Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-04-07
RIOT AND BLOODSHED.
Fatal Conflicts Between Political |
Factions at Kansas City, Mo.
One Man Instantly Killed, Three Mortaily
Wounded and Two Others Seriously
Hurt-Three Men Shot While
Working Mt the Polls
in Chicago.

preceding yesterdays election was one
of the most bitter and hard fought in
the history of the city. The officers
elected are mayor, treasurer, auditor,
police judge, city attorney and fifteen
councilmen. There were five tickets
in the field, the regular democratic,
the johnson democratic, the republic
an, the partisan and the labor.
The A. p A. question figured to some
extent as an issue in the campaign and
the contest has been very bitter, espe-
cially between the two democratic fac
tions
The exciting events of the day cul-
minated at Q o'clock in the afternoon
in a riot in the Fifth ward. One man
was instantly killed, three received
mortal injuries and two were seriously
wounded. 7 his is the list of fatalities:
Mike Callahan shot through the right side
and instantly killed.
Perry Fowler, shot through the back, will die
Con Bronsnohan, shot in kidneys, will proba-
bly, die
Patrick Fleming, shot in left shoulder, will
| recover.
John McGovern, shot through right arm
Jerry Pate, deputy constable, shot in the
| face, will die
Monday night, Justice Latshaw,
warm supporter of Frank Johnson for
mayor, at the request of Jim Pryor, a
| Fifth ward politician, commissioned
about fifty of Pryor's followers as dep
| uty constables. In the morning the
Pryor gang were on hand early fighting
| for johnson. Six of the gang assaulted
a negro named Andy Rowlett and
gang assaulted Mr.. Wagner. Late in
the forenoon a gang of them beat up a
! party of young men from Westport. A
warrant was issued by Justice Willis
| for the arrest of several of the gang
and Constable Jerry Pate was sent to
arrest them.
Tuesday afternoon the Davis and
Cooper men came back armed and when
Pate arrived there were 200 or more
men, nearly all of them heavily armed
and ready for trouble
Just how the fight began no one
seems able to tell, but Mike Callahan,
one of the Pryor crowd, is said to have
fred the first shot. Instantly two
dozen guns were drawn and the shoot
ing became general. The firing lasted
but short time and over 100 shots
were fred. The police arrested nine
men, all deputy constables.
CHICAGO, April 4.-Blood was spilled
in the First ward of this city yester-
day. Voting and drinking began early.
Shooting, fighting and wholesale ar
rests followed in quick succession.
The riotous scenes in the worst part of
the ward known as the "Levee" dis
trict, have not been equalled on an
election day for many years. The
trouble was expected on account of
the aldermanic factional fight between
bath house John Coughlin, a candi-
date for reelection, and Bill Skakel,
an independent democratic candidate.
The republicans, who voted for j. Irv-
ing Pearce, proprietor of the Sherman
house, We're not molested. Two men
were shot, one of them twice, but
neither will die. Scores of workers
hired by both factions were involved in
the street and polling-place fights and
the Harrison street police station was
filed when the polls closed.
The first shooting fight began before
noon outside of the polling place at 40
Clark street. Peter DePonte, French
man, came to the polls wearing a
Coughlin badge. A gang of Skakel
hoodlums tried to take it from him and
he resisted. Then he was assaulted,
knocked down in the street, beaten and
kicked in a brutal manner. When he
was allowed to get up the Skakel gang
prepared for general fight, several
drawing their pistols. Lewis Luther,
colored man, shot John Dee, a bar
tender and one of the chief lieutenants
for Coughlin, in the thigh. He fred
another shot which lodged in Dee's
shoulder The shooting brought the
police to the scene and shooting and
: fighting came to an end.
The second shooting occurred near
by, in front of the polling place at
Taylor street and Plymouth Place.
William Marshall, Cougblin heeler,
fired the first shot He aimed his re-
volver at Sam Phillips, colored work
er for Skakel, but the bullet missed,
going through the window of house
and almost killing woman who sat
at the window watching the row. Be-
fore Phillips could draw his gun Mar
shall fred again. The bullet went wide
of its mark. Then Phillips drew his
! weapon and fred at Marshall, hitting
him in the fieshy part of the leg. Mar
shall quickly returned the fire, hitting
Phillips in the thigh, but not seriously
wounding him. After the bullets had
been extracted both shooters were
taken to the police station and locked
) up, charged with shooting with intent
} to kill.
Repeating on large scale and in the
{ most brazen manner was charged
: against the democrats. The returns
from almost every precinct show that
Coughlin's forces remained in posses
+ sion from the opening to the closing oi
, the polls.
: The new council will stand 42 repub
. Leans to 26 democrats, the newly
a elected aldermen being % republicans
and II democrats.
Terrible Disaster.