The record-union., 1898-09-08


seriously injured. Another man had
his hand shot nearly off and another
got flesh wounds in the arm.
The fight was waged for possession
of the opera-house in which the Silver
Republican State Convention is to meet
tomorrow. An armed guard represent
ing the Teller-Blood faction was in pos
session.
Ex-State Chairman Broad, who had
been deposed by National Chairman
Towne, sent an armed force to drive the
guard out of the theater. After
scrimmage, in which many shots were
fired, the Tellerites fed in dismay. Har-
r1s and the men who were wounded are
supposed to have been members of the
attacking force.
Chairman Blood, A M. Stevenson and
other leading Silver Republicans openly
charge Sheriff Boynton of this county
and Internal Revenue Collector Frank
Howbert Of Denver with leading the at
tack. Sheriff Boynton states that he,
Mr.. HoWbert and Chief of Police Gath
right did not go to the opera-house I'M
I'll the battle began, and then only to
take possession of the place.
Five men We're arrested in the opera
house, and one, it is claimed by the
police, had smoking Winchester in
his hands. The prisoners are: Walter
Russell J. w. Lupton, J. J. Long, A. c.
Smith and A. E. Monge, all of Cripple
Creek. They are charged with the
murder of Harris, and informations
Were filed in the District Court against
them.
d r6 of mt dar
ton and Gathright hold the opera house
and the Teller people are refused ad-
mission.
AT l o'clock this morning the VOL
cott-Stevens faction applied to Judge
Lunt for a writ of mandamus compell-
ing Chairman Blood, who was then in
possession Of the opera-house, to turn
the building over to ex-Chairman
Broad. The writ was refused.
AT 4:1O this morning." said ex-
Mayor Plum, twenty-five of us were
inside the opera-house. Suddenly a flu
sillade of shots was fired through both
the front and side doors. Then in a
second the doors We're burst open and
in rushed 70 to 100 men.
There was constant firing in all
parts of the hall, we replying as best
we could. I saw one man fall, shot
through the lungs. They carried him
to the balcony and laid him down. He
died in a few minutes afterward An
other man was injured
We We're forced out Of the building
Sheriff. Boynton and Chief Of Police
Gathright were in the front ranks"
The police and Sheriff's officers claim
that the attack was made entirely by
men brought by the Wolcott-S Stevens
faction from Denver. They say they
only rushed in after the attack began
1t is peculiar fact, however, that they
were all on hand. An attack was made
upon the building from front and back
Sheriff Boynton and Chief Gathright
took control Of the opera-house and
made thorough search. The Sheriff
said they discovered a whole arsenal
in the building. The officers seized six
Winchester rifles and ten revolvers.
James NJ. Movie, Walter Russell. J..
K. Lang and A. c. Smith were arrested.
The sliding doors which form the en-
trance to the auditorium show the eff
fects of the shooting. The right hand
door as the room is entered is perfor-
ated with the bullets from a Winches-
ter, and ball also lodged in the left
door. Both were fired from the inside
OF the room and are about as high as
a mans head from the floor.
To-day's clash between the factions
was preceded by the action of National
Chairman Towne in removing Richard
Broad from the Craftsmanship of the
State Committee on the ground Of dis
loyalty to the Silver Republican party
and the cause it stands for, it being al
legged that he had joined in a conspir-
acy with the friends of Senator Wolcott
TO defeat the proposed fusion with the
Democrats and Populists.
Chairman Blood has issued the fol-
lowing statement:
To the People of Colorado: As Chair
man Of the State Central Committee of
the Silver Republican party, desire to
make public the exact condition of af-
fairs resulting in the deplorable occur
renee Of this morning. On yesterday
evening the County Convention of the
Silver Republican party of FL Paso
County was being held in the opera
house at this place. The convention ad-
journed about u o'clock midnight. At
that time S. \. Nye, the lessee and
manager of the opera-house, turned
over the door keys and the possession
or the opera-house, as per contract, to
me, as Chairman Of the Silver Repub-
lican State Central Committee. for the
purpose of holding therein the State
Convention called for tomorrow. Ru-
mors had reached me that ex-Chair-
man Broad, I. n. Stevens and De Witt
G. Weber had arranged with a gang
of thugs to come from Denver headed
by Duff1eld, Arnett, Tom Clark and
others. who have done time in the pen
itentiary 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 I left about
dozen persons in the house, under the
County Clerk Leggett. At about /
o'clock this morning I left the opera
leadership Of ex-Mayor Plumb and
house in peaceable and quiet posses
sion Of these gentlemen and retired to
a hotel. Shortly before 4 o'clock this
morning 1 was aroused by those whom
I had left In charge of the opera-house
and informed that the opera-house had
| just been taken from them by body
| Of armed men; that all the entrances to
the house had been attacked simultan-
eously by the firing of large number
of shots through the doors, accompa-
| MED by 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.