The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-06
ChiISSo'S icefd Of Aldermen Engage
In q Small Riot.
SELECTION OF MAYOR PRO TEN
flords the City Fathers an opporiunity
TO Indulge In AN Eshibition Of brute
Force Instead OF Parliamentary Gsc-
tics-sFuch 4 xcitement.

dalized Saturday by shameless r'ot IN
the council cha,nter over the POSSESSION OF
q dead mans r5sitioa. The builG'ng in
which the remains Of the murdered mayor
lay in state only tnrse days ago was black
ened in name by the most disgraciul exel'
tition ever witnessed in the city
By an audaoicus move the democratic
minority In the city council seized the
chairmanship 0. ths special meeting and
ran things with high hand. The repub'
licans, under the leadership OF Alderman
Swift, nlet force with force.
Hostilities were commenced in the coun-
Gil chamber right from the jump. The
republicans had assembled in the ante
room TO consult over a variety of hair
splitting interpretations OF the rules, and
when they filed into the council chamber
In response to an announcement that the
democrats were hurrying through the roll
call the sig was up" with them.
Alderman McGillen WAS half way up the
steps to the platform upon which the pre-
siding officer sits before any of the republic
cans could collect their senses In another
instant he had the gavel
The next instant he was pushing Alder
man Hepburn back, that gentleman hav-
ing been nominated for the same Office by
his republican coniereres.
Alderman Hepburn, failing to get on
the platform, made a drive at Assistant
Clerk Neumeister, who sits directly in
front of the chairman.
A moment later Neumeister was reading
a resolution. Alderman Madden read one
Of the same from his seat.
Nobody could hear what the resolutions
were, but when they were read the two
chairmen put the questions on their adop-
tion. Both were adopted, but the din
never stopped for a second
Alderman Swift thereupon sent reso-
luton to be read. Alderman Hepburn
took IL and began reading, when Clerk
Neumeister seized it from his hand, tore
it to pieces and contemptuously threw it
on the floor.
Maddened with rage, Alderman Swift
stepped down the aisls and clambering
over the heads of the reporters, jumped
from the rail upon Neumeister's back.
The act was done so quickly that nobody
could have stopped it. The force of his
jump carried him clear over Neumeister's
head and before he could return to the
charge, somebody got between the men.
Instantly the platform and the steps
leading thereto were swarming with strug-
Cling men.
How 1t happened that no blood was shed
at this point in the row will ever remain
mystery. Fifty men, insane with anger.
were massed together in apparently mex
tricable entanglement.
A resolution calling for q special elec-
tion December 18 to I'LL the unexpired
term Of the Office Of mayor of the city of
Chicago, occasioned by the death of Hon.
Carter Fl. Harrison, was finally adopted
and then the presentation of resolution
to elect mayor pro tenn. BY secret ballot
was carried.
The result of the balloting was handed
to Chairman McGillen.
"Sixty-eight ballots were cast" he said;
''there has been no election"
Alderman Kent argued that but sixty
seven votes were cast and that Swift had
majority.
1uc CuuiE TciuStu w COuciccT 4 budb
way, however, ard insisted that sixty
eight had voted.
Mr.. Kent asked that the record show
that Alderman Swift was elected, but the
chair refused.
II appeal from ithe decision" said Al
derman Kent
The chair put the appeal, but refused to
allow roll call.
Alderman Madden then moved an ad-
journment and called for vote, and the
chair refused to permit roll call on the
motion.
The republicans left the room. The
democrats made show of proceeding to
an election, but found they had no
quorum, when an adjournment was taken.
After leaving the council chamber Al
derman Swift proceeded to the county
clerks Office, where he took the oath of
Office before Comfy Clerk Wulf and gave
bond with John II. Smythe and Martin S.
Madden as sussties.