduct might have been expected,
went through Third street, toward l.,
blowing police whistles furiously. The
male and female toughs poured forth
from the various Joints to see what
was up, and by the time the trio reached
j. street that quarter was alive with as
hard looking crowd as was ever
marched out Of penitentiary at the
morning hour for hard labor.
Captain Lee heard the whistles blowing
and ran toward l. street, but when he got
there Officers Lowell and Simmons had
Corraledtthe whistle-blowers. They were
searched then and there but only one of
the trio were found in possession of whis-
tie, and he was arrested. He gave the
name of Frank Foyer and will have a
chance to explain his conduct to-day to
Police Judge Cravens.
THE POLICE HELPLESS.
''LThis rowdyism," said Captain Lee to
3 RECoRD-UNIoN reporter, sis simply
disgraceful, but the police are helpless to
stop it. We have but few men at best
on duty at one time, and two of them are
laid up with the grip. Chief Drew is
sick a-bed, and l am out in this cold and
rain against my Doctors orders. 1t
would require ten times as many men as
we have on duty to suppress this noise
and hoodlumism, for it is going on over
half the city. Most of it is intended in a
good-natured sort of way, of course, but
1t is carried too far"
NOT SO VERY HARMLESS.
The promiscuous dlscharging of firearms
in the city on Fourth of July, Christmas
and New Years nights has become not
only nuisance to the better class of citi-
zens but positive danger to the lives of
those who are obliged to be upon the
street after night. From almost every
saloon along the downtown streets men
would last night stagger out upon the
sidewalks at intervals and blaze away
with guns or pistols. Presumably they
fired blank cartridges, but there are
alarming evidences that in too many
cases these creatures were too drunk to
know or care whether they discharged
blank cartridges or bullets. Indeed, it
was not an uncommon thing, many peo-
pie say, to hear the ominous whistling of
the latter.
ONE MANS NARROW ESCAPE.
A few doors west of the Masonic Tenn
pie, on X street, w. r. Lowry conducts
an employment office, which is also the
headquarters of the Capital Transfer
Company. Mr.. Lowry sleeps in his
office on bed-lounge. About l O'Clock
yesterday morning, while he was trying
in vain to get little rest despite the roar
Of firearms on the outside, there came a
crash through one of the glass doors, and
fragments of the glass were scattered over
his face.
He jumped up as quickly as possible
and on inspecting the door found that
bullet had crashed through the glass and
struck the wall a couple of feet above his
head as he lay upon his couch. The bull
let was found on the floor.
Later in the morning another bullet
Eole was found in the window of the ma
chine shop adjoining Lowry's place, at
about the same hight from the floor. That
bullet was also found on the floor, flat
tened from its contact with the heavy
glass and the wall.
Lowry says he saw the flashes from the
pistols as they We're discharged, and
heard the noisy shooters as they went by.
That people were not shot on the street is
almost miraculous, for long-loaded pis-
tolls were emptied recklessly by half
drunken men who utterly ignored the
existence OF law against such practices.
ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS
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