Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-08-21
IS INVADED BY
The Rock ISLANDERS
! Lively Fight for the Possession Of
the Records of the Head
Office.
GOOD MANY HEADS WERE BROKEN
4 Train Load of Rock Island Men
Go TO Fulton when the Ritual
of the Order Is Not
Followed.

NdililliR DEnl DtlNFfh thlH wv INV
Rock Island. ILL.,, for the location Of the
offices of the Modern Woodmen of
america eliminated yesterday in a
hand to hand fight between scores OF
partisans of the respective towns. in
which a number of persons were seri'
)usly injured.
The contest between the two towns
lates back several Years. At the re-
,ent convention of the order held at
Dubuque, la, it was decided 70 move
he offices and books of Head Clerk
Hawes ia Rock Island. Then There
vas "A lull, but the factions were by no
means r~econciled.
Yesterday a party was made mp
Early by the Rock Islander and plans
we're made for "A raid on the Fulton
headquarters with the object Of for
IDLY taking possession of h books,
records, ETC., OF Head Clerk Hawes, and
removing the headquarters of the or
Ter to Rock Island. \ train was char
cred. consisting of three coaches. u
baggage car and two box ears, and the
INVADERS were soon on their way 10
Fulton. The inhabitants of the latter
town were forewarned, however, and
made ready 10 give their unlimited
ruests a cordial reception. y fire
alarm was sounded. and lines of hose
were laid to the points where il was
thought the Rock Islanders would he
most likely TO disembark. The arrival
If the special train was the signal for
hostilities 10 begin. There was intense
feeling on both sides and a great va
riety of weapons, this combination re-
sulting in the following casualties:
Will Bennett. the city marshal, head
aut, thought 70 be fatolly hurt.
W. Flanagan. head badly cut.
James Carrier, head ut.
Ed Bare, head and arms injured.
Chris Miller. Lyons, Ia, head cut.
l.. j. Casey. head badly injured.
A score OF others. mostly members OF
the Rock Island party, were more or
less bruised or cut. The free fight last
ed for an hour or more, rocks, clubs
and missiles of ever description being
welded by the opposing forces. Tha
Fu.tonites finally got the better Of the
fight and Deputy Sheriff Farley, with
the assistance Of a number Of citizens
Of this town. effected the arrest OF
Head Attorney Johnsoa, Of he Modern
Woodmen. one of the Rock Island par
~ III u hAlih Va 4A' NgAAal'NA'FA''
The railroad track on each side Of the
cars that brought the Rock Islanders
was torn UP by the Fultonites, the lat.
ter evidently aiming To cut off a posi-
BILE retreat Of their enemies. The
scene Of the lighting bears every ".
dence Of the liveliest warfare. and az
there was a number Of firearms IN
both parties, it is a wonder the Anlii
aid not result more seriously than il
did.
A large force Of peace officers hav,
been sworn in and as the invaders, ol
most Of them, are st.ll in Fulton, there
is great difficulty in preventing a re.
newal Of the trouble. The injured:
Cornelius O'Brlen, Rock Island, IN
jured in arms.
Albert Spencer. Rock Island, face cut
Walter Fowler, Fulton, head cut.
Charles Weinburger, Rock Island
head cut.
7. Burns. Rock Island, head cut.
X. Winter, Rock Island. cut over RICH
eye.
G. w. Sample. Rock Island. head and
face cut.
James Mulcahy, Rock Island, head
cut. condition serious.
Andrew Leinheim. Fulton, heal in
jured. condition serious.
l.. V. Eckert. Rock Island. head cut
The action OF the Rock Island people
was prompted by a decision of Judge
CAST, rendered at Cambridge. d!ssOlv-
ing the injunction which had prevented
! the removal or the headquarters from
Fulton.
The Rock Island delegation arrived
at $50 with SIS men and Immediately
proceeded to the offices of the Wood.
mems order. Though met with desper.
ate resistance from the start the Rock
Islanders succeeded in getting the bulk
OF the records out to the train. The
Fultonites in the meantime had called
out the fire department, sounded a
general alarm and with the augmented
crowd succeeded in tearing up the
track in front of the locomotive. 1t wa
then attempted to back the train,
~whereupon the Fulton people tore ur
the track in the rear. BY this time
the Fultonites were reinforced by
crowds from Clinton and Lyons. d
guard was formed about the train. In
the meantime two additional master 4,
chancery injunctions were secured ana
the sheriff swore in 200 deputies To as.
ssst in enforcing them. The Fulton
people showed fight from the moment
the Rock Island crowd arrived.
At the door Of the head office tn
village marshal, William Bennett
stood with drawn revolver. A brich
from one of the invaders felled him Il
the ground. At the depot. which is ham
a block distant. the fight was renewed
and here Ii took the nature Of a riot
during which 100 of the Rock Islant
people were placed upder arrest. 1t wa
at this time that a large number q
both sides We're injured.