The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-02-23
OUR NEWEST CIVIL WAR.
DISTRICT OF LAKE MICHIGAN is
CLAMORING FOR ADMISSION.

Gap" Strccter and His Wife, Maria
Squatted ON Strip of Sandbar On
pOsite the Lake shore Drive i'm
Chicago Several Years Ago and
Defended 1t With Hot Water Untii
Recently-1wO Attempts by the
Chicago Police to Drive Them on
Have Failed-There Are Now 1SO
Acres of Land in the Tract, and
They Are Worth $4,000 OOO-Trou-
BILE Came From Original Survey.
BY John L. Mathews.
Copyright, 1902, by John L. Mathews
Few are aware that we are engaged
in a civil war to-day--a war between
states in which hundreds of men have
been engaged, forts have been captur-
ed, shots exchanged, and all the ele-
ments of comic opera, except the
music, provided. One of the states, to
be sure, is not yet on the government
maps, but 1t is struggling hard for rec
ognition, and it is this struggle which
has led to the great war between the
state of Illinois, through its chief city
- OA%AS%oNs cAhN NAAC AnQCpClQGnt LIS
trdct of Lake Michigan, better known
as Cap" Streeter's "Deestric'.' The
war of the rebellion was fought over
rights" So is the present war.
Do you know what them fellers
claims?" Capt. Streeter demanded one
day of a reporter. "Lemme tell We what
they claims. They claims ripairin'
rights that's what they claims.
What is ripairin' rights? Lemme
tell we what hey is. Ripairin' rights is
the rights to RI-PAIR yer shore where
Is wore Off by the water. Don't glen
We no more right TO fill in the lake am
own the film AN it docs me to dig
a hole in yer front yard an own tn
hole"
And acting on his belief in the cor
rectness of that statement, Capt.
Streetr has seized 1856 acres of the
choicest lands in Chicago, lying along
the lake front north of the river, and
has there organized the independent
District OF Lake Michigan" The lead
ers In its government have applied to
Congress for recognition as one OF the
sovereign states of the union, and
meanwhile they are struggling by
force OF arms with the Chicago police
for the life of their common wealth.
This strange affair is the direct fault
of well meaning and Industrious sur
veyor named John Wall, who was sent
by the Washington authorities in 1921
to survey the ground they were about
to buy from the Indians. A town site
was desired at the mouth of Chicago
river, and Wall was ordered to survey
a strip twenty miles along the lake
shore north from the Calumet river
and running thence southwesterly. All
would have been well had he bounded
1t on the east by the waters of Lake
Michigan" but instead he ''rneandered"
the shore line, surveying each little
crook in it, and describing in his
maps and field book a definite num-
Der of miles and acres bounded on the
east not by the lake, but by the mean
dering shore line as it then existed
When this land was put on the market
Robert Kin1ie bought the north half
of fractional section 10 of township 8,
range IL east Of the third principal me-
ridian, consisting of 1927 acres, def
nitely bounded.
Outside of the shore line was a sand
bar, sometimes appearing above the
water. That sandbar gradually grew,
was by filings connected by the shore,
and as Robert Kinzle's holdings be-
came divided UP those who had them
GREETED" land as their own. They set
UP, for the rest of the city to worship
at, fetch called "ripairin rights"
which gave them ownership of all
land outside of their shore line. But
they were hindered from giving title
by an early government decision that
they held only definite number of
acres secured under the Kinzie grant,
and which in total could never exceed
hi Han cd rrro ion IN
" hen Streeter first appeared.
This George Wellington Streeter,
mariner and fighter, Is a doughty lit
tie man, full of scrap" to the top of
his head, red whiskered, decorated
with freckles that resemble blotches of
red, equipped with endless argument,
and always ready to take up the cud-
gel in any good cause in which he has
a financial interest. Being a squatter
of experience ne looked up the title to
the lake front lands, saw 1t was dis
putable, and in an old steamer-the
out one evening in June.
1886, from the Calumet river, ostensibly
for Milwaukee. With him went Maria,
his wife.
BY some inexplicable chance the en-
CINE of the Ruetan became disabled
when she was just northeast of the
filled land, and as the wlnd-purely by
good IOrIQne-WdS nOTLnCdSttTiys the
craft was driven ashore and cap"
and Maria were ingloriously cast
up Just where they wanted to be. They
hauled up their craft with the aid OF
a watohman, and next day built a
stockade about 1t. Thus they squatted,
and for several years they defended
this stockade against all Corners by lib
eral use of hot water from Marias tea
kettle.
Once settled on the land Streeter
promptly filed homestead claim with
The Washington authorities. He was
politely informed that he was squetting
In the water. being a quarter OF a mile
outside the shore line surveyed by
Wall. Nothing daunted, and satisfied
hat he could stand the water during
The summer months. he secured some
unused Mexican war script and filed
hat on the land. Again he received
he reply that ne was obstructing nav
gstlon with his house. So he wrote
% the Washington authorities that he
vas convinced that this was land. and
Try land at that. and as they had APP
oarently overlooked H. and as all
,lalms in this country date from the
he therefore claimed this
rs It's discoyerer.
Hoity, tOityl There was a terrible 90
10 10 be sure The shore owners by
ran 10 cry loudly "rlplarin rights" and
.rHareH the nolice 10 run Strppfcr of