Weekly Mail - Aug 7 1902

Galesburg Weekly Mail
August 7, 1902
(Article contributed by Todd Walter)

There were races at Maquon on Saturday, and there was also a large sized scrap on the race track grounds, participated in at various times by twenty-five or thirty people, old men, young bloods, and even the women got excited and championed the cause of their husbands.

The races were given by C. H. Walker on his half mile track and some good events were pulled off, but a couple of young men seated in a buggy shooting craps got into a quarrel; sides were taken by the spectators, and the races dwindled into a minor part of the afternoon's sport.

There were about four hundred people on the grounds.

The races had been called early in the afternoon and were being run off quietly. R. W. Sweeney of this city was officiating as starter. Suddenly a young man by the name of McGee from Yates City, and a man from near Gilson started to fight over a crap game. McGee got the best of his opponent and battered him up pretty hard, when he was taken off and put in the bandstand.

Matters quieted for a time and another race was run, when suddenly someone shouted, "There he is in the bandstand," and a number made a rush for McGee, who was not popular with the crowd. They attempted to pull him from the stand, but he resisted and grabbed a chair, commenced to smash his assailants over the head. He broke the chair and hurt several and then things began to get lively. A dozen men were fighting in the bandstand and as many under it, while on the track the crowd gathered and some tried to stop the fight, while others urged them on, and soon there was a melee going on there.

Order was finally restored, and the races finished. No one was seriously injured, but there are many nursing sore heads as a consequence.