Almost A War
1916

We all remember “the fights” in Highwood,
whether the fist fight that started in a tavern
or at the pool hall, and ended up in the street,
or maybe the domestic argument that ended up
with either the male or the female – or maybe both --
bloodied and on the way to the hospital.

Or, maybe the “rumbles” that may or may not have
actually happened, when the pretty boys from
Lake Forest, or the wanna-be toughs from
Deerfield headed to Highwood, to take on the
street-smart thugs in some pre-arranged alley
or parking lot.

These may have been the themes of legends,
or maybe they didn’t happen at all, except in
our memories.

But there were plenty of problems in Highwood,
and many of them involved military personnel
at the nearby Army post, Fort Sheridan.

This particular incident could have easily
escalated into a major and serious event,
between members of the First Regiment of
The United States Cavalry, and the Italian
immigrants, lately arrived in the City.

It elevated to the point where certain of the
Cavalrymen were threatening murderous
behavior upon the aliens, and the Italians
responding with threats to blow up buildings
on the Post. It even reached the point where
Army command felt it was necessary to post
armed guards, to keep the sides apart, until
the Cavalrymen could be deployed elsewhere.

We have attached a newspaper clipping relative
to the incident(s), and if you have trouble reading
the clipping, we have transcribed it at the bottom
of this page.

It will come as a surprise to no one that
everything began with “local girls.”

From the Thursday, November 16, 1916 edition of
The Chicago Daily Tribune: