Norwich bulletin., 1918-11-13
WESTERLY

sion was not justification for the theft l and destruction of valuable property 1 and the vicious attack on one man by | on angry mob because he attempted l to save from destruction property for | which he was responsible. The big l bonfire started in the early morning | of Monday and which had not burned 1 EitseIf out until near noon of Tuesday, 1 in Dixon square, was the occasion for the lawlessness. The police seemed to be powerless as against the big boisterous crowd | that outnumbered the regular police 1 force by about 300 to one It would probably require the united efforts of ] the full force of special police con- stables and the Fourth company, ] Rhode Island State Guards, to keep trat big crowd within reasonable bounds. For several hours mob rule prevailed without interference, and
 stolen property of real value were ! thrown into the bonfire. Several ve- | hicles, a lot of household effects from 1 secondhand stocks, settees, counters, refrigerators and beer barrels, in ad- 1 dition to the comparatively valueless 1 barrels and boxe were conumed in tn i the flames.
 A lot of beer barrels, taken from in l front and in the rear of saloons, and 1 which had been receipted for prior to being carted to the railway station by 1 Teamster l.. .. Purtill, and who be- i came responsible for their return ship l ment, were brought into the square to feed the fire. As they arrived Mir
 Purtill rolled them into the alleyway between the Washington Trust com pany building and the Nash store and
 stood guard over them, alone, without | police or other legal protection. Lead of ba rnoh Iph fba tho
 beer barrels and MT. Purtil protested.
 There were shouts of Get him.
 Throw him into the river,n Put him away and the like. This did not tend
 to prevent MT. Purtill in his endea-
 vor to prevent the theft and deStruc-
 ton of the barrels Finally a vic
 ious assault was made upon MT Pur- till by the maddened mob. and he was
 severely beaten up. by reason or the
 overwhelming manpower. He re-
 ceived many cuts and bruises, but the most serious was cut under the left
 eye and across the nose by a bottle held by an enthusiastic coward. Pur- till was taken to the office of Dr. i Scanlon and four stitches were re- quired to close the wound. Thls as sault took place in Dixon square not
 on any side street, or in the suburbs hut well within the police patrolled ] SGCllOR UI lilt lGWH.
 At a time when the bonfire assumed dangerous proportions, when tar and
 tar barrels were emitting q dense biack
 smoke, enveloping the Dixon hons,
 block, and flying spatN threatened tfe large structure, appeal was made fer fire protection. Some firemen yer ordered to bring in line of hose at f tach it to hydrant near the post Of
 flee and put stream of wa,er on th- P fire to hold it in control. But the h7h
 prevented, called the fircmen "slact ! CTS" and threatened them with ncdi ' : harm. This was after the hose | q $ heen connected and q streHm Was i>
 play on the fire. The section was l l without police or ire pro! ectlon il
 the very heart of Westerly.
 : Of course the big bonfire was wa
 ranted by the cheer of war news ,util
 there was no justification ill placing
 a serious loss on some individuals. anf
 committing violent assault upon an'
 citizen, or in defying the police aht y fire departments.
 e After all, the real pecuniary bcnef1. '. cence of the bonfire were the junk = men who squatted near sthe burnin. a Tile. gathered in the iron hoops, fro:
 rarts of carriages, and all metal scrar
 that was left after the burning of tht r wood. There were several cartload'
 of junk that was the junkmens for tE' S Carting.
 h Private Arthur Frechette, the onl,
 soldier frcm Westerly to be invalide, f home, suffering 4Rfrom wounds while il E action on battle front in France, Wa ,. given an ovation at the Wart CheS y rally held under the auspices or th e United War Workers interested in tn . success of the campaisn locally. PIi
 Eatn iTpphPtfa l.. 1111lN rpPON-nT-i.,
 from wounds in the arm and leg, an, r is required to carry a cane. Ns h ,1 came onto the stage in the town hal - accompanied by his mother, he we $ given enthusiastic reception. Whe1 e Chairman Davis made reference to tn $ young soldier in patriotic terms, an a finally invited him to make a few re i, marks, the audience gave him an ova
 tion that has not been equaled Tn tn granite structure. There were cheer
 repeated. men waved their hats an,
 women their handkerchiefS, and en
 thusiasm seemed unconfined.
 1T When quiet reigned again youn e Frechette declared that to him it re e quired more courage to face such y large audience of friends than it di e to face the guns of the Huns. He to't - of the great work being done Dv tn ' war workers, and said that he had en l |
 M, c. A. and the Knights of Colum '. bus, but nothing in that line was nor
 welcome to the soldier boys than tn
 doughnuts furnished by the Salvation
 Army lassies. He added. and pies
 pies in the battlefield! He hoped tha
 Westerly would continue to be in tn
 lead in this commendable special an
 now united war work and thus kee
 up the record of the town. which wa . fully appreciated by the Westerly boy nTer there as well as those who ar \ over here. The modest talk of tn ? young soldier gave the meeting {
 keynote of enthusiasm that continue
 Ill through the session.
 Lieutenant Harold L. Moore, con
 rscted with the 3Sth Infantry. son C
 MT and Mrs. George C. Moore, wa Q given special mention for servlce i l. Inc second battle of the Marne Jul 15-23. Lieutenant Moore writes hom ,. that he has been gassed for secon < time which connected with shock, ren l. dcred him temporarily blind an n speechless. He says the afF1iction ;;- not serious and he expected to. be dis - charged from the hospital in a fe' o days.
 2 The latest real estate transfer deec
 recorded by Town Clerk Whipple ar ' as follows; Edward NJ. Burke, maste