The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-20
SUNDAY PICNIC ORGIES
NORTH INDIANAPOLIS PEOPLE HOLD
AN INDICATION MEETING.
The Vile Affair of the Cleveland Club
at Armstrong Park-Mayor and
Sheriff to Be Visited.

The people of North Indianapolis held a
mass meeting last night at the Methodist
church to protest against the disgraceful
orgies which occur on Sundays at Arm
strong and White-river Parks The meet
ing was attended by about $50 representative
property owners and residents of the sub
urb, about one-third of those present being
women. Steps were taken toward forming
permanent organization for the protection
of the people of that part of the city against
the evils complained Of and a committee
was appointed to act at once to secure the
assistance of the mayor of the city, if pos
sible. and the sheriff of the county for next
Sunday
The meeting was called to order by NJ H.
Appieby, pastor of the church where it
was held. He stated the object of the meet
ing and took occasion to describe the affair
which the Cleveland Club, the local Demo-
cratic Tammany conducted at Armstrong
Park last Sunday. He referred to the fact
that all the newspapers of the city had con-
demand the picnic as a most disgracefuI
affair and said he did not believe the Senti-
neFs statement that seventeen fights were
In progress at one time was overdrawn He
SAID that liquors were sold to men, women
ana children and that men, women and
children got drunk. He declared that aside
from the demoralzing effect upon the young
people Of the suburb in seeing the drunken
people coming from the park, there were
gross 1mmoralities committed which he
could not mention. 1t was to take some ac-
ION 10 prevent this thing being repeated
that the meeting had been called.
harrison OgbOrn was chosen as chairman
Oh the meeting and he expressed himself
b5n phatlca1y as willing to do anything in
aNuDJect We're made by c. A owen G. A.
Mf oI5;es y; F. Miller William M. Foy, D. L.
I If,,s5I, - y. CceIl James NJ Swan, Isaac
1uflput, Captain Eli +. Ritter and others.
captain Ritter told of the work of the COM
nllttee OF one hundred, which was in eXis-
tence in this city one year ago, and advised
permanent organization. ut will be the
same as 1t was in the baseball case" he
s9lo. when Sunday baseball was proposed
said IL was not his business to stop the
game. The sheriff also declared that it was
not MS business. But finally the matter
pegan TO look serious and the mayor and
the sheriff stumbled over each other in their
eitorts to do their duty. When the day for
the first game came the sheriff went out to
the park and told the players that thew
would be arrested if they attempted 10 play
Ihere was no game and the question seems
law and the right. Five men, with the
padge OF authority, can maintain order at
armstrong Park ii they begin in the morn
ING, when the people are sober. And an in
junction would stop the place entirely"
This remark caused ripple of laughter and
Mr. Mr. Ritter continued 1t would also stop
air Bank and Kissels."
captain Ritter urged the people to act be-
Tore their children should be ruined and he
hoped the organization would be made per-
manent, SO that 1T might accomplish still
more in the line after it had succeeded in
It's hrst effort G. A. Wise moved that a
committee of five be appointed to wait upon
the mayor and the sheriff to secure protec-
ton for next Sunday, and that the commit
tee be authorized TO submit a plan at a
subsequent meeting for the formation of a
permanent organization. committee was
appointed by the chairman which nomi-
mated for this committee of five the follow
ing gentlemen: Harrison Ogborn, Charles
A. Wise, Eugene Udell, James NJ. Swan and
ID. l.. Jones. There was a proposition by
Mr.. Owen that the committee should be
made nonpartisan. He said that he took
no interest himself in politics and had not
voted for years and he felt that the people
present would not think he had any inten-
ton of getting politics mixed up IN the
matter, but he thought that politicians
would question the politics of the COM
mlttee and that the committee would have
more weight if it We're made nonpartisan.
1t was suggested that the members of the
committee were men who could rise above
politics when their homes We're assailed,
ana the meeting indorsed the report of the
nominating committee. Mr.. Ogborn is a
Populist, Mr. Wise is a professed mug
wump." Mr.. Swan is an Independent voter
ncans.
The people of North indianapolis are in
grim earnest about suppressing these Sun
day picnics. They stood about the church
discussed the situation. Speaking Of the
question of politics, Mr.. Ogborn said: Poll
tics does not enter in the case at all now,
hut it may on voting day if something is
not DONE
One of the men present said he under
stood that the handbills and posters adver-
Using the meeting had been destroyed by
the enemies of the movement. THAT is the
reason that there was not a larger attend
merchants were told they would be boy
cotted if they allowed the posters to be
displayed in their windows Gus Pfeger, a
grocer. says that Jim Armstrong, one of
the owners of Armstrong Park, told him if
he did not take the poster. out of his win