The Washington times., 1921-01-26
DIES.
IN WARBONNET.
Chicago Lake Front 0'AnnunzIo
cIings TO Battered Tile.
Fought Courts 35 Years.

4 ShlSA1O, Jan. Zo.-OhP'' oeoisS
Wellington Streeter, chief figure IN
one of Chicago's most picturesque
legal struggles and founder OF the
l"Deestrict" which he defended lot
years, is dead.
HERO OF MODERN EPIC.
The pugnacious. plug-hatted war
rior. whose long forlorn fight against
the Jurisdiction OF the State of I'M
nois over q parcel OF land on,the lake
front was one OF the epics or Cnlcsgo'
died as he would wirh TO die, On his
housebost In the canal Of East en-.
cago. 1t was from this houseboit
that he staged his efforts TO regain
the lake shore property he claimed Us
his by right of possession.
This pugnacious overload was
most picturesque character. Charles
Dickens gave him a hat: Bret Hsrte
gave him a gun and Cervantes funs
him a soul.
Captain .Streeter's entrance into the
affairs OF Chicago and the "Deestrtct
OF Lake Michigan" was as romantic
as his subsequent career. storm
brought him to the lake front. gaze
which wrecked the sailing schooner
OF which he was a commander ana
left him on the sands at the foot OF
lChicago avenue with no earthly pos
sessions except the clothes on his
back and a quantity of driftwood.
That was in June. 1886.
CLAIMS MADE LAND"
He settled on the lake front and
lived an uneventful life for -FOUR
years. Then he saw map Of Chi.
caso as prepared by the Government
at the time of the city's incorpora-
ton. This map showed Chicagos
waterfront extending along what Ii
, now Lake Shore Drive. The land on
which Captain Streeter had been cast
up by tho storm was made Lana
that had never been officially claim
ed by the city. The Captain de-.
cided to claim II for himself.
In 1890 Samuel Avery was shot by
Streeter while attempting to build a
boathouse. Streeter was acquitted,
The same year police and laborers
employed by \. X. Fairbanks were
attacked by Streeter and his follow
crs md driven away.
BECOMES "D'ANNUNZIO.
Then the "Cap'n" organized the
"Deestrict of Lake Michigan" and be-
came it's Gabrielle d'Annunzio. He
claimed the territory by squstter's
| right of discovery and right OF con-
quest, and held a constitutional con-
vention At meeting of about
governor of the deestrict" He de-
parted for Washington. where he
made an attempt to claim recognition
for the territory now known as
"Streeterville." He was not success
full and returned to continue his ar
gument with the Chicago police.
On May 5. 1899. his capital city" of
fishing shacks was RACED and he and
his followers were driven from the
.deestrict" by the police. He was
brought to trial for resisting arrest
and for other acts of violence, but was
acquitted.
RESTS 500 POLICE.
A year later he was arrested again
after a siege in which 500 police took
part A boy spectator was wounded
Streeter and all his followers were
acquitted Twice in 1901 they were
driven from the "deestrict" only to
return. In the meantime expensive
!. LITIGATION against Streetcr had be-
gun by the Chicago Title and Trust
, Company, which claimed legal title to
the land Although numerous courts
decided against him Streeter was still
fighting for the THE Deestrict' in
the courts at the time of his death.
He ceased his active resistance after
the famous battle of 1915. during
which his wife shot Detective Serg.
! George Cudmore, On the occasion the
police were concerned only with his
l alleged activities as bootlegger,
violating the Sunday closing law. In
l 1918 the superior court ruled against
his title to the property He was
l evicted and his one-story brick
Capitol a quaint structure amid
its surroundings of million dollar
hotels was torn down.
The last organized effort TO
"recapture" the "deestrict" came on
September s last year. when Street
er's lieutenant general, W. ii. Niles
made a lone handed descent upon
the lake front and stood there for,
several hours waiting for the Amer
, team Legion to rise up and drive
the enemies into the lake" The
lie gion failing to rise" as requested,
Niles retreated.
TAKES ISSUE TO L. s. COURT.
Just before he left Chicago for
Hammond and peaceful existence
aboard a houseboat, the "Cap'n" filed
suit to regain possession in the
Federal district court.
"Cap'n" Streeter's battered old
, plug hat was on his head almost
to the end. II was his war bonnet.
Lying proppcd up in the dinsy cabin
he smiled through his scraggly red
nustaCnC ot StItt'ti, 49,
ally. He was breathing with difh-
Guilty with asthma, clutching at his
throat.
Then he removed the dentcd.
ruffled tile. II might have been
II salute to the inevitable. 1T needs
breshin' up, old GAL" he gasped.
Then, as he saw her weeping: Now.
don't go to feelin' bad, Nav" he
said. We'll get ours back yet. I'll
, hight en-
1t was quite a little while before
, he died. But those were the last
" ords he spoke.