The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-01
PICNIC ENDS IN A FIGHT
ROWDIES RUN AMUCk ON COLORED
ODD FELLOWS EXCURSION TRAIN.
COacbman John Curry Stabbed for
knocking Down n JanitOr's Wife
After TerrOrizing Others.

A serious cutting ARRAY occurred on the
train from Anderson last evening which
bore the excursionists who took part in the
annual outing of the colored Odd Fellows.
John Curry, a coachman, employed at No.
251 Broadway, was the victim, and is now
at the City Hospital. Edward White, sixty
years old, the jantor of the Thorpe block,
is charged with the offense and is detained
at the county JAIL
The trouble occurred about ten miles from
here. According to the accounts of several
witnesses there was more than one fight
the train. A number of coaches were all
more or less crowded Beer and other
drinks had flowed freely during the day at
the picnic More beer was imbibed after
the return to Anderson during the evening,
and while the picnickers were waiting for
the departure of the train. 1t seems that
crowd Of young clcred men took possession
of the train whipping everybody who made
any opposition to their doings. They par
AIDED up and down the aisles of the cars
looking for trouble" and it took only
word from any one not member of the
crowd to cause fight.
Curry is said to have been with this
crowd. At any rate, he walked through the
car with it on the occasion of the trouble
which led to his own injuries. He stepped
on Whites feet. White pushed him aside
and the fight followed. White is a member
of the committee which had the picnic in
charge. He sat with his wife as Curry came
along. AS he pushed Curry away Curry
made lunge for him and he sprang from
his seat to defend himself. His wife jumped
up and placed herself between the two men,
but Curry knocked her back into the seat
and dealt her husband a blow in the face.
1t was then that White drew his knife and
cut his asSailant. 1t was all over in a few
moments. Friends of White rushed in and
grabbed him. He was taken into another
car. The friends of Curry picked him up
of blood. AT the aSSachusettS-aVenue sta
ton an ambulance took Curry to the City
Hospital and the police were notified of the
affair. White rode on to the Union Sta
ton. He walked with his wife up Meridian
street, around the Circle and east on Mar
ket street to the Thorpe block, where he
lives, and had barely reached his rooms
when PatrOlmen Kurt and Miller arrested
him. He had been followed by Curry's sis
ter, who, when she saw where he went,
hunted up the police and caused his arrest.
The police at headquarters had also sent
the bicycle patrolmen to the place. and they
met the district patrOlmen as they came
down stairs with the prisoner.
White gives about the above account of
the affair, except that he denies using
knife sor razor He says that he simply
knocked Curry down and kicked him.
They had been fighting all the way
DOWN from ANDERSON, ne SAID. Two or
three times people came to me and wanted
me to go into the other cars and stop them.
You see, / am a member Of the committee
which had charge of the picnic and excur-
sion, and they looked to me to keep order.
L knew that it would be useless for me to
attempt to quiet that crowd. 1t would have
made more trouble, and, besides | had no
authority. l did not want to get myself
into trouble, and SO [ just let them fight.
could see them fighting in the other cars.
They came through our car several times,
but there was no trouble until this in which
| figured / did not hit Curry until he
knocked my wife down and struck me. l
knew there would be trouble the train
and before leaving Anderson | tried to hire
some of the Anderson police to come down
with the train to keep order They would
not come"
Mrs. White corroborates her husbands
story up until the time of the actual fight
She says that when the men began to fight
she ran out Of the car and sat on the plat
form until man came out and told her she
might fail off there and be killed.
Il told him / did not care if l was" she
| said. II replied: They're killing my hus-
band inside, and 1 might as well be killed
| too
At the hospital it was found that Curry's
wounds were not of a serious nature He
had one cash six inches long in the left
| side. The knife struck rib and glanced
off without making a deep cut. Another
cash in the cheek was about an inch and
| half long and a half-inch deep He was
still drunk at midnight.
White was admitted to bail when Curry
condition was known Norman S. Byram
becoming surety for his appearance. White
has the reputation of being a quiet and in
dustrious man, not addicted to drink He
was perfectly sober last night