The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-03-23
A BLOODY FIGHT


tan Police and Mob of Desperate
Italia s-Several on Both sides Serious
ly Injured. and Sixty of the Rioters Ar
rested-Police Billies and Italians
Heads Broken.
NEW YORK, March IA mob of
Italians and a squad of police had a
hand-to-hand fight just before dark
last evening at the corner of First
avenue and One Hundred and Thir-
teenth street. Blood flowed freely and
two of the policemen were pretty well
used up. while two of the Italians are
in the hospital and many others have
bandaged heads. Sixty prisoners were
captured and are now locked up in the
East One Hundred and Fourth-street
station house.
The cause of the trouble was the
crap-shooting Of lot of italian boys
who infest the greater part of the up
town Little Italy, The boys were
especially roublesome yesterday after
noon and citizens complained to the
police about the disorder they Gre
ated there. Sergeant Norton then de-
tailed Policemen Motfet. johnson and
Garvey to go out in civilian dress and
arrest the offenders. The men made
their way to East One Hundred and
Thirteenth street and First avenue and
proceeded to arrest two youngsters.
As the men were not in uniform
their purpose in being on the
block was not suspected until
they laid hands on the boys.
The moment they did so, however,
the Italians who were lettering about
saw there was trouble in store for the
boys and Vincenzo Bianco, a big Ttal-
ian, made a set for Moffet and knocked
him down. In an instant Biano was
joined by others who jumped on
Garvey and johnson. The policemen
fought hard and were repeatedly
felled- with stones and bricks. They
were fighting, however. against ever
increasing odds, and we're forced to re-
tire and hurry back to the station
house for assistance. In the mean
time the boys they had arrested es.
capped
At the stationhouse Sergt Norton
had been informed of the riot by a
citizen, and he had just started out
with a squad of reserves numbering
twenty-four men as the wounded po-
licemen returned from the fight.
Moffet and Garvey were too badly
used up to enter the conflict again,
but Johnson, who had escaped with
comparatively slight injuries, returned
with the reserves to help identity the
rioters. The squad did doublc-quiek
over. to First avenue, and then took
cars to One Hundred and Thirteenth
street There the mob was waiting for
them, and free fight began Several
pistol shots were fred by the rioters,
and bricks and stones and clubs were
brought into play The police did not
spare their efforts in telling blows
with their short sticks, and the rioters
fell to the pavement thick and fast.
Meantime, the most intense excite
ment prevailed in the entire neighbor-
hood. The windows in the tenement
houses on either side of the street were
filed with women, who urged on the
men with their cries.
But the police succeeded is getting
the best of the fight after a few min
utes and arrested forty persons, whom
they took to the station house. Then
they went back to the scene and took
twenty more, making total of sixty
in all.
When searched ten partly loaded re-
volvers were found upon the prisoners
and nearly twice as many knives
Several of the Italians required the
services of an am bulance surgeon, and
two, Nicola Banco and Frank
Comancho, were sent to the Harlem
hospital. Moffet and Garvey, the
policemen were so badly hurt that
they were granted sick leave.
Several of the prisoners were
found concealed in saloons, whose pro-
prietors were arrested. In the con-
fict many of the 'billies' which the
police carried were broken.