The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-12
THE COURT HOUSE ROUNDUP
Another Wild Scramble for Positions in
The Line Of Tax PAYERS.

trancs-A Cannonade Of Fire Crackers
Finishes the Job-The Police Called
On for Assistance-Ths Myers Men
Complain That the Police Were
Against Them-H. Z. Dreeson CharE e
James Mcbride with Drawing Pts
toll On Him.
There was another grand political jam
boree at the court house yesterday morn
ing. The fighting was more desperate.
/ and there was more bad feeling displayed
| than on any previous day. Before day
break a crowd Of Myers workers had
/ assembled at the Drayton street entrance
to the court house. Having been given
/ TO understand that the arrangements Of
[ the previous day would be continued.
and this door opened first, they were
I determined not to get left at this door
a second time.
There were about fifty negroes in the
crowd. and a few white men. Maurice
Buttimer and Henry Dreeson are said
to have been in charge Of this work. The
crowd had things all their own way until
about 7:30 o'clock, when "AIcBride's 400"
which had been notified of the state of
| affairs. arrived in force. The Mcbride
men stood not upon ceremony. but at
tackled the Myers crowd, tooth and toe
nail. They showed, pushed and hauled
them out Of line, and occasionally slugged
them by way of variety. The Myers lead
ers telephoned the police barracks for
assistance, and Mounted Officer Fulton
was sent down. When he arrived and
saw the crowd he had to deal with he
rode back to the barracks and secured
officers Spencer and Neidlinger with
whom he returned to the court house. The
three officers endeavored to reduce the
crowd to order. Sergt Killourhy came up
about this time and the Myers men COM
planned to him that the policemen were
forcing their men out of the line. The
sergeant instructed the officers that they
were there to preserve order and not to
aid either side. AS soon as Sergt Kill
/ lourhy left the Duncan men renewed the
/ attack upon their opponents. There was
considerable gang of negroes, however,
/ who managed to maintain their places at
/ the entrance in spite Of the efforts to dis
/ place them.
The Duncan men saw that they must
/ do something to displace them and a coun-
| ell Of war was held. 1t did not take long
to devise plan. one man left the crowd
/ and went down town Presently he re-
/ turned with a box under his arm about
| foot long by six inches at the end. 1t
/ proved to be a box of cannon crackers,
/ the largest to be had in town. The pop
/ pers were unpacked and before the ne
/ groes around the entrance caught on TO
what was UP the frecrackers had been lit
and thrown right among them. They went
| of with terrific noise. Most of the ne
/ groes thought the Mcbride crowd had
/ opened fire on them with pistols and fed
/ Unfortunately. Only two negroes were
| left clinging to the iron railing in front
| OF the entrance and the Mcbride men took
their places in triumph and held the posi-
uon they occupied until the door was
| opened. Some idea of the struggle which
went on can be gathered when it is stated
! mat the iron railing in front of the en-
trance was bent and twisted by the strug-
giles of the crowd as they showed against
| it,.
Lieut.. Reilly arrived with his squad
| about $50 o'clock. He addressed the
crowd at the entrance, and told them
1 mat the door would not be opened until
the crowd behaved itself in an orderly
manner. A number of the white Myers
| workers had arrived by this time. and
| We're making desperate efforts to get to
| the door. The crowd Quoted down a
| little, and Janitor Donovan came out
| TO open the gates. His appearance was
| the signal for a wild scramble on tba
part of the partisans to get to the front.
The janitor being wise in his genera
ton said nothing, hut put the keys in his
| pocket, and marched back into the court
house. This made the crowd feel bad
and had the effect of causing
them to quiet down somewhat Tho
next event on the programme
was the appearance of Mr.. w. p. Bailey.
clerk of the city court and Mr.. Murphy
of Clerk j. X. p. Carr's office. who adj
dressed the crowd and appealed to it to
be more orderly When the gates opened
the Duncan men were well in the lead
James Mcbride being at the head
A very interesting little event occurred
just here Some of the officials inside the
court house had been awaiting the de-
movement for some time. Some time he
lore th9 door opened it was discovered
that there We're several parties on the
inside of the county treasurer's ofics
Ihis was strictly against orders. as no
one is allowed to enter the court housa
before o'clock, except the officials and
the employees. A close watch was kent
on the door, and the policeman in the
coffldOr was notified to look ont for the
appearance of parties coming ont Of tbe
ueasurefS office. When the Dravton
street door was opened, and the Duncan
men came down the corridor at the head
OF the line the door of the treasurer's
S'i'NS 'PS4ShS anu uNe men dashed OItt
ana took places at the head of the line
at the tax collectors office The Duncan
men caught on at once. and the way they
seized hold of those five Myers men and
uashed them around was a caution. Had
II not been for the Interference of the
police the men might have been seriously
hurt. As it was only two of them man
aged TO maintain their places in line
! ChaIies Heron, Duncan man was
nearly choked to death in the melee He
was taken into Capt Dillon's office. Drs
summons and Dunn were called to attend
nm, and succeeded in bringing him
around. Heron looked as if he had been
cone Tor when he was first taken out of
me me. There were several parties who
suffered minor injuries in the struggle in
the corridor and at the entrance. one
man was said TO have had his hand bitten
through. John Deignan was sent to the
barracks, charged with being drunk and
alsorderly, and abusing an officer while
in the discharge of his duty.
Lieut. Reilly introduced an innovation
by having each side appoint two represen-
lauVes 10 watch the line and see that there
was no unfairnRSs nv