Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-25
CHRISTMAS EVE IN FORT WORTH
THE GREATEST crowd EVER
SEEN IN THE STREETS HERE.
IL Was an Orderly, Though Not
Very quiet ThronE of humanity.
A CoIured Man Who Was shot
While Escaping Arrest.


There are more people on Man ana
Houston streets tonight than | nave
ever seen together In Fort Worth be-
fore" said chief Maddox last ng ht
standing guard in the thlckest OF the
crowd at the upper end OF 10 sion
street. The crush there was din-
ply tremendous and for a mil. up ana
down Main street It was swar.nng
with humanity and one Of the nolsisst,
best-humored crowds ever en-, alb 1t
that the greeting they were giving
Christmas was not such a one as
would have edined Philadelphia for In
stance. There were probably mJre
horns seen and heard here last night
than were present when the walls OF
Jericho fell down. II seemed tina, the
smallest people had the biggest horns,
but grown people as well as the veaiy
young men and the cAildren had them
and occasionally the lips Of ripe beau
ty would blow blast. calculated TO
set men crazy. In obedience to timely
notice promulgated fion hta quart rs,
the use of fireworks was abstained fro
In toe principal streets of the city,
though the noise of FIRE crackers and
torpedoes could be heard waking the
echoes in every direction out on tne
by-ways and in the suburbs and occa-
si1nally a shower of sparks among the
trees IN some sequ5 stored neighoornool
would sAoW where "a Roman candle dis
play was going on or the flaming OF
rocket would speak the Fourth Of July,
while a few balloons sped away irto the
Christmas sky
The crowd at the lower end of the
street was freer from drunk mess ami
brawls than Is usual on festive &C. a.
sions and In the main pretty good order
was preserved everywhere. Had this
not been the case the task of the six
policemen who were on guard wou d
have been a weary one indeed. They
had their hands full to ep the crowd
moving at all points, thus preventing
d jam. Had the people been In any
thing but the best of spirits all along
the line II would have been flicult 70.
the small police force to take care of
a fraction Of the immense G. ovid. TIL
few men who had been getting their
Christmas out Of bottle, were, as u
rule, in a Jolly good humor.
One gentleman at the corner of Ninth
and Main streets furnished quite / L
tie entertainment about shutdown. H.
got out of the way of street car In
time TO save his life though he st his
hat, for good, he seemed to think at
first. People looked on In deep sympu-
thy when he first scrambled hi ct
Ter Ii ng out of the way Of the street
car, but when he was discover in thu
act OF approaching his hat, which he
had spied lying In the street in front OF
him, the righteousness of the situation
dawned on men who had never kno yn
what 1t was to be really drunk Ac-
cording to the mans ac Ions h emp
to think that the hat was jumping
around on the ground trying to get
away from him and he under o k I
capture 1t by stratagem. Holding DO h
hands out In front u MIN he would slip
up on 1t very carefully and Just as h.
made grab at the offensive hat, when
to Is surprise seemed to skip out
OF the way, he would sprawl owe it
Then he changed his tactics and trie
to catch 1t by dashing up sudden v,
But he fell over It every tim, xcelt
the last, when after sew raj ineffe tuai
rusnes FOR the fugitive cady, he succeed
ed In getting the crazy thing on his
head ana marching off with his feet
all tangled up in a walk as crook q a.
a grapevine, while the crowd e. eered
with en- thusiasm. And there were seq.
eral funny DRINKS, but so far as re-
ported, up TO late hour but Tow of
any other kind. Some OF the PEG !,
who started In to spend their C rist
mas IN other than the proper spirit n o
now IN jall and more who are cmulatins
,hem may be there betor. morn ng,
but ON the whole 1t has been YER,
SOBER, orderly and wen behaved - wei
as a very large crowd
Ihe iirSt break in the monutnry of nm.
eV enttulness occurred shortly after 10
o'clock when negro named WIN per.
ny was shot through the right ankle
IA Tying TO escape arrest at the hands
OF O!hcer sid Waller. ACCORDING 10
The story which the darkey told 10 Dr
Mcknight, the city physician. when
ne was called to attend him. when ne
' as taken 10 tho police gfafion WIN
lam was victim Of umfortnnate cir
cnmstances. 1t seems, ACCORDING 10
us story TINT he was invited lnfn n
saxon near the Katy crossing on SIxl
teenth street In company with three
sohlpahlons' who' with himself. consti-
tult eol0red quartet. They were
maklng merry In their resonant wnv
Tor the entertainment of the nyoni,is |
tor or the saloon and his friends whe,
the oliicer appeared on the scene Of |
their bolsterous hilarity and Informed |
mem mat he would have 10 arrest
hem as their manner of celebrating
- .''AN NAa III violation OF the law |
ma the special orders which had her |
issued m regard to Just such cases |
loafkey-hke. Perry broke and ran ann |
the ohicer fired after him to sion hir,
ana whether Intentionally or NOT tbe |
bullet did not so into the ground but |
passed through the riga. ankle Of The |
Splinter. Fob de lawd, doetah." saia |
ne TO DR.. Mcknight as he law in liz. |
physlcian's Office, having his wound
dressed, bits too bad to think ahoni
pein locked up this Christmas time. AM
~ these turkeys cookin an these eul.
UNI" ""S tVr
But the wound Is not dangerous
one. ana as the darkey was reieassd
on pan, he may enjoy Christmas after
nu, but he viii not be likely to rim
when policeman wants him again
sad woman whose heart seems %
DC more fuli Of sorrow than she wishes
70 pear was also attended by DIR. Mo
knight about the same time. she hoe
been at the Woman's Home about two
weeks, and came here from penlson
sne mad recovered sufficiently from ne
Ianuence OF an overdose OF some kjnd
ot drug to give the name ''Mahei"
Mheh the doctor reached her, but smoke
70 low that he did not catch tho rest
pi me name. She will probably re.
cover, but may not.