Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-09-08
FACTIONS OF COLORADO SILVER RE.
PUBLICANs CLASH.
AN OPERA HOUSE sT0RME[
WOLCOTT MEN TAKE 1T BY ASSAULT
FROM TELLERITEs.
One Man Killed and Three Wounded
Scores of Shots Fired-Tellerites
Were Holding n Hall at Col
oradO Springs for To-
days Convention.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COL, Sept. T.
A pitched battle occurred in this city at
daybreaK to-day between the swo warring
factions of the silver Republican party of
this state, in which one man was killed and
three wounded. The dead man is Charles
S. Harris. an employe at Denver of the
Gulf railway. The wounded were spirited
away by ther Friends and their identity
has not been definitely established. 1t is
said that a man named Palmer was shot
in the cheek, but not seriously injured. An
other man had his hand shot nearly off.
and another got flesh wound in the arm.
The fight was waged for the possession
of the opera house, in which the silver
Republican state convention is to meet to-
| morrow. An armed guard. representing
the Teller-Blood faction, was in posses
sion. 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 hot scrimmage,
in which many shots were fired, the Teller
ties fled 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 Denver, with
leading the attack.
Sheriff Boynton states that he, Mr.. How
bert and Chief of Police Gathright did not
20 to the opera house until the battle be-
gan and then only to take possession OF
the place Five men were arrested in the
opera house, and one, 1t is claimed by tne
police. had a smoking Winchester In MS
hands The prisoners are:
Walter Russell, j. W. Lupton, j. j. Long.
A. C. Smith, A +. Monge, all OF Cripple
Creek. They are charged with the murder
of Harris. and informations were hled IN
the district court against them.
A guard of twenty men under Boynton
and Gathright holds the opera house. ana
the Teller people are refused ADMISSION.
In a published statement. Chairman Blood
intimated that I. n. Stevens, vice chair
man of the National silver party during the
last presidential campaign, and others ar
ranged with gang of thugs to come from
Denver and assist in capturing the theater.
Mr.. Stevens brands this statement as "ab-
solutely false" and says he knows nothing
whatever about the opera house affair.
When Shelf Boynton and Chief Gath
right took control of the opera house. they
discovered a whole arsenal in the building.
The officers seized six Winchester rifles and
ten revolvers.
The sliding doors which form the entrance
to the auditorium show the effects of the
shooting The right hand door as the room
is entered is perforated with the bullets
from n Winchester. 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.
A. / o'clock this morning the Wolcott-
Broad factions applied to Judge Lunt for
a writ of mandamus compelling Chairman
Blood who was appointed by National
Chairman Towne to succeed Chairman
Broad. removed, to turn the building over
TO ex-Chairman Broad. The writ was re-
fused.
AT 4:l0 O'Clock this morning. said eN-
Mavor Plumb. we We're inside the opera
| house. There were twenty-five of us Sud-
denly a fusillade of shots was fired through
both the front and side doors. Then in a
second the doors were burst open and in
rushed from seventy-fve to 100 men.
There was constant firing in all parts Of
the hall, We replying as best we could. l
saw one man fall shot through the lungs.
They carried him to the balcony and laid
| him down. He died few minutes after
ward Another man was injured.
We were forced out of the building.
| Sheriff Boynton and Chief of Police Gath
| right were in the front ranks of the at
| tacking party"
Sheriff Boynton allowed the men from
Denver who participated in the riot to
leave the city early this morning unmo-
! Tested A majority Of the mob which at
| tackled the theater went to Denver by the
first train.
Ex-Chairman Broad says that he was
! justified In taking forcible possession OF