The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-12-25
THE LAMPPosT WAS LOADED.
1t Started a Fight and Landed Quartet
In the Gutter.

1t Started Fight and Landed a Quartet
In the Gutter.
grounded electric light wire made
things decidedly lively around the south
east corner OF Madison street and Wabash
avenue just before midnight. The big iron
lamppost got in the circuit and shocked
Every one who got near enough to receive
the current.
The trouble began when two men got
OIL car at the corner. They were just
drunk enough to be quarrelsome, and the
lamppost was loaded.
"Wait while I strike a match, )" said
one man.
He essayed to strike it on the lamp
pose. The next second something struck
him, and he sat down suddenly and with
unnecessary violence When he got up,
he was mad. Something had struck him.
There was nothing in sight but the lamp
post and the other man. 1t couldn't have
been the lamppost, SO it must have been
the other man. Whereupon he struck the
other man ON the nose, and the two went
down in heap.
There is mailbox on that lamppost.
John Collins is mail carrier. who has
the task of clearing that box. The other
two men had rolled into the gutter and
were fighting weakly. Uncle Sans man
was in hurry, and he took little notice of
the struggling pair. He drew a copper
key from his pocket, which was attached
by steel chain to his suspender button.
After arranging his mailsack he inserted
the key in the box, gave a wild yell and
collapsed into his mailbag He broke his
key chain in the fall and also broke the
current, but he wasn't thinking of cleo
tricity when he got up; he was thinking
that one OF those two men in the gutter
had kicked him on the shins, wherefore he
fell upon the men in the gutter with both
feet and a mailsack.
Over on the other corner central detail
policeman saw the disturbance and came
own. He asked what the trouble was, and
the carrier said he wanted those two men
arrested for delaying the United States
mails. One of the men had full Nelson
on the other and wouldn't break it.
"Ye won't break away, won't ye?" said
the officer as he drew his club and braced
himself against the lamppost.
Something dropped just then, and the
policeman rose slowly from a puddle and
rescued his club from a cable car
Tt was banana peel, he said briefly,
and went back to the fighters.
The mail carrier got another shock while
he was trying to open the box and stood
back considering the thing. A girl trip
ped out Of the Continental hotel and when
she caught the current screamed and said
it was a shame to heat mailboxes like that.
Then the policeman braced himself for a
great effort. He caught hold of the lamp
post and the two men at the same time,
yelled, and landed in the same old puddle.
As he gathered himself up great white
light struck him, and he went and called
the wagon. The wagon came; its men
investigated; got shocked; reported to GEN.
trail, and the electrician shut off 45 of the
city's electric lights.
Then peace reigned on the corner OF
Madison street and Wabash avenue, but a
mail carrier lost Is minutes, policeman
soiled his uniform and hurt his feelings,
and two friends fought. Also Wabash av-
enue, Madison, Monroe and jackson streets
were dark for blocks for the rest of the
night. Chicago Tribune