The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-07-06
D0INGS OF WALLINGF0RD
NOISIEsT FOURTH or JULY NIGHT
SINCE THE TOWN WAS STARTED.

dent toNa Ya1esville Man--His handT
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Mans Hand Blown
to Pieces-Fine illumination at the Lake.
The demonstration on the night of
July 8 Tapped over anything Of the
kind ever known in the place, and must
have proved great surprise to Warden
Morris after the issuing of his late
proclamation regarding the observance
Of the night before the Fourth, whichs
had materially cut out considerable
portion of the program of the time
honored celebration, such as ringing of
bells, firing of fire crackers, building
of bonfires. ETC., before the hour of
4:30 on the morning of the Fourth, The
police and the specials had been given
strict orders by the warden not to al
low any bonfires to be started ON any
OF the public squares or corners about
the center, which was intended to par-'
ticularize on Main street, between
Academy and Ward streets. The war;
den has through the newspapers of late
laid out quite an uneventful and quiet
night in promises and intentions, and
given out that certain customs of the
night should be dispensed with which,
would infer that all of the citizens, both
great and small, young and old, should
go to bed early Friday night and get
up at sunrise Saturday like good little
boys and set off their firecrackers. The
officers were given to understand
through the press, that they must carry
out the program laid out by the warden
on his own authority and not by any
wife or instruction of the board of bur-
gesses. or metaphorically speaking,
their heads would come off. But the
whole scheme was a dismal failure as
far'as the official layout was concerned,
and instead Of it being quiet night
until 4:30 a. m, it was the noisiest one
since the town was first settled, and in
stead of the customary one bonfire on
Center and Main streets there was at
least a dozen, and big ones too, six of
which were within the prescribed loca
ton at the square in front Simpson
block and vicinity. The first fire to be
lighted was on South Main street, di-
rectly intfront of Warden Morriss resi-
dence, which the crowd of several hun
dred congregated, and for time there
was a perfect pandemonium of noises
consisting of firecrackers, small. medi-
SIM and cannon, tin horns, drums, etc.
fGr a short time after midnight Off
cerA Reilly and Mooney We're vigilant
and kept the corner of Main and Cen
ter streets free from bonf1res, but al
fbo off hal n
their power to enforce the warden's or
ders, it was an impossibility, and soon
bonfIres we've springing up in all d.
rections and The merchants smptied out
their waste boxes, barrels, etc, to furn-
ish fuel for fires, It was evident that
there was but little sympathy felt by
the assembled crowd with the project
as outlined by the warden, and they
were not slow giving vent ito their ideas
and opinions as to the warden's orders,
as evinced blythe hanging and burning
in effigy Of the warden, once near Wal
lace block and later in front of the
wardsfss house on South Main street.
The racket was kept UP until about
o'clock when the crowd dispersed. The
gathering was not composed of roughs
or all boys, but contained many OF the
solid men Of the town.
George Bedford of Yalesville was fir
ing cannon Friday night in the
.sville," when there was premature
discharge and one Of Bedford's hands
was terribly mangled, and he was burn
ed about the head and face. He was
taken to the Meriden hospital, where
it was found necessary to amputate
the hand above the wrist The heavy
ramrod of the cannon was blown
straight into the air to great height
and in falling narrowly escaped str1k-
ing one Of the outsiders.
Friday evening Timothy Callahan Of
Cherry street, as has been his usua
custom for many years, got out his ole
Springfield musket for the celebration
and went out the back door and dis
charged the weapon, which, owing t
being overloaded, burst and Callahan''
left hand was blown to pieces and was
afterwards amputated at the wrist b,
brs. McGaughey and Wilson. The in
iured man is about sixty years of ag'
and worked at the rubber shop.
The celebration of Friday night ant
the sentiment so plainly shown proves
a. death blow to an incipient Legislative
boom. which has lately been in forma
tion.
An alarm OF fire was sounded a
about o'clock Saturday morning
which proved to be freight car on tn
side track below the depot. The fir
was put out without serious damage
Kenneth Hubbard discharged blanl
cartridge from a pistol into the pain
of his hand Saturday morning. TIL
wad penetrated barely through the ski
and the injury was not serious.
r. S. Austin has gone into compan,
with B. A. Treat in the manufactur
of wood bicycle handles, and the firm
has plenty of orders for the goods
which are in great demand.
Arthur Y Lane failed to get plac
in the Meriden bicycle races Satur
day.
Balloons were numerous on tn