The San Francisco call., 1896-06-11

istic turn of mind, created quite riot on
Kearny street yesterday afternoon. The
riot grew out of a conflict between pas
senger and the gripman and conductor of
the car upon which the former was riding.
A large and angry crowd, angry at the in
dignilies the passenger was forced to suf-
fer before their eyes, followed the car and
added greatly to the excitement.
Henry Behnke, man snort of stature
but of solid mold, who resides ct 601 Do
lores street, rode down Market street
shortly after o'clock on a Castro-s;reet
car. He took transfer from the conductor
emitting him to a ride south on Third
street. Instead of going south, however,
he took car 1173, bound north along
Kearny street.
When the conductor approached he pro-
duced his transfer, but was told by the
pugilistic faretaker that it was worthless
on that particular line. A second fare
was demanded but Behnke refused to pay
it. Therefore Conductor Robert Henry
ordered the car stopped, and attempted to
eject the hon-acquiescing passenger.
Behnke grasped the iron stanchion, but
was throttled bv the conductor while the
motorman beat his hands and forced him
to let go his hold. A number of vicious
blows we're administered by the conductor
upon the mans face and body and he was
thrown PROSTATE on the pavement, and all
of this transpired before the policeman,
who made tardv appearance, arriv ed on
the scene of trouble. If he had any def
mite idea of his duty and any willingness
whatever to perform it the conducor and
motorman would have been promptly
marched to the station-house and placed
behind the bars.
If the passenger assaulted had resented
the treatment and blows that he received
and killed one of them a hundred people
could have truthfully testified that he was
acting in self-defense and that the killing
was justihable.
After throwing Behnke to the pavement
the conductor and gripman released their
hold and again started ON their journey.
Behnke arose quickly and boarded the
rear end OF the car as it passed him.
1t was again stopped, and he was again
dragged off by the two employees of the
railway company. He was quickly assisted
to his feet by the crowd, which by this
time had gathered to the number of 700 or
800, and again took his place on the rear
side step. The car could not start as
some one had pulled the trolley wheel off
the wire. In the meantime Officer Ingils
put in an appearance, and, after a short
conversation Win Cne employees, caught
the man by the arm and attem pied to pull
him from the carstep. Behnke held with
all his strength to the stanchion.i
The conductor then came to the police
mans assistance and forced Behnke's s
hands loose. The trolley was not in place
and before the car could be started the
man again got on amid the cheers of the
crowd, who spared no breath in denounc-
ing the policeman. A dozen men, mer-
chants and others from the vicinity,
entered a vigorous protest against the
pollceman's action. with the result thai he
stood entirely inactive. 1t was then that
the final and most outrageous part of the
scene was enacted. The passenger stood
on the steps clasping the stanchion with
both hands.
The two-hundredth motorman went to
work on his hands, while the conductor
clim ped on his back and grabbing HIM
around the throat with both hands, throt-
tied and threw him again fat on his back
on the asphalt, and right at the feet of the
silent and motionless representative of the
law. Having him down, the conductor
proceeded at once to vent his anger in the
way of vicious blows in the face and over
the body of the PROSTATE and exhausted
man. A strong arm, however, soon seized
him and compelled him to desist. It was
not the policeman's, however, but that of
bystander whose sense of Justice and
humanity was too strong to permit further
cruelty.
He pulled the conductor off and held on
to him as he attempted to climb back on