The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-02-15
CANNON'S BLOODY NOSE.


Ho Gets II in nm Encounter with an lllt-
nois state sanNtoP.
spnlNaFIELD, ILL.,. Feb. l2.-statesmen's
gore was shed profusely at the LELAND no.
tel during the week. Senator George Ba-
con, Of Edgar county, and Congressman
elect Joe Cannon came to blows In the
lobby, and when the smoke OF battle
cleared away the latter lay weltsrinQ In his
own blood on the tiled floor with several
large and painful Jumps GU his forehead.
The snoounteR between the two republican
politicians occurred in the presence of a
large crowd. who became greatly excited,
ana taking aides In the row 10 looked for a
minute a. though the fight might become
here to see what the apportion.
msnt committees intend to do with
his district. stood at tho cashiers
window paying his bill. Senator
Bacon passed by on his way to the cloak
room to GET his overcoat. suddenly there
was q scuille and a fall. and when the by
standers recovered their breaths Cannon
Ivy on his back on the floor with the blood
streaming from his nose through his gray
beard. while on his forehead was = deep
gash whe' his head struck the hard tiles.
HE struck me fl st; l only defended my
SELF" cried Senator Bacon. standing over
the form of his prost ate foe.
The congressman-elect WAS past speech
for the momen He was badly hurt. Rep
resentative John Meyer. Of Chicago, and
Cannon to his feet and led him to a neigh
boring chair. where he sat down and leaned
his mutilated hend against the wall. II
hardly know how it happened" said the
congressman-elsct feebls, wiping away the
blood that still poured from the wounds On
his nose and forehead, II was standing at
the window paving my hotel bill when
some one ran against me, almost knocking
me off my feet. / whirled around and said:
DO You want all the room?' The next
minute was struck a terrible blow on the
nose, and down ! went with a crash. 1t
is not true that ! struck him first. /
didn't raise my hand. and. in fact, had NO
time to do anything before was knocked
down."
Eye witnesses OF the ARRAY tell a differ
struck at Senator Bacon while the latter
was passing and that Bacon struck bnck,
and in the heat of passion put more force
into his blow perhaps than WAS necessary
to ward off the attack, for the congressman
elect is an elderly man, while the senator
from Edgar county is a stalwnrt young
lawyer nearly six feet tall and with muscles
Of iron.
After Cannon had told his story to the
crowd of bystanders, he retired to the wash
room and removed the blood stains from
his face. He pulled his soft hat we'll down
over the cash in his forehead, but could not
conceal the ualy looking cut on his nose.
He intended to have Senator Bacon ar
rested for assault. but finally thought bet
ter of it. Then he finished paying his bill
and left the hotel. Two big color ed potters
mopped up the blood from the floor and all
traces of the brief but exciting ses-to were
invisible.
There has been a deadly feud between the
two men for somo time. and despite the
fact that both are republicans each has
done all he could do to accomplish the
others defeat in the last run for Office. In
the late campaign Senator Bacon made
several speeches against Cannon, and the
latter invaded Edgar county and brought
all his influence to bear to prevent the soma
tors reelection.