The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-08

Colorado Springs, Colo, Sept. Ia
pitched battle occurred in this city a
daybreak today between the two war
ring factions of the silver Republican
party of this state in which one mar
was killed and three wounded. Tht
dead man is Charles S. Harris, an
employee at Denver Of the Gulf rail
road. The wounded were spirited away
by their friends, and their identity mas
not been definitely established. 1t Is
said that a man named Palmer was
shot in the cheek, but not seriously
injured Another man had his hand
shot nearly off and another got tesh
wound 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-Bloo faction, was IN
possession. Ex-State Chairman Broad.
who had been depoSed by National
Chairman Towne, sent an armed force
to drive the guard out of the theatre.
After a hot scrimmage, in which many
shots were fired, the Tellerites fed in
dismay. Harris and the men who were
wounded are supposed to have been
members of the attacking force.
Chairman Blood, A. NJ. stevenson
and other leading silver Republicans
openly charge Sheriff Boynton of this
county and Internal Revenue Collector
Frank Howbert of Denver with lead
ing the attack Sheriff Boynton states
that he. Mr.. Howbert and Chief of Po-
lice Gathright did not go to the opera
house until the battle began, and then
only to take possession OF the place.
Five men, were arrested in the opera
- &c oil
police, had a smoking winchester IN
his hands. a
The prisoners are: Walter Russell,
J. W. Lupton, J. ]. Long, A G. Smith,
a. F. Monge, all of Cripple Creek.
They are charged with the murder of
Harris, and informations were filed in
the district court against them.
a guard of 20 men. under Boynton
and Gathright, hold the opera house,
and the Teller people are refused ad-
mission.
In a published statement Chairman
Blood intimated that /. n. Stevens,
vice chairman of the National Silver
party during the last presidential cam
paign, and others arranged with gang
of thugs to come from Denver and as
sist in capturing the theatre. Mr.. Stew
ems brands this statement as abso-
lutely false" and says he knows moth
ing whatever about the opera house
affair.
ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE.
At 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 4:10 this morning, said eX-
III. of raFsea
inside the opera house. Suddenly a
fusilade of shots was fired through
both the front and side doors. Then
in a second the doors were burst open
and in rushed from 70 to 100 men.
There was constant firing in all
parts of the hall. we replying as best
we could. I saw one nan fall, shot
through the lungs. They carried him
to the balcony and laid him down. He
died in q few minutes afterWard. An
other man was injured.
eve were 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-Stevens
faction from Denver. They say they
only rushed in after the attack began.
1t is a peculiar fact, however, that they
were all on hand. An attack was
made upon the building from the front
and back Sheriff Boynton and Chief
Gathright took control of the opera
house and made 2 thorough search.
The sheriff said they discovered a
whole arsenal in the building. The Of
fcers seized six Winchester rifles and
ten revolvers.
RIDDLED WITH BULLETS.
The sliding doors which form the en-
trance to the auditorium show the ef-
fects of the shooting. The right hand
door as the room is entered is perforat-
ed with bullets from a Winchester and |
a ball also lodged in the left door. Roth |
were fired from the inside of the room,
and are about as high as mans head !
from the floor.
Today's clash between the factions !
was preceded by the action of Ma I!
tionaI Chairman Towne in removing /
Richard Broad from the chairmanshi9 /
Of the state committee. on the ground /
Of disloyalty to the silver Republican /
PARTY. Spd the cause it stands for, it !
being alleged that he had Joined in a |
conspiracy with friends of Senator !
Wolcott TO defeat the proposed fusion /
with Democrats and PopuliStS.
BLOOD'S STATEMENT.
Chairman Blood has issued the fol-
owing statement:
ITO the People of Colorado: AS chair I
man of the state central committee of /
The silver Republican party, 1 desire /
to make public the exact conditic p of I
affairs resulting in the deolorable oc-
eurrence of this morning. on yesterday
evening the county convention of the
silver Republican party of FL Paso
county wcs being held in the opera
house at this place. The convention adj
ourned about u O'Clock, midnight. AT
hat time MIR. S. n. Nye, the lessee and
manager of the opera house. turned
)yer the door keys and the possession
If the opera house, as per contract, to
ne IS chairman of the silver Reoub-
lean state central committee, for the
surpcse of holding therein the ensuing
tate convention called for tomorrow.
iumors had reached me that ex-Chair-
nan Broad. / n. Stevens and De Witt
:. Webber had arranged with a gang
f thugs to come from Denver, headed