The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-16
JOHNSON-LANDIS.
A Friend of the Former Gives His YER
sion of the Trouble in Lake County.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
In anticipation of the convention at Crown
Point on last Saturday, to select delegates
to the Republican congressional convention
in the Tenth district, the friends of Johnson
as we'll as the friends of Lands had char
tered a special train to carry their adher-
ents to Crown Point. The train that was
10 carry the Johnson men was to leave
Hammond somewhere from 10 to IL o'clock.
The Erie company furnished the train, and
had the management and control of 1t. AT
the appointed time the friends of Johnson,
TO the number of something over eight
hundred, gathered at the depot and entered
the train, which was waiting to carry them
to Crown Point. They completely filled the
cars, leaving merely standing room. and
were carried TO Crown Point, reaching that
place some time before II o'clock. where
the occupants of the cars disembarked and
went up to the courthouse square. Imme-
diately thereafter the train returned to
Hammond, a distance Of sixteen miles, and
the agent of the railway company at that
place rendered to Mr.. Lands and his adj
herents the train. MIR. Lands and his
friends refused to take IL or have anything
to do with il. The train was ready to leave
again for Crown Point at twenty minutes
to l o'clock. The convention was TO con-
vene at Crown Point at l o'clock. but the
chairman or the central committee, II. II.
Wells. held off and did not call the meeting
TO order until 2:30 o'clock, awaiting in the
meantime the coming or Mr.. Lands ana
his friends. AT hat hour Mr.. Wells re-
ceived q dispatch from A +. Knots. of
Hammond, who was one OF the chief man.
ayers for Mr.. Lands. stating that they
would not come TO the conventions; that
they would or had held a convention of
their own. 1t now appears that. as a mat
ter of fact, LandiS'S friends went to the
opera house in Hammond, organized what
they were pleased to style a convention,
lected delegates, appointed a ommitt on
resolutions, prepared and adopted resolu-
tons and adjourned prior TO twenty min
utes to !. so that their secretary, Mr.. Fried
", together with a few other of Mr.. Lam
dis's friends, boarded this special train and
went to Crown Point upon il, and were
there long before the convention was called
70 order. 1t is charged that Mr.. Landis's
friends, at the outside, did not exceed 150;
in fact. good judges say not over seventy
Ave. and IL is surmised that the real rea-
son for their not attending the convention
was that, knowing the friends of Johnson
were from that city and township, and
numbered over eight hundred. it would be
useless for so small a number TO contest
with them. Johnson had nothing 10 do with
chartering the train, with paying for 1t or
with it's management, and. in fact, was
not at Hammond on the occasion, he having
left there on Friday evening and remained
at Crown Point until after the convention
adjourned at that place. There were no
cars attached to the train that were not
furnished by the railroad company to the
friends of Johnson for their use to go to
Crown Point, and every car on the train
was filed 10 Its utmost capacity. There
was no attempt to take any cars away
merely for the purpose of preventing Mr..
Iandis's friends from occupying them.
IOgansDort. Ind. Nav 10.