The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-04
HAD 1T IN FOR THEM
SOLDIERS WE'RE INCENsED
AGAINST POLICEMEN.
MAYOR MYERS's VIEW OF 1T.
SOLDIERS REMEMBERED ARRESTS
MADE IN THE CITY.

Part i'm the Rioting at Tybee-Evi-
dence That Had Reached Him
showed That Fault Lay with the
Observation-Disclosures Were OF Duty
and Outside OF Iiie City-MayOr
Says Officers should BE Asked TO
Keep Men Away From the PaviI-
ions If They Are to Be Turbulent.
Maj. O'Hara Had nm Informal In
vestigation-Men Exonernted.
No investigation of the conduct of
the policemen who figured in the riot
ing at Tybee night before last will be
made. Mayor Myers was asked yes
terday if he would look into the trou-
BILE officially. He replied that he would
not. He did not consider that the cir
cumstances were such as to warrant
or demand an investigation by him.
II do not consider that an investi-
cation is needed" said the Mayor.
From all the evidence that has reach
ed me / am inclined to believe that
the soldiers We're at fault; that they
provoked the difficulty, and that, there
fore, they were to blame. The po-
licemen were off duty at the time. and
far from the city. They were simply
citizens. having lost their identity as
policemen.
1.-THE soldiers have not entertained
a kindly feeling toward the police of
Savannah. Many of the soldiers have
been arrested from time to time by the
he 81
seem to entertain a grudge against the
members of the force. They probably
thought they had a good opportunity
yesterday to vent their spleen. II such
conduct as the soldiers are credited
with, is to be seen often at Tybee, /
should suggest that it would be a wise
plan for those who give picnics on the
island to request the officers to keep
the soldiers away from the pavilions.
Maj. OHara, commanding officer at
Fort Screven, and DR.. Hicks, surgeon,
were up from Tybee yesterday. Maj.
O'Hara said that there had been a sort
of informal investigation of the row
during the morning, but that nothing
had come of it. Lieut.. Peace, one of
the officers of the post, was on the
scene during the difficulty and his evil
dence supported that of the soldiers,
who declared that they had not pro-
voked the difficulty. This statement
relieved the men of blame, so far as
the commanding officer was concerned.
DR.. Hicks said that the man who was
kicked in the abdomen and put COM
pletely out was brought around safe
and sound. The man will probably be
discharged from the service, as he has
physical disabilities. He has heart
trouble. and an attack of
the f1aladV prnha h1v hafpad 70
put him out of the bust
ness of head-punching. 1t was thought
for a time that the man had been
stabbed, but such was not the case.
He had small sore on the breast, and
this was mistaken for a knife wound
None of the soldiers was badly hurt
DR.. Hicks said, their injuries having
been confined to bruises, hard knocks
and slight cuts. in some of which a
few stitches had to be taken.
A gentleman who saw the difficulty
from it's inception to it's finish, de-
clared yesterday that the soldiers
were not the aggressors, but that the
civilians had provoked the fight This
is view that is taken by a number
of the witnesses, but there are more
who take the opposite side. saying that
the soldiers had been doing their ut
MIST to cause trouble.
was not in the fight, as was at first
reported, and was not at Tybee while
the row was in progress. The man
with whom the soldiers started the
row was Reilly Brown, a brother of
the special officer. While apparently
the soldiers didn't care much with
whom they fought, they picked the
row with Reilly. thinking him Jim. One
of the men accused Brown of having
thrown him out of the Royal Music
Hall, although the man has no con-
nection with that place. He is a. cab
man. He told the soldier that he was
mistaken in his man, but according to
Brown it was scrap they were looking
for, and they didn't much care with
whom they started.
Rossiter went to Browns assistance.
and in this way the ball was started
rolling. Brown says that 1t is not true
that he did hot foot, and declares
that he was the first man in the row,
and one of the last out. He Is a
husky individual, and says that he got
in some solid ticks that counted for
something. According TO Brown he
was in the thick of the fight, and used
his feet and head, as we'll as his fists.
He remembers having butt a man
down and. too, of having kicked a
soldier who was trying to trip him.
Brown says that he also got in some
work with beer bottle, and that he
is ready at any time to show those
who doubt his pugilistic abilities. when
aroused, just what sort of stuff he is
made of. Brown says that it is untrue
that he wanted to hide on the train.
or that he attempted to make his es-
cape after the row started The cab
man escaped with a bruised eye.
1t developed yesterday that a man
in civilian attire attempted to draw
revolver during the fight. The patrol
men were fighting hard but realized
that any shooting would terminate in
is said to have planted a right on the
jaw of the armed civilian that put him
out of business for a minute or two
None of the officers drew his revolver
although billies were used by some
of those fighting Uncle Sans men.
Because of the fact that the trouble
occurred on the last day or the season
Mayor Butler of Tybee will take no ac-
ton on the matter. Had the trouble
occurred earlier in the summer charges
would be made against those who took
part in the trouble and there would he
an official investigation. Mayor But
Ter recognizes that the large majority
of the men at Fort Screven are gentle
men, but realizes too. that there is a
rougher element among the enlisted
men.
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Feeding to Fit
is the problem with infants. The growing
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