Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 August 1897 — WOODMEN IN A FIGHT [ARTICLE]

WOODMEN IN A FIGHT

RIOT FOLLOWS AN ATTEMPT TO MOVE RECORDS One Man Fatally Hurt and Several Injured—Rock Islander* Repelled by Citizens of Fulton—History of the Trouble in the Order. A Spirited Battle. In an attempt-by people of Rock Island Friday afternoon to secure possession of the books and belongings at the headquarters of the Modern Woodmen of Alft erica in Fulton. 111., a general riot ensued. The list of injured is: Ed. Bare, head and arms injured; Will Bennet, city marshal, head cut, wound believed to be fatal; James Carrier, head cut; I*. J. Casey, badly injured on head; W. 11. Flanagan, head badly cut; Chris Miller, head cut; L. D. Plank, cut about the head; J. Slougerg, cut about the head. Start from Rock Island. Judge Gesi of Rock Island had rendered his decision dissolving the injunction which restrained the officials of the Modern Woodmen of America from removing the books and other belongings of the head office from Fulton, 111., to Rock Island. A special train was started from Rock Island over the Burlington road for Fulton,. carrying about IKK) men, well armed. They reached Fulton about 6 o’clock and marched up to the Woodman building in military style. The Fulton people had been apprised of the move by telephone and were ready to defend the books and papers of the head office. They were assisted by a large force from Clinton and Lyons, their neighboring cities, just across the Mississippi. General Fight Krsues. ■ A general lire alarm was sounded and hose laid to repel the invaders. When the train arrived the track was torn up on both sides to prevent their escape. A Rock Island man cut the hose. This was the signal for hostilities. Many shots were fired and clubs, rocks and missiles of all kinds used. Quite a number of Rock Islanders arc more or less hurt, none very severely. They secured a few books before they were stopped, but were penned in their train by armed deputies. Head Attorney Johnson of the Modern Woodmen, Engineer Mitchell of the special train and a number of others are under arrest. Another Injunction Secured. J. D. Andrews of Chicago, attorney for the'eity of Fulton, went to Sterling on a special train and secured an injunction from J. E. McPherah, master in chancery, which was accompanied by a restraining order. It was served immediately and the records will now remain until it can be tried in the courts.

HISTORY OF TROUBLE. Fight Centered Around J. C, Root, Founder of the Order. The great fight, prolonged for so long, to remove the headquarters of the Modern Woodmen of America from Fulton, 111., to other points, has a very intimate bearing on Omaha, since that city is now the home of one J. C. Root, who established that order and started the long fight by making nn effort to have the records of the organization removed to Omaha. It was in 1879 that the Modern Woodmen of America was organized under the laws of Illinois. The charter expressly stipulated that the headquarters should be located in the State of Illinois. As Fulton was the home of Root, he selected that place as the headquarters of the organization. It was in 1890, eleven years later, that the idea of a change entered Root’s head. Omaha was on the boom and he selected that place as the future home of his company, when he suddenly discovered that the people of Fulton proposed to have a word to say about the matter. When Root attempted to remove the records from the town he was interrupted by an injunction. The case was determined in favor of Fulton. Root appealed and the Supreme Court confirmed the decision. This fight had provoked much bitterness in the organization and there were many who were not satisfied to have Root at the head of the order, which was essentially an Illinois institution and which he was anxious to remove to some other State. Then a personal fight was started on Root to oust him as sovereign commander or supreme head of the Modern Woodmen. The matter went through all the State courts and Root was finally defeated. He at once went to Omaha and started a rival order known as the Wohdmen of the World. In the past year he has had some trouble with the Omaha contingent of this order, and some of the members seceded and formed a new order, claiming that Root had perpetuated himself as sovereign commander and was degenerating it into a one-man affair. The fight to keep the headquarters at Fulton was not reopened until two years ago, when, during the Milwaukee convention. the city of Rock Island. 111., offered to furnish the order a permanent building at that place if the headquarters were brought there. It was accepted and the records ordered removed.