The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-09-02
DISGRACE TO THE CITY
FREE-SILVER TOUGHS ATTACK VS.
TING DELEGATES AT THE BATES.
Police Called, but a Sergeant Orders
PatrOImen to Keep Away-TOughs
Do as They Please.

A disgraceful organized attempt to Gre
ate trouble was made by a lot of free-silver
ward heelers last night, who went among
the sound-money delegates at the different
hotels and began arguments, in the hope
that the gumen would be turned into
free-for-all fist fights. Not at one hotel,
but at three or four was this effort made.
AT the Bates House the hoodlums were more
aggressive than at any ether hosiery, and
a couple of fights were started that might
have resulted in bloodshed but for the in
reference of friends of the gold Democrats
who We're drawn into the snare so skillfully
placed for them.
Early in the evening several detectives,
two or three sergeants and patrolmen in
citizens clothing stood about the lobby.
Congressman Warner, of New York, was
quietly conversing with IA Journal reporter
and a Southern newspaper man, when a
free silverite rudely interjected questions
tending to cast a slur upon the character
and Democracy of the men engaged in the
movement. Congressman Warner took no
offense, but good naturally undertook to
answer all the questions propounded to
him. He insisted that the Democrats here
assembled constitute the true Democracy.
His questioner finally withdrew. He was
apparently d gentleman.
About the outskirts of the crowd that
surrounded them, however, lurked a num-
Der OF free-silver men, and they a~fterward
singled Mr.. Warner out and began plying
him with questions. For over an hour
Congressman Warner answered every Ques-
ton put to him, to the great delight of the
New York delegates, who We're drawn into
the rapidly increasing crowd out of curios-
ity. They cheered Mr.. Warner on, shout
ing, "Hurrah for New York" The noise
became so boisterous that guests from all
parts OF the hotel crowded into the bal
comics over the lobby.
One of the most nprSiStPnt nf Mr. Warn
ers qu~estioners was a man named Mckee.
He refused to give his name to a reporter
to get into the papers" His name was OBJ
tanned from a ~bystander who happened to
know him. Finding that he was getting
the worst of it, he Withdrew from the dis
cussion. At that time the matter was
looked upon as an amusing episode, and
Warner was called upon for a speech. He
declined to address the shouting crowd and
made his way to his room.
When he left there were a dozen or TWEEN
ty of the men in the hotel who have been
making street-corner %orations for several
weeks, and they took up the discussion
With various members of the New York
at the top of their voices, stood in different
parts of the hotel, and the general course
of the talk developed an active desire on
the part of the silver men to urge the New
Workers on to personal attacks.
Joe Bristow and Charles Curland were
among the takers, but they discreetly
kept in the background. One of the gang
finally insulted a delegate by calling him a
ileAi dIIo IL TWO were USlIlnE IN a MIN
ute. They were separated and the dele
gate was induced to go to his room. But
the excitement did not subside, and one of
the New York delegates, at the request of
Mr.. Re1bold, went out to seek a police Off
cial. He found two at the corner and ex-
planned the situation to them. They replied
that they would go TO the hotel at once.
but We're ordered by the sergeant, who
came up. to keep away from there" A
few moments later another sergeant went
through the hotel, but made no effort to
send away Indianapolis men, who were
still swearing and using obnoxious lam
guage.
About 1870 o'clock Joe Gates and Dock
Zapf, two saloon keepers of
questionable repute, got into the lobby and
began the discussions anew. AT that time
Herbert l.. Schumacher, one of the clerks
in the Bureau of Assessments, a hench-
man of Mayor Taggart, was actively dis
GUESSING the financial question with a New
York man. A physician of some prom
inence. who is a local sound-money man
and is a member of the Indiana delega-
ton. was leaning AGAINST the cigar case,
when he was approached by a little Irish
man. who rudely tore the badge the physi-
clan was wearing from his coat lapel, APP
plying a vile epithet to him. The physician
colored. but walked away rather than have
a personal encounter with the hoodlum.
No arrests were made and the language
finally became so abusive and insulting
that one of the hoodlums was thrown from
the hotel head first