The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-13
Gambling Den Wrecked
at ChiCkamauga.
LOADED DICE WERE USED
Three Men Were Swept From the
Roof of Car by Wires.


Chickamauga Park, Ca, June ia
much-needed rain fell Sunday, cooling
the atmosphere and laying the dust.
The men In camp were relieved of any
duties. and hundreds were given leave
to visit the city, Lookout mountain and
the ridge. An incident occurred In the
morning at Lyttle, the camp station.
that will probably terminate the exis-
tence or illict whiskey shops and gamb-
ling dens. which up to this time have
been permitted TO ply their business by
the Georgia authoritieh without let or
hindrance. A private OF the Twenty
first Kansas, who had been drinking al
the whiskey dive OF one Joe Baker, be-
came involved in a difficulty with The
barkeeper. Blows followed. and Baker
drew revolver, firing point blank at the
soldier. The bullet, IL was claimed by
the soldier, struck him above the eye,
infiicting a wound which may cause the
less OF an eye The fight attracted the
attention of the throngs on the streets,
and soon a crowd OF soldiers rushed in.
Baker. fearing further trouble, had got
cut OF the way
An armed guard was quickly detailed
by order OF General Brooke, who took
charge OF Baker and his place, and order
was soon restored. The soldier was
taken to the division hospital. where the
surgeon investigated his injuries. He
found wound as indicated. but thought
the injury had been caused by a b!t of
( broken glass and not by a bullet. a
splinter OF glass being found sticking in
the eyeball
After the shooting number OF soldiers
discovered that the gambling den was
running a brace" game. and that the
difficulty between the soldier and Baker
had resulted from the fact that the latter
had been playing the former with loaded
dice.
IL took the soldiers only a few
minutes to demolish the place. They
broke up the furniture, scattered the
gambling paraphernalia In the street
and were only deferred from pulling
down the house by the arrival of officers
IL Is stated that a number OF citi-
Eens In the vicinity, because of the fail
ure of the Georgia authorities TO enforce
the law, will petition that the portion OF
Walker county In the vicinity of the
park be put under martial law so that
General Brooke can maintain the law on
the lawless element now doing a thriv-
ing business there.
Every train from the park was crowded
with soldiers who had been given per
mission to visit the city and the noun
tain. One of the trains was crowded
10 sunocation. and a number OF soldiers
mounted the top of the coaches. Alta
point about three miles from Chatta-
nooga number of telegraph wires cross
the track of the railroad over which the
soldier excursion train was passing
When the train reached this point
Judd" Sharp. Sixteenth Pennsylvania:
c. H. Ames. Third Illinois. and Thomas
Barrett. Fourteenth New York, were
standing on top OF car and. not having
knowledge of the wires. Sharp was
caught under the chin and around the
neck by one of the wires and dragged of
the car, pulling with him Ames and
Barrett, who had attempted to catch him
and prevent his fall. The train was
running at the rate OF 20 miles per hour
at the time. The three men were picked
up and taken back TO Lyttle None OF
them was fatally injured. the force OF
the fall being broken by Sharp catching
his comrades. They were badly bruised
and scratched.