The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-09-02
AMERICAN LEGION INVITED
TO ASSIST CAPT. STREETER

Chicago, Aug. 31-'Streeterville,"
in the "Deestrict of Lake Michigan"
a part of Chieago's famous "Gold
Coast" is about to be the scene of
the thousand and first battle of its
history, according to notice served on
United States Marshal Bradley by
Captain George Wellington Streeter,
S0-year old claimant to a $4,000, 900
portion of the exclusive Lake Shore
Drive section.
cap" Streeter and William H.
Niles, one time military governor"
and commanding general of the army
of the "deestrict," having notified the
federal authorities that they are
about to again try to enforce their
claim that Streeterville is not in any
state in the Union, have invited the
American Legion to assist them and
set the date for the opening of hos
tilities as September 6. A letter to
the legion posts, copy of which was
also sent to Marshal Bradley, invites
former soldiers to "meet me at the
foot of Superior street in uniform,
armed and carrying a flag, and help
to end by force of arms the treason
able acts of judges or stand up
against wall before a firing squad"
A postscript invites the legionaires
to bring their lunch.
Captain Streeter has been fighting
since 1886 to establish his claim to
one of the most valuable sections of
Chicago's lake front. In that year
his steamer. the Reutan, stranded on
the beach during a storm. Captain
Streeter built a breazwater about his
stranded boat, 450 feet off shore, and
made it his home. The rapidly shift
| ing sands filled in the space between
boat and shore and added 1913 acres to
the city's area. To this land Captain
Streeter laid claim, and in the next
quarter of century battles by the
hundreds were fought in an effort to
GUST him.
On one occasion 500 police besieged
Streeterville. General" Niles pro-
claimed himself military governor
OF the district of Lake Michigan" and
with so men. of his "escort" erected
breastworks surmounted by barbed
wire and stood off the police for sew
eral days before assertions in the
ranks so weakened the defending
force that a lone policeman finally
executed 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 suc-
ceeded the steamboat home, was
wrecked by deputy sheriffs and then
burned.
In 1902 Streeter and two friends
were convicted of manslaughter in
connection with the death Of John s.
Kinks, killed in one of the frequent
assaults on the castle. All were SEN
ltenced to life Imprisonment, but aft
er a few months were released.
The site of the "deestrict" is now
covered by more than dozen sky
scraper apartment buildings and ho-
tesl. The land is valued at more than
$50, 000,0 900. Many of the present
owners have purchased deeds from
Streeter as well as the state in order
that their occupancy may not be IN
lterferred with by the 80-year-old
Ifre-eating veteran.
Streeter's claim is based on the
Iclaim that the act creating the state
of Illinois fixed the "meander line"
of the lake as the boundary and that
therefore his "deestrict" was outside
the state and owed allegiance to no
one except the United States. The
courts held, however, that Illinois ex-
tended to the center Of Lake Michi-
Igan, that all land created by natural
secretions Of the lake belonged to the
adjoining property owners; and that
all land created artifcially belonged
to the state. The stranding Of Street
ler's steamship created land artificial
Ily, it was held