The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-26
WITH CLUBS AND KNIVES
NEGROES BATTER AND SLASH EACH
OTHER IN STREET.
Vicinity of Ohio and Toledo Streets
Converted Into Battle Ground
Man May Die.

Negroes TO carve edCH OlHSl
into little pieces yesterday afternoon about
4:S0 o'clock near Ohio and Toledo streets.
No man was killed outright in the bloody
fight, but one man, Charles Sanford was so
terribly cut that it is almost certain he will
die Sanford managed to get away, and the
police think he is dying in some out-of-the-
way place. The other victims-John, Henry
and May Whitney and Allen Dean-are at
the police station, gashed and cut. John
Whitney is the most severely injured Of
those under arrest. He is cut diagonally
across the left arm, the wound barring the
bone and severing the bceps muscles.
Henry Whitney is cut in the back of the
head at the base of the brain. The cash
extended from the right ear to the rear of
the left ear. He is also cut on the right
cheek. Allen Dean is severly cut across
the neck and right jaw. The latter has
been laid open and the jaw bone is eX-
posed. The Whitney woman's injuries con-
sist of several severe gashes on the left
arm.
The fight which started on the south side
of Ohio street, between the canal and To-
ledo street, ragged across the street into
yard, where fence pickets, hatchets, ham,
mers and knives were used with terrible
effect. 1t attracted several hundred people,
both white and cOlOred. Many undoubtedly
the fight, but when the police inter
De learned, as each person Just happened
round when it was over" An official a
the American brewery who saw the fight
telephoned the police station. Some one
else later telephOned that several people
had been killed. patrol wagon full of
patrOlmen, the bicycle corps and the city
ambulance were sent to the battlefield.
The speeding of the patrol wagon and city
ambulance down Washington street excited
many people, and in an incredibly short
time Ohio street, near the railroad was
blocked. As the ambulance drove up three
colOred men were lying in the street, bleed
ing profusely from their wounds. They
were placed in the wagon and hurriedly
driven to the City Dispensary. The Whit
ney woman was found on West Ohio street,
near West street, and sent to the Dispen-
sary in the patrol wagon. The police
learned from bystanders that Charles San
ford, who was also in the fight. was the
most seriously injured. 1t was said that
after the fight Sanford ran north on To-
ledo street and disappeared. Ten police
failed to find him. II is said his skull is
crushed and that he has several big knife
wounds in his side and arms.
Allen Dean, one of the negroes under ar
rest, said his participation in the affair was
merely as peacemaker. He was mistaken
by Sanford as one of the Whitney crowd
he said, and in this way received his in
JurIes. Henry Whitney, as he lay on the
operating table at the Dispensary, told a
story of the trouble. MY brother and -
he said, were walking down Ohio street to
when we were stopped by Sanford l had
never seen him before. He was standing
behind tree and made lunge at me with
a knife. L grappled with him and finally
knocked him down. / jumped back and
then tried to get out of his way. He arose
and started after my brother John. The
latter turned TO get away and Sanford cut
him on the arm. When L saw my brother
cut l started again for Sanford. We fought
into the street and then to the other side
to a big yard at Toledo and Ohio streets
begun
and my brother ran over to the house at
No. APO Ohio street and picked up Ratchet
When he came back Sanford and / were
hghting. John began to use the Ratchet on
Sanford. While we were fighting Allen
Dean ran up and also Johns wife and Mat
tie Cortpeter. Dean hit me across the hack
of the head with fence picket"
Henry Whitney said he was sure that
SANFORD was fatally injured. He said Mrs
Whitney received her wounds by being hit
with the fence picket welded by Dean
The latter, he said instead of acting as a
peacemaker, began using the fence picket
right and left, hitting everybody. John
Whitney was too weak from the loss of
blood to tell how he got into the fight The
negro women were reticent about the af-
falr: The white people in the neighbor-
hood, when asked about the cutting scrape
would not talk when any of the colored
people were around. The negroes in that
locality 1t is said, have frightened the
white residents. One white woman, who
lives within few feet of where the fight
occurred, said she did not learn of the
night until she heard the screaming of the
negro women across the street. BY that
time the men had gone across the street
and were fighting in the big yard She
said she came to her front door and saw
her sidewalk covered with blood
West Ohio street after the fight looked
like battlefield at the end of a bloody en-
gagement Both sides of the street were
covered with blood, and large spots were
| in the roadbed. a picket fence on the north
| side of the street had been pulled to pieces
| been used for clubs.
! After the police had sent the injured to
| the dispensary, Ohio and Toledo streets
| remained densely thronged with curious
people. The bicycle policemen made y
| search of every negro cabin for Sanford
| a lumber yard OH the bank of the canal
was also searched, but no trace of the
! wounded man could be found II is thouebt
that he went to negro settlement near the
| City Hospital.