Passaic City record., 1900-06-02
CHICAGO HAS REAL WAR,
500 Policemen Cheek a Waterfront
Seizure @ Lake Michigan.
ARMY o. INVASION CAPTURED.
Captain George Streeter and His Force
Take Possession of Land. Throw Up
Breastworks and Do Some Shooting
Horse Killed and Boy Wounded
Surrender When Force Was Used.

CHICAGO (Speela) Five hundred police
armed with rifles and acting as deputy
sheriffs invaded the Territory Of Lake
Michigan" capturing President George
| Streeter and his entire force including all
the members OF his cabinet, the conmau-
| der-in- chief of the army and the rank and
| file of the latter organization. In all
| twenty nine men were gathered in and
placed in cells in the Chicago Avenue Po-
lice Station.
! When dwellers along the Lake Shore
schooner at anchor just off shore. while
close to the eastern edge OF the drive,
which formerly marked the shore, trenches
had been thrown up and armed and uni
formed sentries were pacing beats. Cap
tain George Streeter's army of invasio
had come In the night by way of the lake
and had again taken possession OF ''Terri-
tory Of Lake Michigan" from which the
Ca plain and another army had been driven
by United States Marshall Ames and force
Of deputies several months ago.
The men were armed. provisioned FOR a
months siege and the determined front Of
The garrison indicated that this was no
mere sortie, but a military movement care.
fully planned and executed. The city au-
and Acting Mayor Walker and Chief of Po-
lice Ripley decided after consultation that
the city authorities had no right to inter-
fere. The Lincoln Park Board was hurried
ly called into session and decided that it
had no Jurisdiction.
Meantime Captain Baer OF the Police De-
partment rode over to the boundary line
to see If president" Streeter could be
persuaded to leave his "territory" The
captain attempted to cross the line from
the United States to the TERRITORY of
Lake Michigan" when he was ordered to
halt by William Niles, Chief Justice of the
supreme Court, who was in command of
Streeter's army. The captain didn't halt,
and General Judge Niles picked up rife
aud took shot at him. At the first shot
the captain halted, turned his horse and
started for the United States and safety at
sull speed.
The rifle was a repeater and General
Judge Niles worked the lever with rapidity
At the second shot Captain Baer's horse
fell dead. A third shot tore the lapel from
the coat OF Detective Hiatt, who had ac-
companied Captain Baer. A fourth shot
struck fourteen -year-old Reuben Manly,
one of the crowd attracted by Streeter's
military demonstration, in the leg, maim-
ing him for life. Niles continued firing till
his rifle was empty and the streets clear,
but no other casualties resulted.
A riot call took a patrol load of officers
to the Lake Shore, but the policemen re-
turned without accomplishing anything,
as Streeter's men had lined up and were
in their rifle pits awaiting attack. The re-
serves were then called in from every sta
ton in the city. Rifles and ammunition
were secured from the city armory and
served to the men, who were being formed
into companies aud battalions. They
had preliminary drills as fast as they re-
ported for duty
At O'Clock Sheriff Magerstadt, who
had been in consultation with his attorney
and the United States Marshal since the
attack upon Captain Baer, decided that
the peace and dignity of the county had
oeen outraged and swearing in the 500
police as deputies started for the Lake
Shore. Fifty men were put on board of
tug and sent out to attack Streeter's army
from the rear, while the remaining 450
men were to march upon the intrenched
enemy from three different directions
There was much excitement in the north
side, while all these warlke preparations
we're going on. General Niles, who did all
the talking for President Streeter and all
:he shooting up to that hour, when advised
that the police were coming, called his
Falstaf1an crew about him and delivered
spread-eagle speech, in which he urged
them to shoot to kill and to fight to the
last man. The men were all armed with
repeating rifles and were we'll supplied with
ammunition. After Niles's address they
returned to their trenches
Sheriff Magerstadt had so arranged his
forces that all approached the Streeier
fortress at the same moment. They came
from north, south and west by land, while
the fifty men sent by boat appeared on tue
east. Niles was for opening fire and max
ing fight even though surrounded but
President Streeter, seeing the hopeless
ness of it, advised surrender and without
che firing OF a shot ran up a white flag.
l,.I
marched out Of their dugout fort to be
thrown unceremoniously into patrol wag-
ons and hustled off to police station cells
more like lot of common drunkards than
prisoners OF war.
The men took this desperate step for
possession OF strip OF land formed by ac-
cretions about the wreckage of Captain
Streeter's schooner which was driven on
the beach during the storm in 1886. The
tract now includes more than eighteen
handred lots of 160 acres. In the fight for
the possession OF this land the Supreme
Courts never have rendered any definite
decisions. The land is claimed by the
Newberry estate and other large property
owners along the north shore under
.ipariau rights. The Park Board also
claims most of the territory.
Streeter asserts that the land is made
and and is as free as the undiscovered ISL
ands OF the sea. It is his intention to es-
-oSAoh O ciolul W H. p0CtuSO IL kEoW up ny
wave action against his old boat. After
he has established claim he intends to
have the territory annexed to the United
States. A year ago Captain Streeter made
an attempt to set up an Independent gov
ernment on the tract. A constitution was
adopted and full set of officers installed
but then, as now, the police acting as
deputy sherlffs raid ed the Territory and
threw Streeter and his men into JAIL Two
weeks ago Captain Streeter brought suit
for $50000O damages from the city officials
and others who were Interested in the
police expedition against him last May.
At first the claims Of Captain Streeter
were laughed at, but his claim to possess
sion and the sale OF parts Of the land to
others put cloud on the title OF some of
the North Shore property owners. Much
litigation ha been the result and the aid
OF Federal courts may be invoked to settle
the question OF ownership to the tract in
dispute,