The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-23
INITIATED MRS. NATION
A Man in Baltimore Completely
Wrecks a Saloon.

Smashed Everything IN Sight, In
GLIDING a stove With IA Fire in 1t.
When Arrested the Prisoner Asks
That He Be Given II JU=y Trial
BALTIMORE March "a disciple of
Mrs. Carrie Nation appeared in Baltimore
yesterday James Cunningham, twenty
nine years old. and whose home is at 80
West Cross Street. wrecked the saloon OF
Frank B. Shroeter at Isl West Cross
Street.
Cunningham. who is of herculean pro
portions accompanied by Richard VIII
mer, entered the saloon at noon yester-
day. While Wilmer was drinking Cum
ningham began expostuIating with him
Mrs Sophie Schroeder, who was behind
the bar and was, besides the two men,
the only occupant of the saloon at the
time. described what ensued as follows
Cunningham became very much eXcit-
ed. He entered into long TRADE against
the evil effects of liquor His friend laugh
ed at him and continued to drink his beer
Cunningham finally brought up the sub
ject of Mrs Nation. and her Kansas cru
SADIE He said he approved q ner course
and regretted that there were in Balti-
more no persons who We're brave enough
TO follow her example. BY this time he
was shouting. He had had nothing TO
drink and was not under the influence Of
LIQUOR, because-I know that he does nor
drink and has not for several years
Finally he cried. Mrs Nation shall
never want for a Baltimore representative
while l am in town and l will begin the
Baltimore crusade right here and let the
world know that there is one man at
least who is not afraid TO battle for the
right
Rushing TO the bar he grabbed a bot
tie and sent il with a crash into the
large mirror at the back. breaking it into
a hundred pieces. Again and again did
he fire the beer and whisky bottles in
all directions where they could do the
most damage Exhausting the stock Of
bottles in sight he charged upon The pic
lures, several large ones Of which were
hanging upon the walls These he pulled
down and dashed upon the floor Having
demolished these, he ran over TO the bar
again and. seeing several dozen glasses
upon the buffet, with one blow of his ARA
he smashed them into atoms.
There is a stove just in the az Of the
bar. and TO this he next turneC Pick
ing It up, although it had fire in it, he
threw it across the room The gas fix
lures next caught his attentieec e:-1 he
grabbed them twisting off the ends as
though they had been wood He was
dancing around ike maniac
y began 10 shout for the police, but did
not run out because I was afraid the
srnasher would burn the house down As
he tore off the gas jet, however, l could
stay no longer. but made a rush for the
door crying for help as 1 ran Gun
ningham saw me start for the back door.
and, era bling i large beer cask. he
hurled it after me When I returned the
two men had gone
The appearance of the saloon fully bore
out Mrs Schroeter's story.
\ large crowd collected about the sa-
loon, attracted by the cries for help and
the sound of breaking glass Patrolman
William Essex arrived shortly after the
smashing process had been completed,
and wetn TO the home Of Cunningham,
which is just across the street from the
saloon, and arrested hir
Arraigned before Justice Fowler. at the
Southern police station, the prisoner
asked for a jury trial, and was sent to
jail.
When seen in his cell. just before
leaving for the jail. Cunningham said:
I used to drink BY George How did
throw it in. Several years ago ] r.
/ course pursued by Mrs Carrie Nation,
( and / thoroughly endorse it Her actions
meet with my own ideas upon the
methods of putting q stop TO the saloon
! curse
/ y haze seen the effects Of liquor upon
my friends and their ruined lives have
haunted me even in my dreams 1 have
/ lain awake at night trying to think of
/ some way to prevent the victims of the
( liquor habit from gratifying their Suici-
/ dal desires, but until the acts Of Mrs.
! Nation came under ny notice ! knew OF
/ ne plan to successfully accomplish it
| The sight Of my friend drinking today
/ put the final touch 70 my resolve 10 fol
I low Mrs. Nations course and I sailed in
/ 1 am not sorry for what ! have done. be
/ cause l think il was right. and 1 should
! not be censuTed, but gloTified as a martyr
/ in d righteous cause l would ike &C
! see others follow in my footsteps
Cunningham is about six feet two inch
I es tall and is heavily built
The floor OF the saloon he wrecked was
/ covered with broken glass and pictur;
! frames. Beer half-bUrned Goals anC
| ashes from the overturned stove were
| mixed together in the rear Of, the bar
the mirror was a wreck and there wa!
not q whole glass in the establishment
Cunningham did about $3.50 damage i:
the SchrOeter saloon