The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-14
ENGAGED IN GENERAL RIOT.
A Pitched Battle Between Citizens of
Rival Illinois Towns.


Fulton H., Aug. 1S-The long standing
fight between this town and Rock Island,
H. for location of the headquarters OF
the Modern Woodmen of America, culmt-
mated to-day in a hend-to-hand fight be-
tween scores of partisans Of the resoec-
tive town, in which a number of persons
We're seriously injured.
The contest between the towns dates
back several years, and the courts have
been appealed to, The slow process of
law was not satisfactory to the Rock Is
landers, so they determined to take mat
ters into their own hands. To-day party
was made up in the city for a raid on the
Fulton headquarters, with The object of
forcibly taking possession o. the books,
records of the order. and removing the
Office of Head Clerk Hawes to Rock Is
land.
A train was chartered. consisting of
three coaches, baggage car and two box
cars, and the invaders were soon on their
way to Fulton. The inhabitants of the
town were forewarned however, and
made ready to give them a cordial recep-
ton. fire alarm was sounded and the
lines of hose were laid to the points where
be most likely to disembark The arrival of
the special train was the signal for hostli-
ties 10 begin. There was intense feeling
on both sides and a great variety of weap-
ons. This combination resulted in the
! following casualties:
WILLIE BENNETT, city marshal of
Fulton, head cut, believed to be fatally
hurt.
w. II. FLANAGAN, head badly cut.
ED BARR, head and arms injured.
JAMES CARRIER, head cut.
CHRIS MILLER, Lyons, Ia, head cut.
=. J. CASEY, Moline, Ill, head badly
| injured.
a score of others were more or less
bruised and cut The free fight lasted for
an hour or more, rockies, clubs and mis-
siles of every description being welded in
! dustriously by the opposing forces The
! Futontes finally got the better
Of the fight and Deputy Sher-
of Head Attorney johnson of the
Modern Woodmen, one of the Rock Island
party, and a number of his companions.
| The railroad track on each side of the
cars that brought the Rock Islanders was
torn up by the Futonites, the latter evil
IDENTIFY aiming to cut off the retreat of
| their enemies. A large force Of peace Off
GERS has been sworn in and as the inva-
ders, or most of them, are still in Fulton,
| there is great difficulty in preventing re-
newal of the trouble.
The action of the Rock Island people
was prompts by a decision of Judge Cast,
rendered a Cambridge, to-day dissolv-
ing the injunction which had prevented
the removal Of the headquarters from Full
ton The Rock Island delegation arrived
at $50 with 5l5 men and Immediately pro-
ceeded to the offices of the Aoodmen or
der. Though met with desperate resist
ance from the start the Rock Islanders
| succeeded in getting the bulk of the
records out to the train The Full
tonites in the meantime had called out
the fire department. sounded a general
| alarm, and with the augmented crowd, sue
ceeded in tearing up the track In front of
the locomotive. 1t was then attempted TO
back the train, whereupOn the Fulton peo-
pie tore up the track in the rear. BY this
time, the Futonites were reinforced by
crowds from Clinton and Lyons, and hav-
ing this advantage and with it Lyons COM
pany Of Illinois state militia, a guard was
formed about the train. In the meantime
two additional master-n-chanery injunc-
tions were secured and the sheriff swore
in 200 deputies to assist in enforcing them.
The Fulton people showed fight
from the moment the Rock Island
crowd arrived. Having received
intimations that the special was
en- route there was a large contingent a
the depot when 1t arrived, and at once
hostfities began by tearing up the walks
around the depot. assaulung the invaders
with the loose planks At the door Of the
head office the village marshal, William
Bennett, stood with drawn revolver
A brick from one of the invaders felled
him 20 the ground. The Rock Islanders
then made a rush into the office and cap
tured the records.
At the depot which Is half a block dis
tant, the fight was renewed. and here Il
n a pf ri NJ nrin u frb
of the Rock Island people were placed un-
der arrest BY this time large number
on both sides were injured