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

by Duffield. Arnett, Tom Clark and
others, who have done time in the PEN
itentiary for lawless acts, to cooper
ate with the sheriff of this county, w.
S. Boynton, and the police force of this
town, in obtaining 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 a, dozen
persons in the house, under the leader
ship of ex-Mayor Plumb and Of Coun-
ty Clerk Leggett. At about 1 o'clock
this morning I left the opera house in
peaceable and quiet possession OF these
gentlemen, and retired to hotel.
Shortly before 4 o'clock this morning
was aroused by those whom had left
in charge of the opera house, and was
informed the opera house had just been
taken from them by a body of armed
men: that all the entrances to the
house had been attacked Simultaneous
ly by the firing of a large number of
shots through the doors accompanied
by forcing of the doors and the en-
trance Of 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
opera house it was found to be headed
by the sheriff of this county, w. S.
Boynton, and Frank Howbert, the col
lector of internal revenue, accompanied
by members of the police force of this
town and number of other 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 or warrant
of law of any kind was displayed by
anyone, or any explanation made of
this extraordinary unlawful proceeding.
A . L., h. fl,N +;,1,1 -
Sheriff Boynton and Collector How
bert, four or five of the men in charge
of the house were arrested without any
warrant or process of law whatever
and thrown into jail.
81 am informed that several persons
have been more or less seriously
wounded in the attack on the opera
house.
81 can only regret that in this abso-
lutely lawless and wholly unjustifable
proceeding the peace officers of this
city and county should be found the
first to violate the law and cause blood
to flow in order to consummate an I'M
holy alliance intended to defeat the
sovereign rights of the people of this
state to peaceably assemble in conven-
ton.
(Sfgned.) JAMES H. BLOOD
Chairman Silver Republican State
Central Committee
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 Teller Republicans at
last nights county convention. 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
Z he Tal q I'll
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 decorating and preparing
the hall for tomOrrow's convention.
NOSE SHOT OFF.
1t is said this afternoon that the man
who was wounded is John l.. Russell,
eX-chief of police of Denver and now
special timber inspector under the Nc
Kinley administration and that his
nose was shot off.
THUGS NOT MOLESTED.
Sheriff Boynton allowed the men who
in the riot to leave the !
city early this morning unmolested. A
of the mob which attacked |
the theatre went to Denver by the first
train.
After battering in the doors, rs men
rushed into the building, shooting re-
volvers. The ceiling is full of bullet |
holes. The attacking party shot into |
The air with hope of frightening the |
guards into submission. The guards |
were scattered in groups about the |
where they could best COM |
nand the entrances and they returned |
he fire.
Those who participated in the riot |
say that more than $50 shots were fired /
within a few minutes. The smoke was |
so dense in a moment that all shots |
we're at random. The attacking party /
inally reached the center of the house /
Ind the guards fed to the street The /
after had but one round of ammuni- /
ion while the attackers trebled them