The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-26
PELTED WITH SNOWBALLS
STREET CARS AND PEDESTRIANS
BOMBARDED BY SMALL BOYS.
Sunday Incident That Provoked Many
Persons and Amused Others-The
Wise Pedestrian.

Sunday a day of bombardments at
the intersection of Virginia avenue and
East and South streets. Every passing
street car was a Fort San Carlos and ev-
cry small boy, in a way, German gum
ner. Sleighs, carriages and even pedes-
TRANS also were used as targets by the
kids The snow had been touched by
a chinook-like breeze in the morning and
was in good condition for moldng into balls.
and the boys found it out So did
street-car patrons massed on the rear plat
forms.
The bombardment was fercest between
1 and o'clock p. m. Wee American evil
lie darlings' on their way to Sunday school
Joined forces with the little Pats and
''Micks'' from Irish Hill and opened the
engagement in earnest The clash Of battle
drew the banana peddling boys from their
haunts in Little Italy on East street,
below South, and few stray negroes just
past the pickaninny stage swelled the at
lacking force until between twenty or thir-
| ty boys. some not over six years old. were
| posted on the five street corners. Six
lines the virginia-avenue tracks and
| city or interurban cars pass either way
every two or three minutes.
Hi, there." yelled a mammals pet,"
with hair nicely curled for Sunday school.
| as a Prospect-street car came rushing
| down the hill.
No other command was given. Every
boy grabbed handful of snow and as the
| car crossed South street a score or more
| of soft missiles were fired at a dozen pas
| sengers the rear platform. Some hit
| the marks and one SNOWFALL entered the
car, caromed en- a womans nose and
famed the feathers of another's hat. The
car stopped at the crossing and there was
another voley, which knocked half a doz-
| en- hats awry.
| An English-avenue car was similarly bonn
barded. Then. in order. Shelby street. East
| were subjected to b0mbardment. One pas
| senger. whose eye had been partly closed
jumped of a car and said he would tele-
phone for the police.
Jaw. gawan." said an Irish-Hill Pat. as
| he reached for handful of snow.
Get onto the squealer." shouted a two.
foot kid" in Little Lord Fauntleroy'
toggery.
Come seven eleven." mumbed a dimn-
| utive black crapshooter. when his hands
went into the snowpile.
Little Italy's' representatives followed
| the example of the others and a moment
later the irate passenger was receiving the
| glad to jump on another car and escape
| without telephoning for the police.
Soon afterward a mail carrier was struck
| with big chunk Of hard snow. He
jumped off the car and made dash at his
assailant. The boys scattered. but one was
| pursued, run down and finally turned over
| to a policeman. After this episode the
| boys were more careful and let Uncle
Sans employees alone.
During a lull in the bombardment
Mickey" as the Irish Hill contingent
| called him, proposed to do up" the
"daSoes."
Italy's sons were standing near an East
| street car. but after the first volley OF
| snowballs none were to be seen. Five
minutes afterwards they reappeared with
| reinforcements. Just then a policeman of
| duty was sighted.
"COps!' yelled boy.
| Every combatant dropped his snowballs
| and when the policeman sauntered past
there was netting doing" In the parlance
Of the street. All the boys were then pos
ing as ''goody- goodys."
Two vent0resome youths attached their
| coaster to the rear of an East-street car
but the pace was too swift and they weri
| glad to let go with whole bones
When horse and sleigh passed the
permission to hang on. there was some
sleigh was pelted until out of range. One
man stopped his cutter and started after
his tormentors. but changed his mind
when a SNOWFALL struck his horse the
| head and come near causing a runaway
The wise pedestrian didn't say a word
IL missile glanced off his ear "Mickey's'
| or Pats terse command '.aw,' gawan,'
| was sufficient. He went on, and thereby
| escaped further punishment