The herald., 1898-09-08
PRICE FIVE CENTS

center of the house and the guards fled to
the streets. The latter had but one round
Of ammunition. The attacking party tre-
bled them In numbers and had revolvers
each and plenty Of ammunition.
Blood's Statement
Chairman Blood has issued the follow.
ing statement:
To the People Of Colorado: AS Chairman
OF the State Central Committee of the S.l-
yer Republican party, 1 desire to make
public the exact condition Of affairs result
Eg in the deplorable occurrence Of this
morning. On yesterday evening the county
convention Of the Silver Republican party
Of Ell Paso county was being held in the
Opera House at this place. The convention
adjourned about 12 O'Clock, midnight At
that time Mr.. S. N. Nye, the lessee and
manager Of the Opera House, turned over
the keys and the possession Of the Opera
House; as per contract, to me as chairman
Of the Silver Republican State Central Com.
m'ttee, for the purpose of holding therein
he State convention called for tomorrow.
Rumors had reached me that ex-Chairman
Broad; I. N. Stevens and D. C. WeBbAr
had arranged with gang of thugs to come
Tom Clark and others who have done
time" in the penitentiary for lawless acts.
TO cooperate with the Sheriff of this county,
W. S. Boynton. and the police force Of this
town in obtaining the possession from me
Of the Opera House by force.
Being lawfully in possession Of the Opera
House determined to retain the same.
and for that purpose left about dozen
OerSOnS In the hOnSo nndor he
Of ex-Mayor Plumb and Of County Clerk
Leggett At about o'clock this morning
| I left the Opera House in peaceable and
| quiet. possession of these gentlemen and
retired to a hotel. Shortly before O'Clock
.his morning was aroused by those whom
had left in charge Of the Opera House and
Informed that the Opera House had been
taken from them by body of armed men:
| that all the entrances to the house had
been attacked simultaneously by firing Of
large number of shots through the doors.
| accompanied by the forcing Of the doors
and the entrance of the armed men, No
word was spoken or demand made by any.
one previous to the commencement Of the
| firing and assault.
| When the armed force entered the Opern
House 1t was found TO be headed by the
6herin Of this county. w. s. Boynton, and
Frank Howbert, the Collector of Internal
Revenue, accompanied by members of the
police force Of this town and a number OF
| other armed men, some Of them dressed in
| police uniform, and the thugs imported
from Denver and elsewhere. Upon gaining
entrance TO the house no process or writ
ur warrant Of law Of any kind was displayed
or explanation made Of this extraordinary
unlawful proceeding.
At the same time, by the direction Of
Sheriff Boynton and Collector Howbert,
tour or hve Of the men in charge Of the
house were arrested without any warrant
| or process Of law whatever and thrown
into Jail.
I am informed that several persons have
been moro or less seriously wounded In the
| attack on the Opera House. te-I5
| can only regret that In this absolutely
lawless and wholly unjustifiable proceed
sng the peace officers Of this city and county
should be found the FIRST to violate the law
and cause blood to how, In order to con.
summate an unholy alliance intended to
defeat the sovereign right Of the people OF
this State to peaceably assemble in con-
vention.
JAMES H. BLOOD,
Chairman Silver Republican State Central
Committee. =
Broad Makes Reply
COLORADO SPRINGS, Sept. 7.-Ex.
Chairman Broad this afternoon issued =
| counter-statement to that of Chairman
Blood. Broad charges that the riot was
caused by incendiary speeches of the Tel
lcr Republicans at last nights county con.
vention. He says Manager Nye violated
the lease made with him as chairman Of
the State Committee by turning the Opera
House over to Charles s. Sprague, editor
Of the Evening Telegram and a follower
Of Teller. Broad says his lease gave him
the right to put his men in the Opera House
any hour today for the purpose Of deco
rating and preparing the hall for tomor.
rows convention.
Is said this afternoon that the man
who was wounded Is John L. Russell, ex.
Chief of Police of Denver, and Special Tim.
Der Inspector under the Mckinley admin.
istration, and that his nose was shot OF,
Walter Russell. ]. w. Lupton, ]. J. Long.
A. c. Smith and A. F. Monge are charged
with the murder Of Harris Informations
have been filed in the District Court against
them. The five were transferred to the
County Jail and will be examined by the
Ccroner's jury this afternoon.
| The Men Involved
A number Of well-known politicians in
Denver and Colorado are involved directly
! or indirectly in the tragedy at Colorado
Springs. In that State the Silver Republic
cans greatly out-number the Republicans
proper, who support the national adminfs-
tration. The former have control Of the
State political machinery, and the latter
CT the federal machinery backed by the
powerful influence Of Senator Wolcott.
| A few weeks ago Senator Teller, the
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