Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-12
TROUGH HOUSE"
WateryiIIe and WinsIoW Officers
Have Busy Time.
Fifteen Arrests Made in the Two
Places During Saturday.
More Disturbance Than Places Have
Seen for Years.

Waterville, Me, oct. 11.-(Speclal.)--
There was more excitement on Main
street and in some of the residential
streets back Of Pleasant. Saturday
i'll a month of Sundays. 1t was all
caused by gang OF young fellows,
who blew into the city from somewhere,
evidently, several days ago, with the
idea that they sould do just about as
they pleased here. But when they
woke up, Sunday morning, they real
ized that they had been up against the
real thing somewhere during their tour
Of the city and that the police force
was not so easy a thing as it may have
looked to them.
There were four in the original bunch,
Saturday. one a local man. A similar
bunch got into little scrap on Main
street, Friday. but it didn't amount to
much and nothing was done about it.
Their first appearance on the scene,
Saturday afternoon was when they
were discovered by Deputy City Clerk
Joseph in one of the toilet rooms in the
city building They had evidently APP
propriated the place for their own use
and Were having Il good time telling Of
their exploits and smoking cigarettes.
Officer Fields. who is on duty now in
the place of Deputy Marshal Gullifer,
was notified and routed them out liz
two-step time. They sulked some, but
their invitation to leave was more fore
ible than polite.
That was the end of Act l. Act II
opened on Front street, when the whole
bunch entered into It lively scrap. SO
far ask could be learned one had bot
tie of Whiskey and would not give the
others what they considered their share,
whereupon they all set upon him to
take it from him by force. He man
aged to break away and dove into the
Dawson blacksmith shop for protec-
ton. But the reception he got there
must have been bit disconcerting for
he was picked up and thrown bodily
into the street, the proprietOrs not lik-
ing the idea of having Il braWl there.
Then they scattered up Front street
in the direction of the shirt factory.
by this time Officer Fields had been
notified of what was going on and
started out to round up the gang. He
found them near the junction of Main
and Center streets and they scattered
again. Selecting the one nearest to
him the officer sprinted. He has just
returned from a 10 days hunting trip
so was in good condition for Il man
hunt
The fellow made a great run but was
soon oyerhaulcd, loaded into 1t team
Sand hauled to the station. BY this
time Il good sized crowd had gathered
ana Il few dozen boys on bicycles or on
foot were searching all through that
section of the city for the rest of the
scrappcrs. Special Officer Berry had
meanwhile been notified of the fracas
and started out on the hunt Marshal
Plaisted had gone to the station after
4 man who had been complained of in
that section 50 Officer Fields was the
only regular left on duty on the street.
AS many stories of the direction the
men took We're told as there We're
people in the crowd, but officer Berry
cirClcd out through the Gilman field,
thinking that if the scrappers We're
tr3mps they would make for the near
est rail- Dad track. No sign of them
WAS discovered in that section
Instead of going that way they had
taken Il shorter circle striking Elm
street somewhere in the vicinity of
Park and struck down through from
there to Charles street. where one was
located away up in under barn, where
act III. opened. 1t was about as nasty
as it usually is under q barn but the
man braved it all and crowded himself
into a space 50 small that it was diff
cult to get there at all and so dark that
he could not be seen. BY this time the
crowd had increased to very COM
able proportions and all sorts OF
schemes We're suggested to get the man
out. 1t was a good deal like digging
out woodchuck but not near as com
Portable.
About this time officer Simpson. vino
is on duty nights had arrived and he
and officer Fields poked and prodded
until the former could get a grip on the
man. AS soon as the the fellow saw
that he would have to come out he de-
cided to be as mean about it as he could
and Selling a generous handful of the
Shiny mess under him smashed it
sGuarely in Officer simpsons face. Then
h. came out. If allowed to express his
feelings freely he would doubtless tell
you that the Waterville police officers
are brutes. but the people who saw the
fracas are still wondering how it was
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