The record-union., 1895-12-18
THE LITTLE OLD OClAGON CHURCH.
Once the Scene of a Ball and a Bar
room Fight.
An Incident of the Free-and- Easy Days
in the Early History of
the City.

If all the curious "reminiscences OF the
old-time residents of the city and
county could be gathered as they are
told at their nightly gatherings in the
back room of the Pioneer building, they
would make interesting reading. None
of them has better store of these old
memories than Charles Petit, whose
sketches have so often appeared in the
| Record Union. In a conversation the
other day about old-time incidents, Mr..
Petit said:
1.-The other day. while party of Pho
neer friends were seated around the
| dinner table, the matter under discus
sion being of early days, the gentle
man who sat next to me inquired II
remembered the old octagon church
that used to stand on L street, between
Eleventh and Twelfth, on a lot which
now forms a part of Capitol Park. I
answered in the affirmative, and said
that anyone ought to remember it after
attending the ball that took place there
one night over thirty years ago.
! What exclaimed one of the ladies,
present, with some spirit, A ball in a
church, Who ever heard of such a
! thing?
Yes 1 replied, and not only that,
but there was a bar kept there, also,
and on the night of the ball a bloody
fight took place in the barroom of the
church.
That was scandalous! exclaimed
all the ladies in chorus, but when
assured them it was a fact, they all
agreed that / should give the partic-
ulars Of the affair to the Record Union
so we can all see them! as they eX-
/ pressed it. To this l consented, provid-
! ed l could recall all the incidents. To
the best of my recollection, it was about
in this way:
when the trenches were being dug
and the foundation for the State Capt.
| toll laid, the church being unoccupied,
| it was converted into a boarding house
| and barrOom for the Workmen. Dick
! Johnston, a well-knoWn hotel keeper
| in those days, was proprietor and land
lord. 1 being an old friend of Dicks, he
invited me to the ball, and l went to see
the fun. 1 found a little more than L
expected.
Every thing went on all right, how
ever, until about IL o'clock, when the
vile stuff which the bartender was deal
ing out for whisky began to get in its
work The spacious barroom was
packed with half-craZed and half
drunken men, when a fight was started
among the crowd. The hot stove was
overturned and its legs and pipe were
vigorously used in the fight. When l
! locked in the room was filled with a
dense smoke from the overturned stove,
and everybody seemed to be striking
Unfortunately right and left until
they became exhausted and stopped to
take breath.
1.-The landlord during this time was
standing upon a chair, shouting at the
top of his voice: Boys, behave your
selves, Oh it, why don't you be-
have?' to which entreaty the boys paid
not the slightest attention.
THE fight continued in this manner,
with short intermissions, for an hour
or more with Indifferent result, when
the combatants grew desperate. Then
knives were used unsparingly and blood
flowed freely Still the fight continued.
The badly wounded We're carried into
the ballroom, which was converted into
| a receiving hospital.
THUS matters stood when the police
arrived and put a stop to the carnival
| The physicians were then called in and
worked all night faithfully on the
wounded, who were not a few.
THE most amusing part of the whole
| affair to me was when 1 was about
| leaving (Which, of course, was before
the police arrived. had reached the