Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-17

! There were hot times In the torues
In this town. and don't you forget it.
In the forties Atlanta was the mecca
OF the adventurer and smart investor,
also the homeseekers and the elements
Z OF citizenship were ineongruous and con-
ditiOns. at times, verged on the chaotic
This was the natural result i'm a town
not yet piled together which had leaped
into sudden fame.
+ AT the very first city election the
issue was made as wildly as flashing
lightning as to who should hold the reins
OF power the moral element, or the semi
outlaw sporting class.
This issue was raised in a sort OF
quiet way at the first election, in which
iona than Norcross had been a candidate
against Moses Formwalt for mayor.
Norcross was badly beaten.
But at the next election he came back
i with vengeance.
To say that the incidents clustering
around the Norcross election were eX-
citing does not express it. They were
highly sensational, threatening bloodshed.
It should be stated that Jonathan Nor
cross was a remarkable man. He was
one Of Atlantas earliest pioneers. He
came here in 1874 when the population
was only a few hundred. He lived to the
great age OF ninety-one, and saw the
population climb TO $4,000.
Mr. NORCROSS LEADER.
He was the leader among the mer-
/ chants. One sharp, shrewd, intelligent
Yankee. courageous and Godfearing. He
had come to Georgia to set up horse
/ mill in Atlanta He bought the property
i at the corner Of Peachtree and Marietta,
now crowned by the Fourth National
bank building. This lot then included the
whole block between Marietta street and
where the railroad now is. I have heard
that this tract at that time was sold
for about s125 Mr.. Norcross had a gen.
eral country store on that corner.At that
time the Irish famine was at its height.
Great quantities OF Indian corn were
I bought for shipment to Ireland He was
a big dealer. Thousands of wagon loads
were dropped into his warehouse, where
the corn was shelled, sacked and shipped.
He was a strong temperance man. Al
though the majority Of merchants sold
whisky Mr.. Norcross never touched 1t.
He was kind-hearted. good-natured, &C.
centric.
PRETTY BAD.
Well, in the late forties, Atlanta was in
a disgracefully disorderly condition. at
least so thought the quiet. moral ele-
ment.
There was only one marshal and no
policemen. There were sixty fights on
the day Norcross was elected. On
/ Murrelrs Row, now Decatur street, near
where the John Silvey building now is,
there was a vacant house in which cock
fights with gaffs were openly held. men
freely betting on the gamest chicken.
Scores of ''toughs'' set the authority of
the municipal government at naught
rough citizens who had no visible means
OF support.
AS the time drew near for the hold
ing OF the election the alignment of
the opposing forces was we'll under way.
| The bitterest feeling existed between
them long before the nominations wer1
made.
THE PRESS.
The lntelligencer, the only paper thun.
dered against what IL called the "rowdy
party and called for a clean sweep!
\ A mass meeting Of the 'upholders OF
good morals and public order as they
put il, named Jonathan Norcross
as the candidate of what was called
the moral party" The other faction
nominated Lawyer L. c. Simpson for
mayor.
A HOT ToMALL
The campaign was a municipal hot to-
mali. Every day some more or less prom
inent citizen was sent to grass by the
crudest exercises Of the pugilistic art. and
had To take the count"
After dark the town seemed to be in
possession OF a bowling mob. There
were more than forty drinking saloons
they use to call them "grog shops" and
"doggeries' In those days i'm the place.
Besides many grocery stores sold ardent
refreshments
And all did land office business while
the great political war was raging
/. APPLES AND CANDY"
IL was said that the hackers of the
I
loose in the bar rooms. while MrJona-
than Norcross and his friends in
spasms OF moral uplift treated literally
to apples and confectionery wouldn't
that Jar you?
The moral party, named by
itself. held several big rail-
lies at which the leaders denounced the
corruption and disorder existing i'm At
lanta and called upon the better ele-
ment. themselves, to rescue the young
city from rowdyism and vice. The So
lcalled "Rowdy" party held no more
meetings. but an outlet was not want
ling for their enthusiasm.
NOBODY KILLED
The election. most happily, passed off
without any fatalities and Jonathan
Norcross was the mayor. He began at
once 10 put on the moral pressure and
the gamblers began at once to assert
themselves against the mayor. One VAS
pulled and ordered to the calaboose a
little log pen near where the union de.
pot now stands. His comrades got a
lever, rammed IL under the logs, raised
them and set their comrade free. There
was an old cannon IN town. Thy got II,
dragged IL to Decatur street and fired II
again and again. They were pulled.
Mayor Norcross ordered them to the
lcalaboose. One of them jerlked out a
bowie knife and struck at the mayor
| across the table but missed him. A
vigilance committee was organized. A
court was held on Sunday so great was
the exigency, and the insurgents were
sentenced to the calaboose. They re-
maind in durance vile until they were
turned out according to law.
TOO WARM
The troubled spirits had boosted that
Uncle Jonathan" would find the town
too hot to hold him when he tried to
screw the moral lid on too tight. He
had been Threatened several times with
personal violence. He had been mayor
but a day or so when he was called on
20 try a ruffiian for an ARRAY upon the
streets Trouble was expected at the
hearing.
a PLOT HATCHIlJG.
Some OF the most dangerous crimi-
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