Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-02-13
STREETER'S men
KILL A WATCHMAN
A Battle on Chicago Lake
Front Over Disputed
Property.
RIOT CALL is SENT IN
onicers Arrest Mon Who Did tho
Shooting Captain" Stree:er
Gives Himself Up-How the
Trouble Started.

|
| with Winchester rifles last evening be-
| tween the followers of rival claimants
to property lying along the lake shore
| drive, the most aristocratic boulevard
in Chicago, Frank Kirk. a Waterman
for one of the claimants. was shot
| through the head, sustaining mortal
| wound.
The property in dispute consists of
made land lying east of the lake shore
| drive and between it and Lake Mich
| igan. Captain Geo. w. Strceter, who
has for many years been thorn in
| the side of north side property owners
because of his propensity to settle on
4 vacant ground and then claim In the
| courts the rights of Il squatter, has
| erected several small shanties upon
this ground, and claims that inasrnuch
as it was not originally included in the
| government surveys of the state of
| Illinois 1t does not belong to the state,
| but is public property open to settle
| ment. He claims to be the first settler
and calls the ground the District of
Lake Michigan" and denies that the
| officials of the city of Chicago or the
| state OF Illinois have any rights upon
| 1t. Between Streeter and his men and
the watchmen employed by the prop
erty owners along the lake shore drive
| there have been frequent fights.
| Last night Henry Cooper, lawyer.
who has been active In his opposition
| to Strceter, accompanied by Policeman
1 O'Malley went upon the ground of the
district and was attacked by Street
er, who knocked him down with the
butt of revolver. Several of Street
cr's followers covered O'Malley with
| their weapons and he was ordered to
| leave or be shot
1 Shortly after Cooper and O'Mallcy
had left the grounds pitched battle
| broke out between three of Streeter's
followers William McManners, Will
| liam Blocki and John Hoeldtke-and
two watchmen employed by Cooper
| Frank Kirk and Samuel Portorous.
Kirk and Portorous We're standing out
side small shanty of their own, and
one of the first shots fired struck Kirk
in the top of the head. Portorous en-
tered the shanty and returned the fire
OF the Streeter men with a Winchester.
A riot call was hastily sent to the
East Chicago avenue police station,
4 and wagon filled with officers under
the command OF Captain Revere was
sent on the run toward the place. When
4 the officers arrived Kinks body lay In
the snow outside his shanty. while
from the window Portorous kept up a
steady fire upon the three men in thr
| other house, who were returning N.
| fire with all the speed with which the3
could work their rifles. The firing
ceased as the police appeared, and n
/ Gordon of officers was at once thrown
| around the shanty In which McMan-
4 ners, lslocki and Hoeldtke We're They
4 barricaded the door and threatened TO
| XII! the first officer who approached.
Headed by Captain Revere squad
\ of policemen began to batter In the
| door while the others stood waiting
r,>,, oh, MT
from Within Because of the entreaties
of Mrs McManners, who had been In
/ side the cottage throughout the fight
| ing. her husband decided not to resist
the officers, and the door was opened
before the police had broken 1t down.
| The three men and Mrs. McManners
were at once placed under arrest and
taken to the police station.
Returning to- the building a short time
after. the office rs found that Streeter
had again barricaded the house. He was
| summoned to surrender, and after
| some palleying gave himself up
When he came out of the house he
CARRIED a rifle and four revolvers. He
claims that he was not ON the ground
when the fight was In progress.
McManners. Islock and Hoeldtlse
+. claim that the first shot was fired by
Kirk and that he was shot when they
returned the fire. This is denied by
1 Portolous who claims that the other
side. fired the opening shot. All persons
living on the District OF Lake Michi-
gam were placed under arrest pending
the death or recovery of Kirk At the
hospital to which he was taken it was
announced that there was no chance
of his recovery.
In the Immediate neighborhood OF
the scene of last nights fight n num-
Der of Chicago's most prominent mer
reside, among them being exUnitet
States Senator Farwell, O. w. Potter
Franklin MacNeagh and Potter Pal
mer
Kirk died at the Passavant Memoria
hospital last night without regaininf
consciousness.
1t is said that he came here re-
Gently from Missouri.