New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-10-06
RIOT AT A CONVENTION.
HAFFEN AND NAGLE FORCES
IN BLOODY STRUGGLE.
STARTED BY FIGHT BETWEEN THE
LEADERS-RESERvES FROM NOR
RISANIA STATION CALLED TO
STOP THE BATTLE

The Tammany convention for the XXIst Sen
ate District was held in a hall az Third-ave and
One e-hundred-and -seventieth-st last night Its
chief feature was riot IN which several hun
dreds Of delegates, many more Of their parti-
sans number Of city officials and fifty or more
/ policemen armed with clubs and revolvers took
part
More than one head cracked and blood
poured from many battered noses. Some of the
delegates who had seen political fights and had
their part therein in older districts said they
had never seen the like of last nights battle
There were two candidates. Joseph P. Hen
messy, lawyer, of Boston Road, was one. He
was known as ''Hanen's man" because Louis
F. Haffen, President Of The Bronx, was his
sponsor Haffen, besides being President of The
Bronx. is leader Of the XxXvth Assembly Dis
strict. which. with the XXxIvth makes the
XXIst Senate District.
The second candidate was Henry Schrader.
saIoonkeeper Of Third and One-hundred-
and-forty- -ffth-st. He was ''Nagle's man. and
back Of him was Street Cleaning Commissioner
Percival E Nagle. Nagle is leader Of the part
Of the XXXIVth Assembly District below the
Harlem River. August NIoebus. Commissioner
of Parks for The Bronx is leader Of the upper
part of the same district
Prior to the convention the saloons round
about did rushing trade. and the delegates
went UP into the convention hall well prirned
for trouble.
GOOD FORCE OF POLICE.
II was $50 o'clock before either Hafen or
Nagle appeared. Without leaders the delegates
got along nicely. and aside from an occasional
pickering between one or two Of the more ex-
citable ones there was little apparently to justify
the presence Of the score of anxious policemen.
under command Of Captain wiegand. Sergeants
| O'Toole and Hamilton and Roundsman Sweeney,
Of the Morrsania station.
Commissioner Nagle and President Hafren ap-
/ peared almost at the same moment in an ante
room
! Good evening. Commissioner said President
HafTen in what seemed to he a friendly enough
I manner.
You can't talk that way TO me" replied Com
missioner Nagle warmly: any man that's been
doing dirty work like you and your gang
! -Oh. don't know about that" retorJed Haf-
/ fen. I've got the votes You've only got 175.
/ 1 got POI You people won't be in it
You are - Harr' roared Commissioner
! Nagle his face livid
! Before friends could get between them Haf-
! fen drew back and landed a right hand blow
/ square in Nagle's face
/ Tn liar eh2" he hissed- Take THAR and
I ne gave an uupereur with his left hand
/ Naele can tight himself. and he came back at
Hafen like a tornado. It was regular shar-
/ key-Jeffries affair for five minutes. The men
/ rained blows on each other, and one or two
( anxious friends who tried to get between them
/ were hurled aside. Word got into the conven-
/ ton hall that the two leaders were lighting in
/ the anteroom. and instantly the delegates
! divided and took up the battle.
! POLICE CAPTAIN TO THE RESCUE
! Captain Wiegand, with rare strategy. per
/ ceived that law and order would not be restored
unless he could separate NagIe and Haffen. and
ne formed ten of his men into a flying wedge for
this purpose. It successful, and after Captain
! Wiegand had talked to both men they agreed
upon temporary truce. and putting and blowing
they both went on the platform The delegates
( at once stopped fighting and began TO cheer
Without waiting, Commissioned Nagle stepped
forward, and raising his hand for order,
noUnced his intention Of calling the roll His
/ friends cheered. while Haffen's men hissed. Then
( Mr.. Hafen stepped forward and said he guessed
he could do a little roll calling himself. His
/ friends in turn cheered ard Nagle's men hissed-
Both men then proceeded in the pandemonium
Of alternate kissing and cheering. to call the
roll They were not heard two feet distant and
in effect merely went through the motions, al
though both were roaring
RUSH FOR THE PLATFORM
The delegates waited until both men finished.
and then moved by the same impulse they
rushed for the platform II is about four feet
above the floor. and not more than fifteen feet
square on the platform was heavy oak table.
The two rivals stood on either side of this table
The angry delegates piled over one another. and
/ throwing coats and hats on the floor all hands
sailed in.
Captain Wiegand and his twenty men used
nfghtsticks as if they were in race riot and
the delegates were all colored men. but they
We're like so many schoolboys. Helmets were
crushed, shields were torn of, and new fall uni
form coats were put on the bum" as one later
expressed IL. Somehow Roundsman Sweeney
got out Of the hall TO a telephone and called for
the Morrisanfa reserves. They came on the rush.
fifty strong
But the partisans Of the two politicians. other
than delegates to the number Of several hun
dred. had gathered in the street and the hall
way stairs and were having a riot of their
own. Through these the reserves had 10 club
their wav
Some OF the delegates smashed the heavy
table the platform. and Haffen grabbing one
of the table legs and Nagle another. started at
each other again They swung their bludgeons
wildly. and had either struck the other it would
have been murder Back 10 back with Haffen
stood big Michael Cunningham, known in The
Bronx as an orator. He fought like a hend.
With Nagle was Thomas Kennedy. who is as
good three ordinary men in brawl He
knocked HafAuites down all around him The
platform floor was actually slippery with blood
Down in the body OF the hall the delegates,
unable to get on the platform, were trying 70
xiii one another with chairs and cuspidors and
divers other missiles
CAPTAIN wIEGAND STOPS IT