The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-07-27
AvERTEp A MASSACRE.
Effect of "a FOur Inch Hose and 81
Stream of Icy Water.

Stream OF Icy Water.
81 see ~ the papers" said a farmer
resident OF the west, that the French
police quelled mob the other day by
turning the hose on them. | saw the
same thing tried under very dramatic
circumstances out in Denver in the
early eighties. There was a strong
feeling against the Chinese all through
the west at the time, growing out OF
Denis Kearney's sand lot campaign
in Frisco, and it needed next to moth
ing to start demonstration. One day
a few Denver hoodlums set the ball
rolling by wrecking laundry, and in
less than an hour full grown riot was
in progress. The mob swept down
upon the Chinese section like prairie
fire, and a horrible massacre was APP
parentIy inevitable, when proceedings
were momentarily checked by an ex-
traordinary incident.
cit seemed that a gambler named
Tim Moon had dropped in at one of the
laundries for his weekly supply of
boiled shirts, and the Chinaman had
some difficulty In finding the right bun
die. While he was searching his
shelves the vanguard of rioters sud-
denly appeared and were about to raze
the frail little shanty to the ground,
when Moon leaped out Of the front
door with a cooked revolver in each
hand. Hold on, boysr he yelled.
You've got to wait until get my
shirtsP
"There were at least 1900 people in
the mob, but Moon was a noted desper-
ado, and nobody dared make the first
move. The dense throng stopped in al
most a straight line, like a river
checked by an invisible barrier.
"'Tell him to hurry, Jimv somebody
shouted from the crowd.
"'Make haste, john called Moon
through the door. These gentlemen
want to hang you
"The sally raised laugh, and for
moment there was a gust Of rough
badinage, but it was evident that the
crisis could not be prolonged many Sec
onds more. And that brings me to the
water episode, from which l have
slightly wandered.
at bay" continued the story teller, "a
company Of militia had been rushed to
the scene, but hesitated to fire. You
see, public sentiment was so generally
with the rioters that nobody cared to
take the responsibility of ordering a
volley. Just then Captain Dave Cook,
who was at the time chief of the Rocky
mountain police, came galloping up on
horseback, leading the way for steam
fire engine, and before anybody real
lied his purpose four inch stream Of
icy water was turned on the thick Of
the throng.
'"The effect was simply miraculous.
It was very cold day, and the horde
Of Infatuated westerners, who would
surely have stood their ground against
a fusillade of rifles, simply turned tail
and ran. In their frantic efforts to get
out of the way of the water, scores of
people were knocked down and tram
pied on. 1t was a complete rout, and
in two minutes the street was as empty
as a drum. What is more, the thing
prevented any reassembling at other
points, for the fellows who had been
chased by the hose were SO chagrined
at the absurd figure they cut that they
Immediately sneaked off home, and by
the time they secured dry clothes had
lost all interest in the Chinese ques-
ton. Thus a riot was turned into a
good joke, and for a long time after
ward the happy expedient that won the
day was referred to as Dave Cooks
water cure warranted to relieve any
case Of municipal congestion.
"Jim Moon, by the way, met with a
tragic death a little later on. He was
shot and killed by Clay Wilson, a
sporting man, who hailed originally
from New Orleans. When the Denver
papers printed the story, they display
ed some characteristic frontier humor
in their headlines, Blood on the Noon
and "A Lunar Eclipse were two 1 re-
call."-New Orleans Times-Democrat.