The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-05
A CLASH WITH GUARDSMEN
Two Persons Shot During a Riot
With the Police.
Six Others Slightly Wounded by
Clubs. Bottles, md Stones-BnttIe
Started at Thirteenth and ID
Streets Over Arrest of n Private.

Soldiers and police came together last
night and a serious riot was narrowly
averted. Shots were fired. and seven per-
sons were hurt, either by bullets, clubs.
or flying missiles The wounded, among
whom are both policemen and citizens,
were cared for at the Emergency Hos
pital
They are: ollie May Wellington, seven
years old, of Philadelphia; George Allen.
a High School cadet; special policeman,
name unknown: Policemen Purks and
Aud, of the First precinct station; Po-
lceman Thomphins. of the Second pre-
cinct station, and policeman Gibson. of
the Sixth precinct station. Little May
Wellington was shot in the leg. just above
the ankle. The wound is slight. Police
men Purks, Aud, ana Thompfs5ffS are suf-
ferlng from scalp wounds: young Allen
was shot in the left leg, and the special
policeman. whose name is not known.
was dubbed about the hands and arms
All the injured doing well.
The arrest of Paul J. Kemp, member
of Company M, Eighteenth Regiment,
Pennsylvania National Guard, about $3.50
o'clock led directly to the trouble, which
had been brewing for hours. Kemp was
arrested in charge by the police of the
First precinct station at Thirteenth and
ID Streets northwesi, where were gathered
5000 people. both soldiers and citizens. He
was charged with disorderly conduct, but
after the trouble was released from Gus
tody and left the city at midnight with
his regiment for home. Kemp lives in
Pittsburg. Pa, on Penn Avenue. and is
twenty years of age. He told reporter
while at the station that he had nothing
to do with the rioting.
Indications of serious trouble were ap-
parent early in the evening. Thousands
of soldiers and citizens swarmed in the
section of the city south of Pennsylvania
Avenue, especially about Thirteenth and
ID Streets northwest. Many guards!nen
were intoxicated. it is said, anu property
IN several houses of i'll repute was smash
ed despite rusheS made by the police at
brief intervals Toward o clock there
gathered an immense crowd along ID
Street and fifty soldiers produced long
rope, which had been used during the day
to keep in check the mass of people lined
along the route of the procession. Almost
with one accord this rope was stretched
across ID Street by the soldiers and then
trouble began. Persons wishing to pass
were checked and compelled to jump the
rope to which action the police protested
forcibly. Half dozen policemen were
about the scene and finally they charged
the crowd, which, by this time, was a
bowling. hooting mob. Policeman Burton
singled out Kemp and arrested him. The
their prisoner. closely followed by the sol
diers, mOmentcrily augmented by hun
dreds of citizens. Near Twelfth and d
Streets northwest, in an attempt to res
cue Kemp, the clash between soldiers and
police came. In an instant there was one
huge struggling mass of people. Then
the riot broke out and rapidly assumed
alarming proportions.
The police held on to Kemp and huS-
tied him into the station and back to
cell. Without the thousands yelled and
the police say numberlesS missiles beer
}, and stones, Were thrown
on.
)dges called out the reserve
zoos .4,I to the steps of the station,
ken as u agnal for further
-.H. 81 Ie standing on the steps,
fFr... nber, the police say they
H-'|. Oy bottles, stones, and even
he game was fast and fu-
1lice drew their revolvers
are those who say POSI-
.'H - shots were fired into the
lie police, on the contrary,
r- red into the air However
fH is certain that two citi-
-'Eh School Cadet. the other
-, were shot and painfully
wounded. They later received medical at
tentiOn.
simultaneously with the firing. soldiers
and citizens withdrew some distance, but
it was the lull before the storm. Lieuten-
ant Amiss reached the station just at that
time and took charge. He telephoned for
the entire reserve force of the depart
ment, stationed at the various precincts.
The police station was in an uproar, peo-
pie We're coming and going without ap-
parent motive, and the crowd in the
streets seemed mo mentarily increasing.
For a time il looked as if the angry
crowd of soldiers and citizens would lay
siege to the station and make a second
effort to rescue Kemp. The sight of the
Policemen withsthe bright nickel of their
weapons cleaning iE the electric light and
the quickly spread rumor that number
had been wounded by the fusillade from
the police dampened their ardor. During
the momentary quiet somebody ran into the
station and told OF renewal of the rioting
at Thirteenth Street. A dozen policemen
were sent there. II developed that hun
dred soldiers had seized pushcart be-
longing to an Italian fruit yender and ac-
cording to the police, were bStFucting
the street and hampering traffic of every
description. The crowd outside the sta
tion learned of the renewed riotfng and
followed the police.
Policemen Warren, Purks. and Gibson
tried to make a stand against the crowd
but were forced back Somebody threw
stick which knocked Policeman Purks
helmet from his heal and another un-
known hurled a brick, striking him on
the back of the -ead. infiicting a
severe scalp wound The policeman
was rendered unconscious several mo-
ments and citizens removed him to
OgramS drug store, Thirteenth Street
and Pennsylyania Avenue, By the
time the detail from the station arrived
the trouble had partly subsided and no
arrests were made. The telephone brought
the ambulance and Purks went to the
Emergency Hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile Policeman Thompkins of the
Second precinct station had arrived with
his reserve, and had got into trouble with
soldiers at Tenth Street and the Avenue
Thompkins remembers that he was hit on
the head with a heavy club but does not
know who hit him. He tried to arrest
half dozen soldiers, but was driven back
and at the station was ordered to go to
the hospital for treatment His scalp is
badly lacerated
While this was going on c. f. Nelling-
ton, a resident of Philadelphia, Pa, en-
tered the station with his little girl Ollie
May Wellington. aged seven years who
was suffering from painful flesh wound
just above the ankle. said to have been
caused by a bullet. Mr. Wellington says
he was passing along the street near the
city postofIice building. accompanied by
his daughter. while the shots were flying.
A bullet struck the child in the leg. but
apparently no one can say whether it was
fired by policeman, soldier, or citizen. Mr..
Wellington lives at 1871 Ninth Street,
Philadelphia. and came here several days
ping with friends.
The officers commanding the PennSyl-
vania troops had been notified of the
state of affairs and about II o'clock a
provost guard of twenty men, members
of Company Il. Sixth Pennsylvania In
fantry in charge of Sergt Clinton II.
Townsend. of philadelphia, was dis
patched to round UP the disorderly
soldiers Assisted by the police. this
guard cleared G and d Streets from
Twelfth to Fourteenth Streets northwest,
of soldiers. who were driven back to the
Avenue There were several attempts to
reorganize. but a drizzing rain set in just
before Midnight and many soldiers board
ed cars for their quarters, either in the
Army and Navy building or the Conven-
ton Hall. As the crowds gave way, the
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