Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-04-29
STARTED GREEN PAINT RIOT
THE DOG BUMPED AGAINST THE
PAINTERS LADDER, AND
TROUBLE SOON BEGAN


C00I1 ana Green Wn1skers were
Among the Embellishments.
NEW YORK, April 28.-There was a
green paint riot at John Ruege's sa-
loon, at Sixty-second street and Am
sterdam avenue, yesterday afternoon.
A st. Bernard dog started it, says the
Sun, but journeyman painter hired
by Emil F. Whichever to paint the
metal awning over the saloon was the
most active figure in the proceedings.
Fifteen or twenty men were stand
ing around in front of the saloon. The
painter was on a ladder that leaned
against the edge of the awning. His
paint can hung on a rung of the ladder
at the level of his head. All was
peace. The man on the ladder was
even humming song to himself, great
ly to the amusement of the men below.
X A st. Bernard with a shaggy yellow
coat and the strength of young lion
came bounding ahead of Ruege, who
owned him. The dog had just had its
bath and was frisky. In its transports
and in lodging its masters playful
blows the dog bounded against the
ladder. The ladder was Jared and
Slipped back across the sidewalk for a
few inches. The painter, up above,
hoJA for 70
dog in complicated English to
30 away out of that. The dog, unaware
of the danger that impended, backed
against the ladder again and there was
another eruption of transposed Gus
words from the top of the ladder.
Il told you you will sorry be- shout
id the painter, and started down. When
be was half down down he f1irted his
brush, which he had painstakingly
blled with green paint, at the dog. He
missed the dog and the paint spat-
tered all over the men who had been
laughing at him. There was a roar of
rage from the men. They started for
the painter. In his haste to void them
he kicked the ladder over. The can
of paint hanging on the top rung
etruck the sidewalk and splashed in
giddy green fountains over everything
with twenty feet. Some of the men
who escaped the paint flirted from the
brush caught the full force of this
flood all the way from their waists to
their shoes.
The painter dashed into Ruege's sa
JAay nd hid ha hor Iio
suers were close on his trail. One of
them, man with a yellow Van Dyke
beard, went into the bar to drag the
painter out.
Kill him!" yelled the green mob,
streaming in behind. kill him."
Look at my hat" shouted man in
the doorway.
Look at my coat!' yelled another.
The man with the yellow whiskers
dived down into the space behind the
AlJar. He jumped up and clapped his
hand to his face. His whiskers and his
hands were green. The painter rose
from his place of retreat.
Anybody else" he cried, what
comes back here after me, he gets the
same"
Another man went back and the
painter lunged with his brush. The
man came out in front of the saloon
with a green face. The besiegers re-
tired to the corner of the room farthest
from the painter and bombarded him
with beer glasses and free lunch
A boy had left the scene of action
when the trouble bagan and ran as
fast as his small legs would take him
to Wildfeuer's paint shop.
They're killing your man up there
at Ruege's," the boy said to Whichever
Whichever made all haste to the sa-
loon. He found the crowd as near to
being in murderous mood as a crowd
in this town may well be.
"Stop it!'' he yelled. Don't kill
him. I'll pay all the damages"
This offer diverted the crowds at
tention from the painter for a minute
and he made dash for the door. He
was not fairly out before somebody
caught sight of him and the whole
green mob was in full cry after him.
The painter was fleet of foot and
gained. The last his pursuers saw of
him was when he hauled himself on
board a Columbus avenue car, going at
full speed, and looked back over his
shoulder, brandishing the green paint
brush.
The crowd then went back to look
for Whichever and new suits of clothes
There were so many of them and their
aspect was SO threatening that Wild
feuer went into his shop and locked his
front door. The begreened ones, how
ever, stood around and denounced all
painters until it was time to go home
for dinner. The man with the once
yellow whiskers had to go to barber
and have his beard and moustache
shaved off, He could not clear him
self of the paint in any other way.
Whichever said last night that he had
discharged the painter, and that he
would pay all reasonable claims for
damages.