Little Falls weekly transcript., 1894-12-28
Aa% " .nT u 4 !.
ROYALTON'S DISGRACE.
The Hcts Of . Gang OF Royalton
Toughs Deserve Prompt, !.
Punishment. <>
=. :a.g "t.~. n &F -7---9 - < &.'..T t -%
Mat Newman and His Wife
Suffering From the Effects
~, of the attack on Them
..,+ %4 lT,t'' -
Hotel Rivalry and a High Board
Fence Causes the Trouble
j. Two Arrests.,


The hard feeling and quarreling
between Landlord Henry Hammond,
" of the Merchants hotel, and Land
lord Mat Neuman, OF the CONNER
cial hotel in the same village, have
been 50 we'll known in Royalton,
that the enormity Of the outrageous
attack ON Neuman and his wife last
Friday evening was sloW in making
an Impression ON the people of that
village. .-.'-.
Neuman and his wife heaSd
crowd of men destroying their fence
on Friday night, and when they
went out to stop it, they were taken
prisoners by the gang, and gagged
pounded and roughly handled and
kept out in the cold night air with
scarcely any clothing ON for about
All hOur. The NeWlnans are both
confined to their beds, and their con-
ditiOn is serious.
INTENSE RIVALRY.
In nearly all business lines in Roy
alton there is all intense rivalry,
which often extends into Il personal
feeling between proprietors, and the
lines are often strictly drawn be-
tween their friends and the friends OF
un opponent or competitor. This
feeling is taken often into social, po-
litical and other public questions.
and there is nearly always one
crowd trying to get the better OF
another in some quite unimpOrtant
matter. Sometimes it is one quarrel.
and sometimes another, but usually
of late there has been considerable
public interest over succeeding local
disputes.
HOTEL TROUBLES.
For the past few years Newman
has been proprietor Of the CONNER
cial hotel, and a few months ago
Hammond leased the Merchants
hotel from l.. d. Forbes, the owner,
and has since had charge Of it. The
hotels are situated ON adjoining lots,
not much over so feet apart. They
are both second class hotels. their
patronage being of farmers, labor
ers. and the class of transients that
desire prices lower than those Of
the best hotel of the village. Ham,
mond was certainly "hustler' for
business, and would greet strangers
on the street and ask them to come
to his house, and do so i'll the neigh
borhood of Newman's hotel.
THE HIGH FENCE.
The feeling between the hotel keep
ers increased until about two
months ago Mr.. Newman built a
tight, high-board fence on the south
line of his lot that came within a
few feet of the rival hotel. The
fence was ten feet high, and con-
cealed from view all but the upper
part of the other hotel. The fence
was between Hammond's hotel and
the business part of the village, and
ais the hotel was short distance
back from tho street it made the
fence all the more effective. The o.
fice room to the hotel was also next
to the fence. A few evenings after
the fence was built it was pulled up
entire, the ground being soft. 1T
was tipped over onto Newman s
premises. The next morning New
man rebuilt it. and braced 1t. 1T
WAS allowed to stand till last Fri
day night.
FRIDAY NIGHTS ROW:
Soon after y O'Clock on Friday
night Mr.. Newman, who had gone
TO bed. heard the noise OF active
saws in the direction OF his fence,
and slipping on his pants ana over
J shoes went out to see what the
trouble was. According to Mr.
Newman's story, when he got near
the fence he was seized by IL large
man, whom he recognized as Bert
Joslin, who attempted to choke
him. He scuffled with him for a
moment, when a smaller man
caught hold of his feet, and he was
thrown down. He was then drag
ged in front of the other hotel,
and d banda2e tied over his eyes and
mouth, and when he attempted to
cry out or struggle his head was
pounded against the frozen ground
He was also struck and kicked In
the face. Two men held him there
for a short time, and then carried
him down the railroad track and
across it to an old shed, where they
held him for Il while, and then put
him in the shed. After the Others
had sawed the fence posts Oh anc
+broun down the fence Newman