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Show STTiniinnpnii a ip & iht Chicago Nov. 14. "Streeterville" was Invaded, its ruler captured and its citadel demolished, today after a pistol battle on filled-in land on tho shores of Lake Michigan, almost in the heart of Chicago. The laud, which is claimed by Captain Cap-tain George Wellington Streeter. is north of tho harbor and in the center cen-ter of the fashionable lake shore residence resi-dence district. Streeter and his wife came there years ago, When their vessel was wrecked on a bar. Tho sand filled in between the wreck and the shore until their claim comprised property said to bo worth millions of dollars. While the city has never admitted Streoter's title, many purchasers have preferred to make a settlement "with him to obvi.ite tho possibility of his questioning in court their right to purchases. Streeter called the now-mad o land "The United States District of Lako Michigan," ;md has refused to recognize any authority but that of the United States and has defied de-fied for weeks Mayor Thompson's Sunday saloon closing order. Sold Liquor on Sunday. Sinco the Sunday closiug order, it Is said, Streeter has dono a thriving business In bottled beer. His shack, which he christened tho "Oasis," was but a short distance -from Lako Shore drive and easily accessiblo to automobile auto-mobile parties. Ho was often summoned to court and -numerous cases for selling liquor without a licenso arc pouding. Last week a Jury round him gulltv on one charge, but ho took an appeal. The main force of invaders, consisting consist-ing of thirty-five policemen, two patrol pa-trol wagons, an ambulance and reinforcements rein-forcements from the fire department were sent today to a politf within calf but just out of range of obsorvatiou' Eight detectives wero sent to recon-noiter. recon-noiter. They .found tho restaurant with a number of patrons, and after being served, one of them walked to the door and lifted his hat to a scout from the invaders. toUt Several Shots Fired Down the street the patrol wagons rind hospital corps got into motion and descended upon the building. Can-tain Can-tain Streeter, hearing the commotto seized a pistol and fired, according to the police, but was overpowered by the detectives from within the store. Several shots then came from adjoining ad-joining buildings, the police say, and in answering a rifle fire from the home of John Hoist, one of Strceter's tenants, the police aro believed to have injured Mr. Hoist, but not seriously. se-riously. After the battle the fire department depart-ment demolished the building, where 192 cases of beer, six rifles, l'our revolvers re-volvers and three boxes of ammunition ammuni-tion had been confiscated. Streeter, his wife and fifteen others oth-ers were arrested. Charges of assault with intent to kill, violation of the state liquor law and of keeping a disorderly house were placed against Streeter. Most of the others were charged with being be-ing inmates of a disorderly house, AH were released on bond. Former Fatal Raid. A number of years ago while Streeter and several men in his employ em-ploy wero defending the Streeter home against the police in a similar attack, a police official was shot and killed. "Streeter and an employe served a tern in tho penitentiary for that shooting. On October 12, Mrs." Streeter shot and wounded a policeman, who, had arrested her husband, on a charge of selling beer without a license. Streeter's title to lots in the dis- trlct are estimated to have netted him as much as $100,000. At one ' time a sjmdicate of capitalists is said : to have invested $50,000 in titles. The highest courts have held that the submerged lands lying along the : shore of the lake belong to the state. Streeter's titles are based on an ' ' alleged patent issued by the land of- -fice at Washington, which it is charged, was a forgery and now is (' said to be in the hands of the authorities authori-ties at Washington. , oo |
