Halloween Night 1893
"Hallo'een Night," Springfield (Mo.) Leader, November 1, 1893, page 4.
"The Police force kept a vigilant watch night for young vandals, it being hallo'een [sic]. Some of the officers being mounted, and in consequence prevented much mischief from being accomplished. In spite of their efforts, however, numerous gates, etc, were carried away and deposited a long distance so that the owners were put to considerable trouble. Officer Finch remarked this morning that he expected to arrest some boys today for placing a wagon on the Metropolitan Electric Street Railway Company's truck on the corner of Scott street. The motoneer saw the obstruction in time to prevent an accident and lifted it off, causing a short delay. A special officer was detailed in the vicinity of Drury College and the usual pranks in that portion of the city were few and far between. Marshal Wright and his assistants deserve a great deal of credit for their efforts to protect property. Several hallow'een parties were given in various portions of the city and the young people had an enjoyable time.
"Hallo'een, in consequence, was not the howling success it was last year when several young men got into a scrape with your Uncle Samuel himself for pestering some of the old gentleman's mail boxes. At Aurora, however, the night was full of horrors. Advisers from that city say, 'The streets of this city looked this morning as if an aerial monster or rather a cyclone had struck the city, as wagons, buggies and carts without wheels were strewn promiscuously about, steam engines, power drills, boxes, signs, bales of hay and nearly everything that seemed movable was strewn on Madison Avenue and Olive Street. There were rail pens built in the streets with horses and mules feeding on hay; cowpens built and cows feeding on hay and pumpkins. Last night was hallo'een and the above seems to have been the work of hobgoblins and Brownies. It was the greatest celebration ever had in this city. The air is full of oaths that some of the merchants are making who had to hire help to remove the obstructions so they might get into their place of business.'"
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