Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-09-01
STREETER STILL WARLIkE.
Tries to Enlist American Legion to
flight for StrcetervIIe."
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
Chicago, Sept. 1--"Streeterville," in
the "Deestrict of Lake Michigan a
part Of Chicago's famous Gold
Coast" is about the scene Of tho
thousand and first battle in its his
tory, according to notice served on
United States Marshal Bradley by
Capt. George Wellington Streeter, so
year old claimant to $50 900 600 por-
ton of the exclusive Lake Shore
Drive section.
Cap" Streeter and William Fl
Niles. one time military governor
and commanding general of the army
OF the "Deestrict5," having notified
the federal authorities that they
are going to again try to en-
force their claim that Strceter-
Vile Is not in any state in the
union, have invited the American
Legion to assist them and set
the date for the opening of his
, tilities as Sept. 6. A letter to the
legion posts. a copy of which was al
so sent to Marshall Bradley invite
| former soldiers to meet me at IL
| foot of Superior street In uniform
armed and carrying flag, and help
| to end by force of arms the treason
able acts Of judges or to stand up
against q wall before the firing
squad" A postscript invites the Ie-
sionaries to bring their lunch.
| Captain Streeter has been fighting
since 1885 to establish mis- claim to
one of the most valuable sections OF
Chicago's lake front. In that year
| Vic, 10 I. i....s I
| the beach during u storm. Captain
Streeter- built q brealswater about the
| stranded boat, $50 feet off shore, and
made 1t his home. The rapidly
shifting sands filled in the space. be-
tween boat and shore and added 19s
acres to the city's area. To this land
! Captain Strectcr laid claim, and in
the next quarter of century battles
| by the hundreds we're fought in an
| effort to GUST him.
On one occasion 500 police besiegcd
Streeterville. General Niles pro-
claimed himself military governor Of
the district of Lake Michigan and
| erected breastworks surmounted by
barbed wire and stood off the police
for several days, before assertions in
the ranks so weakened the defending
force that a lone policeman finally
executed a flank attack and carried
the fort.
The courts In 1915 ruled that
Streeter had no title to the property
and his brick castle. which had sue
ceeded the steamboat home, was
wrecked by deputy sheriffs and then
burned.
y,H f,.,n ,j,
were convicted of manslaughter in
connection with the death of John S.
1lirke, killed in one of the frequent
assaults on the castle. All were sem
fenced to life Imprisonment, but af-
ter few months were released.
The site of the .'Deestrict" is now
covered by more than II dozen sky
scraper apartment buildings and ho-
tells. The land is valued at more
than $4,000, 0o0 Many of the pres
| ent owners have purchased deeds
from Streeter as well as the state in
order that their occupancy may not
be interfered with by the S0-year old
fire eating veteran.
Streeters claim is based in the con-
tention that the act creating the state
Of Illinois fixed he ''nGander line" of
the lake as the boundry,5 and j,that
therefore his "deestrict'' was outside
the state and owed allegiance to no
one except the United States. The
courts held however, that illinois tx
tended to the ENTER of Lake Michi-
gan, that all land created by natural
secretions of the lake belonged to the
adjoining property owners: and that
~