The Battle of Depot Street was a municipal dispute and riot that took place in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, on March 1, 1897. The incident began with a disagreement between city officials and Knox County officials over whether or not the Citizens Railway Company, led by William Gibbs McAdoo, had the authority to build streetcar tracks along Depot Street, sparking a standoff between city police and county sheriff's deputies. During the conflict, both McAdoo and his opponent, C.C. Howell, along with the mayor, head of police, fire chief, and over 200 workers, were detained by one side or the other. In the subsequent mob violence, one person was murdered and numerous more were wounded.
McAdoo
Howell
William Gibbs McAdoo Jr. was an American lawyer and statesman. McAdoo was a leader of the Progressive movement and played a major role in the administration of his father-in-law President Woodrow Wilson. A member of the Democratic Party, he also represented California in the United States Senate.
McAdoo in 1914
President Woodrow Wilson's commission of Treasury Secretary McAdoo, March 1913
"A long man with a long head". Puck cartoon, 25 April 1914.
Time Cover, 7 Jan 1924