The Indianapolis journal., 1894-04-04
One Man Shot to Death, Three More
Fatally Wounded and Two Others
''Plunked" with Bullets.
OVER 100 SHOTS EXCHANGED
Result of Bitter Feeling Engen.
dered During the Campaign,
Which eliminated When the Two Re-
ligiOus Factions Met at the POlls-Re-
sponsibility Disclaimed by Both.


olics came together in a bloody conflict at
the polls in this city to-day. 1t cannot be
stated which side is responsible for the
affray, as the partisans of each loudly
charged the other with being the cause of
the trouble. More tkan one hundred shots
were exchanged between the combatants in
less than that many seconds and when the
firing ceased the following named were ly-
ing dead, dying or injured ON the pave
ment
MIKE CALLAHAN, city sidewalk in
spector, shot through right side; killed.
HARRY FOWLER, laborer, shot through
the back; will die
CON BROSNAHAN, contractor shot
through the kidneys; will die.
JERRY PATE, deputy constable, shot in
the face; will die
PATRICK FLEMING, shot in the left
shoulder.
JOHN MGOvERN. laborer, shot through
the right arm.
The riot was the elimination of bitter
feeling which had been manifested by ac-
ton and words ever since the polls opened
this morning. The two antagonistic ele>
ments were solidly divided in their choice
Of candidates for Mayor. The aggressive
support that each side gave to it's candi-
dates during one Of the hottest campaigns
ever known in this city engendered q
strong sentiment of bigotry. 1t was there
fore. in no amiable mood that the workers
of the respective factions came together
at the different polling places throughout
the city, and that these workers came
expecting trouble to occur before the day
wore away, is apparent from the number
Of deadly weapons that were drawn when
the first pistol shot was fired.
The riot that resulted so fatally was the
climax Of series OF smaller riots that
took place at other points earlier in the
day between the same opposing religious
factions This riot took place on the South
west boulevard. in the Fifth ward very
close to police station No. g. and those who
took part in 1t had been heated to the fight
ing temper by reports that had been hourly
arriving at the station of brawls at other
polling places. Only one hour before, il
was known that John Cooley a stone ma
son, was shot in the back and forehead by
William Henry Walker at a voting place
at the corner of Fifth and Campbell streets
and that the row was directly due to a
fiery debate between the two men regard
ing the principles of the American Pro-
tective Association, to which Cooley was
violently opposed That Cooley was not in
stantly killed was due simply to the fact
calibre.
The American Protective Association
which supported Webster Davis, the Re
publican candidate for Mayor had its ow1
workers at the different polling places anC
they distributed in some precincts their
own tickets, bearing their candidates. name
and decorated with the American flag
James Pryor a Fifth ward politician, an
tagonistic to the A. p. A, who supported
Frank Johnson, the labor and factiona
Democratic candidate. was active at the
head of fifty constables, winch he got JUS
tice Latshaw to appoint last night. 1t wa.
said by some that these cOnStableS were
many of them, irresponsible characters and
were solely the cause of all the trouble
Consequently there were loud threats Of
mobbing them before they got to headuuar
ters after the bloody riot was over.
THE FATAL FIGHT.
1t is claimed that one Of Pryor's follower.
fired the first shot That man was Mix,
Callahan, and he was a dead man the mex
moment. Then the battle began. The dep
uty constables at this polling booth and tn,
workers of all the political factions crowd
ed together, about one hundred strong, anC
every one of them seemed to be armed
For minute or two the discharge of weap
ons sounded like a discharge of musketr,
by regiment. Hundreds of citizens gath
cred at every point of vantage to witnes.
the battle, which, however, was of shor
duration. These onlool1ers trembled will
excitement. Many of the residents alonl
the boulevard added to the general feelinI
and shouting and gesticulating wildly. Ii
less than five minutes from the time tn,
first shot was fired, however, the bluecoat!
from station No. 3 had appeared upon tn,
their first approach the fighting politica
workers ceased hostilities and made quicl
effort to hide their weapons.
Pryors men are claiming that Callahan
was an innocent victim They assert tha
it was Jerry n Pate an A. p. A. man
who fired the first shot, and that was tn
shot that killed Callahan. Pate was serv
ing a constable having been appointeC
especially by a Westport official to serve
warrant for the arrest OF James Pryor
John Pryor, his son, and Bert Pryor 70
an alleged feloniouS assault upon a citi
zen earlier in the day. Anyway, he ant
Callahan met, had some words and eithe
, one or the other fired the shot that com
menced the conflict Pryor's side Of tn
story gets some color from the fact tha
Harry Arthur, who is, however, one o
PryOrs followers, says he himself is tn
man who shot Pate in the face. Accord
ing to his story he was standing on tn
bridge that crosses o. X. creek, close [,
the scene of the riot. when Jerry Pate an,
another man came from the other end o
the bridge in buggy, with four men run
ming penlflu nlIh WHEN rate reached IN
spot where Arthur standing he jumpet
out of his buggy with a gun in hand, and
grabbing hold Of Harry McGovern, he said
Here's one OF the men are after. Tv
got warrant for your arrest
II went up to Pate and said" continue,
Arthur. =" You can't take him. Jim tTod,
stepped out too, and said: No, you can
take me, either F"
II am a deputy constable, and you'v
got to CO. replied Pate, and then turninj
TO the man in the buggy he said: 'Real
that warrant Just then Mike Callahan
came running towards us from the nortl
end OF the bridge He ran up TO Pate an,
asked him what right he had TO carry
pistol and demanded to his permit
| The two men exchanged angry words, an
then Pate aimed at Callahan and fired
| Callahan returned the fire. and then / an
/ the rest of us began to shoot. | shot Pate
While the riot in progress il is sal
that members OF the American PTotectiv
| Association telephoned to Armourdale an
! Argentine. strongholds of that order TO
| IeinfOrcementS for one thousand arme
men and that the assurance was given tha
| the men would shortly be on the way
! Members of the ~ Z. \. in this city an
/ Arnsourdale deny the truth of this story
| The affair is being heatedly discussed a
/ most all public resorts in the city to-nigh
/ and feeling runs very high.
About a dozen arrests have been made |
/ connection with the riOting on the boule
| wards. and the police are working on eV
! dence which they have gathered from IN
! men now under arrest, and IL is prOOabl