Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 125, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 November 1909 — West Hammond Saloon No Place For the Grayson Boys. [ARTICLE]

West Hammond Saloon No Place For the Grayson Boys.

The true story of what happened to the Grayson boys in Hammond was procured from Jess Grayson, the oldest of the three boys. His story is to the effect that himself and brothers, Roy and Bill, in company with Louie Payne, Jim Anderson, Frank Ellis and Pierre Thompson, were visiting West Hammond barrooms.' A discussion arose in one of the saloons and Roy Grayson slapped the bar tender with his open hand. The bar tender started around the bar after Roy, who planted a blow on his face and knocked him down and out. Just at this stage of the game some eight or ten West Hammond saloon hangers who have the rough and tumble fight game down to a science and are not particular about the kind of tools they use, jumped in and began to swing right and left at every fellow that looked like he belonged in Jasper county. There was an exodus from that saloon that made people living in that part of the city think Carrie Nation was demolishing the saloon with one of her old time raids. Most of the bunch escape uninjured, but Jess Grayson got one black eye. Bill got a bad eye and a few other bumps and Roy, who stayed the longest, got both eyes blackened, one of them being cut as though he had been kicked, while he had a number of other bad bruises about the face. Both of the boys had to be taken to a doctor for repairs, and after the doctor had charged them 95 each for surgical, treatment £&nd bandages, the boys were taken to the police cdurt where the judge fined each sls for precipitating a row. In all they paid out 940, but they had the money for each beired $512 only a few weeks ago. They have decided that West Hammond is no place for the Grayson boys, however. It’s a mighty nice thing to have money if for no other purpose than to pay fines with.