Show IT JiIbfl ANn WOOLLY Most Exciting Night in the History of Savannah Georgia SLATTERY CAUSED I ALI I Catholics Object to a Lecture by the ExPriest Petifon s itv the Maya to Prevent Slatterya Appearance Ticfuseil and Then a Howling IJnnDcfy lug Mob Take Mutters into Their Ow Hiuula J cce ait tinjy the Collins Out of the State Troops Coolness of the Authorities the Only Thing That Saved Great Bloodshed Savannah Ga Feb 26JPhis has been the most exciting night in the history of Savannah For five hours the city has trembled on the verge of religious riots The entire white military force of the city except the artillery has been on duty There are ten infantry companies com-panies and the Georgia hussars the latter being dismounted A mob estimated at from ZOOO to 5000 the greater part being Catholics has challenged their forbearance to the I extreme But for the coolness of Mayor Mey ers and the officers commanding the troops blood might have been shed Baronet Cltartros BTeGOKsarr Bayonet charges were made several times to clear the streets but the mob which had gathered about the Masonic Ma-sonic temple one of the prominent buildings of the city and situated In the heart of Savannah stubbornly refused re-fused to retire For three days it had been apparent that grave trouble was brewing The city had been liberally placarded with notices that ExPriest Slattery and his wife described as an exnun would lecture here on Catholicism Members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians at once took steps to prevent their appearance ap-pearance Petitions were circulated asking Mayor Meyers to refuse permission permis-sion to the expriest to hold his lecture I lec-ture The petitions said that i Slat tery were allowed saif speak there would be disorder and riot About 500 persons signed the petition When it was presented to the mayor by 3 committee com-mittee of 12 Catholics Including the presidents of two divisions of the Ancient An-cient Order of Hibernians lie handed them a written opinion from the corporation cor-poration attorney to the effect that has h-as mayor had no power to abridge the right of speech guaranteed by the constitution of the United States and Georgia In his opinion the city attorney at-torney said there could be no disorder I or trouble if those who were offended by Slatterys remarks would stay away from his lecture He urged all to do 5 Mayor Meyers also asked the committee to advise all Catholics to keep away from the lecture Need Not Listen I cant stop this man from lecturing lectur-ing said the mayor who Is n Hebrew but I can prevent disorder and I will do so I the police are not sufficient force to do so the military will be appealed ap-pealed to Riot will not be tolerated The committee stated that It was their desire to avoid trouble and that they would use their Influence in that direction They did so but their efforts utterly failed Ail of today It had been rumored that mobs would come from different sections of the city and that Slattery would be killed The fact that he was to put onhe garb of a priest in the course of his lecture spread like wild fire and raised an intense feeling among Catholics Mayor Meyers issued instructions to Chief McDermott to have the entire available police force on hand at the Masonic temple Fifteen policemen were stationed Inside the hal and thirty others were massed In front By 7 oclock several hundred had collected col-lected When Slattery arrived the mob had not assumed large enough proportions to cope with the police Mol A Howling > By 8 oclock a howling mob of over 1500 surrounded Masonic hal In fhe hall were an audience of about 400 including a number of ladies The lecturer had hardly begun before brickbats and cobblestones began to rain on the windows The police had closed all the heavy inside shutters thus saving the audIence from Injury only two or three being injured by falling glass The rest of the police force was called out and fifty men were soon i front of the hal The mob made rushes to secure an entrance but were drlven back by the force Before 3 oclock the mob had grown to between 3000 and 4000 Win i dow after window in the Masonic temple I tem-ple was crashed Cries of uk1 him Down with Slattery Death to the renegade were heard Chief McDermott summoned the mayor The lecture closed at 9PO oclock and It was apparent that it meant the loss of many lives for the lecturer and audience to leave the bal Upstairs a number of members of secret organizations who had cheered Slatterys declaration that ho belonged Ito I-to them had gathered around the ex priest to defend him as he left the hall I A number it was evident had come armed in anticipation of trouble As the expriest was about to leave the hail with his friends live chief of police po-lice stopped them ana refused to allow al-low anyone to 50 dow stair OutSide Out-Side Mayor Meyer and Colonel Ger rard were in consultation The mob hissed at the police and bloated at their orders to disperse The military nlnnn eleven taps on all lire bells In the city was sent in but when it sounded the mob derided it The Lave Doflea Bring on your military nOt of the leaders shouted 1 To hellwith them they cant save Slattery The Geprgia Hussars dismounted under command of Major Mlldrem were the first to respond The organization organi-zation contained 20 men in orgnI1 mob evidently believed this was all it was intended to bring out and laughed at them as they drew up hi front of I the hall Soon after the tramp of other military was herd and four companies of the Savannah volunteer guards under command f of Colonel Gerrard swung into position In front of the hall with fixed bayonets and rifles loaded with balL cartridges By order of tem te-m or the guards formed in two sin gle lines and charged the mob with i fixed bayonets in the hope of breaking ing It up The mob was shoved hack slowly but refused to break and occasionally oc-casionally rocks were thrown at the hall The mob was sullen and defiant and apparently determined Sis companies com-panies from the First regiment under command of cmmad Lieutenant OReilly came up soon afterwards making eleven companies on the ground Penned in the Hall In the hal the audience was ttn penned up some of the women were crying and those who ventured to glance out at the risk of a broken I head saw the mob and the long lines I of artillery In all directions and found nothing to encourage them The military mili-tary were deploying so as to drive the mob back and form a hollow square about the hall while the consultation of the commanding officers and mayor was held Captain J I Dillon one of the most prominent Catholics of the city tendered ten-dered his services as peacemaker He brought VicarGeneral Cafferty who Is in charge of the diocese i1 the absence ab-sence of Bishop Becker to the scene of the trouble The vicargeneral addressed ad-dressed a portion of the mob I This man Slattery said he can do your church no harm You are bringing disgrace upon your religion by your conduct here tonight I can meet with but condemnation I plead with you to disperse and 50 home Do not render It necessary to shed blood here tOnight A few of those he addressed Shook the vicargeneral by the hand and left but the majority stood still Misses niid Jeers r Major Mildrem and others urged the mob to disperse but to no purpose With a double line of soldiers a block was formed and while the rest o the military kept the crowd back nearly all of the audience passed out of the hall amid hisses Slattery and his wife and a few men remained in the hal Colonel W W Gorden of the West Georgia cavalry informed Slatteryg wife that It was his Intention to leave the First regiment and the hussars to protect the hall while the guards batallion escorted Slater to the Pulaskl house It was some time before she would consent to leave her husband She was assured that under no circumstances circum-stances would the mob be allowed to harm him The guards then banked about the door of the hall with the police and Slater was brought down As he came out with the polite and the mayor there was a howl from the mob The other military charging pushed it back in all directions Slattery was placed In the center of the military and headed by a detachment of mounted police and with foot police on the sides and four companies of infantry in-fantry amid hisses and jeers marched to the Pulaskl house At the hotel a i mob of 500 or 600 had gathered The military made a solid mass in front of the entrance presented bayonets and Slattery walked in A detachment of police was left at the hotel to guard him over night Every door to the hotel was locked and guarded At Masonic hall the other seven companies compan-ies remained a guard for lr Slattery and to prevent further damage to property Finding that Slatterr had I gone the mob largely dwindled away Military on Duty Mrs Slattery was placed In a carriage car-riage later in the bt nd with astron a-stron force of police was brought to the hotel The military was still on duty at midnight Threats are made that they will be driven from the city tomorrow Prominent Catholics and the priests are using their Influence to auell the riotous element Several policemen were so injured that they had to be sent home Several Sev-eral of the militarymen were wounded by being struck by rocks Slatterys manager was knocked senseless with a sandbag At 2 a m a large police force 15 > still at the hotel I will guard the premises prem-ises all night |