The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-10
DEATH OF O'CONNELL
FIREBRAND THAT PRECPITATED
THE TROUBLE IN. THE FIJI
TENTH AT AUGUSTA
STORY AS TOLD BY AN OFFICER

STORY AS TOLD BY: AN OFFICER
Narrative of the Trouble as Told to
The Globe by One OF the Commits
stoned Officers who Is Familiar
With the Facts That Led Up to
the COurt-MartiaI of Enlisted Men
and Reprimand of Omcers.
One Of the topics.of most general inter-
est in st. Paul just now is the court OF
inquiry into the conduct of Col. Leonhau-
ser, of the Fifteenth Minnesota infantry,
which will meet at the army headquar-
tiers this morning
One of the officers of the Fifteenth
regiment was seen last night by
G o Re reporter and asked to give a
history of the trouble the regiment had
while in Augusta. He said:
1.-The Fifteenth regiment was stationed
at Augusta, Ga. and had been there
since the 18th Of December. On the even
ing Of the 4th Of February. James OCon-
nell. Of Company F. Of East Grand
Forks. his brother. Peter Olson and one
other had leave Of absence and were
down town. There Is a grocery, restau-
rant and saloon combined on the out
skirts of the town toward camp, kept
by man by the name of Owen Hadley.
The boys went in there to get something
to eat and, seeing the bar, went after
drink. O'COnnell never drank liquor and
called for soda water. They were talk
Ing loudly Hadley came In from the
adjoining house and asked them not to
make so much noise; one of the boys re-
piled that If he didn't like 1t he knew
what he could do.
NO BACK TALK.
''Hadley said: 4 don't want you to
talk like that or SO loud, as my wife is
in the next house O'Connell called him
vile name. and told him If he didn't
like 1t ne could go to h.
without any further words Hadley
pulled revolver and shot O'Connell
through the heart. O'Connell's brother
asked Hadley why he had shot his broth
er, and he replied; I would shoot any
one that calls me a name like that
Hadley then went out, got his horse
and rode away. The others went down
town and reported to the chief Of police.
He laughed at them as though it was a
joke, treated the, matter lightly, and
made no haste to go after the murderer.
The body was taken to the coroner's
and kept there until after the inquest.
1t was found by the Jury that he was
killed by Hadley.7 The men came back
and the men. In short time two
thirds Of the regiment formed outside
Of Col. Leonhauser's tent. went up
there and there was not a whisper.
went into the cofoners tent where he
was. ~ -
QUESTIONING THE MEN
"There was a delegation of two pri-
Yates there on behalf OF the enlisted
men demanding that the colonel give
them justice. Whatever that meant no
one seemed to know. The colonel ques-
toned these men very carefully and
turned to the officers and said: I do not
believe in making speeches.; Mr.. Adju-
tant. you can tell the men that I will do
everything in my power to see that the
man is dealt with, that justice Is melted
out. Tell the men to go to their quar-
ters and rely on me- .-'yo if' y
1.-The men dispersed and went back to
their company streets and the colonel told
the line officers to go back to their COM
panies and tell ali their men to give them
the same message he had given those out
side his tent; Furthermore, that he had
sent Capt. Bond and Capt Spicer and two
of the men who were with O'Connell to
Augusta on horseback, to take whatever
steps were necessary and to report back
later in the evening. The men quoted
down for a while.
Then F companys men got to talking
in an excited way and wanted to get their
rifles and go on. and many men from the
Tenth Ohio, Thirty-ffth Michigan and
First Maryland and Eighth and Thir-
teenth Pennsylvania came in and
URGED THE MEN TO GO,
saying they would go with them, and the
vision would go. So this group started
from T company and headed toward the
Thirteenth Pennsylvania, and there Capt
Gibson, of l. company, Fifteenth Mime
sofa, officers Of the day, stopped them,
drew his revolver and said he would shoot
the first man who went ahead. Meantime
the Thirteenth Pennsylvania kept calling,
Come on! you Minnesota cowardsI We
will go with your This was what seemed
to have the greatest effect, especially
coming from the First Maryland They
had had a scrape of their own. One CT
their men had been shot, and they had
gone down, burnedethe town and hung the
shooter. so they, feeling like veterans,
kept urging our men on Capt Crossfie1d
the day, and got UP on box and made
a talk By that time there were nearly
300 men gathered. As this was at the end
- of our street. Capt. Gilmore and were
there. We did not make any speeches,
but talked to the men. and they dispers-
ed. But crowd got out onto the parade
ground, but it began to rain and they all
dispersed.
LAST THAT. NIGHT
"That was the last that night Taps
were blown and all got quiet The officers
got together, talked the matter over and
concluded the worst was over and If any
thing more was done it would not be done
until the next night.
"Capts. Bond and Spicer came back from
town and said that HadIey had not been
captured and probably would not be. This
also led the officers to believe that moth
ing would be done until the men found
where Hadley was Most of the officers
stayed up nearly all night. All was quiet
It continued raining until $3.50 the next
morning, and as far as we could see moth
ing further had been done, but it seems
that during the night. with the advice of
the Maryland fellows, members of Com
panies T. D and I formed an organization
of what they called picked men for the
purpose of breaking into the commits
sary's storehouse
TO GET CARTRIDGES
with intent to shott and kill Iadley as
soon as news came that he was captured
and put in the county jail. In the morn
ing, about or O'Clock, one little darkey
boy, who came to camp for the purpose
of selling his papers; spread the story
| that Hadley had been, captured, was in
Jail and would be taken that afternoon to
Atlanta The men thought that their
only chance was to get at it that morn