, 1870-03-29
RIOT OF TEE RAPIDS IMPROVE
MEET,
Three Hundred Armed Strikers Make
n Hald on the Kluboscr1, md Com"
pei Them to Abandon ttau Work
Nine Men Arrested

Nine Men Arrested.
Ftrrn the Ktptut tforsa) Gase cs7y, 1Ma.rh s,
Ab0ut II O'Clock yesterday, 1ntel1Sence
reached the city, Of 1ey extensive not On
the Rapids Improvement, caused BY raid OF
about 500 armed strikers on few men who
hAd seen fl to resume work. 1muledistely up.
on receipt Of the news, We put our reportor1al
machinery into active operation, nado thor
opgh research after the facts In the case, nna
give below the t1uc status Of Affairs up to lsst
evening, - nezr Is it could possibly be Aseef-
tAined from . well authenticated source:
In order that our readers may understand
the charsctar Of the not, and what produced
it, Ne will 70 back to the 18th Of March On
that day the number Of houra constituting
days work WAS changed By the contractors
lAborcts we're required to work but nine hours,
ewing to the shortners Of the days. For THIS
they were paid s1.eu, The increase OF tmo
WAS made without any increase OF pay. Iho
labore1s demanded "a per day, and the con-
tractors refused to pay it. Tho result vas
above mentioned. The force consisted OF
about Thousand men. It is not At Ill sur-
PK,sing that this number, thrown together in
idlcness. should concoct come mischief Mat
tcta remstned quiet until within the past two
selves for disturbance.
Whle the strike wAs general. every GnEle
nan hsvmg deserted his post, 4 Largo number
opposed it and we're willing to continue work
on tho terms r9oposcd By the contractors. but
more wages. The few who vere disposed to
work we1e kept from It through fear.
After ttna tba mouths OF hungry wives
and Children began to cv for bread, and the
necessities Of tho eaeo demanded that some
thing be done. Many Of tha men hive fam
lies depending On them for their dkily Gus
tenAnce, md striking brought in no money
SO the few who wanted to go to work eI-
pressed their willingness to tho contractors,
md s1zangements we're Subsequently made
for resuning It three.- or four different
places along tho line yesterday morning
The whistle wac blown at the accustomed
timc and the men went to work. This seemed
! 10 haze been the signa1 for an outbreak bv the
majority, who uere sin adheEing to bellige.-
ency with discrimination to tight it out 70
| the bitter end. They natahAlled their forces,
and made preparations for general cle1ning
! cut uf tho reeumers all Along the line. The
frst Indications oi IN outbreak wero discover
able ut the Sashvilt N;s. A motley crowd Of
about ono hundred and fifty men. consisting
| Ct Swedes and lr ,hmen, something Of al
equal portion Of zach, armed with pistols,
knives. Clubs, and ttones, ca1no down upon
1 the workmen fabout seytnty-hye In nulnber),
hearing Mt the front red flag, brandishing
their knivea, shooting their pistols, and threat-
ening. IN vehement terms, vengeance s;pon
and violence to tho men unless tho Work
should be Immediately abandoned. Consider
able resistxnce WIS offered 1t drst, but the
| rioters surrounded them, and, BY vigorous
use OF their weapons, compelled the workmop
to desist- Several hand-to-hand conflicts took
| placc, in which number were severely in
)ured, but none fatally, that We could hear OF.
| The attack WAS obviously premeditated one.
| ns the rioters were thoroughly organized and
oficcred. From the Sashville Pit theY went
to the Etone quarry Of Case & Van WaGener.
where about fifty men were At work. Here
II Instt ~1 k.nA
his eku1l fractured The next point OF attack
was At Hickev's Point, where 5 small force was
engaged. This Was soon scattered, The riot
crs constantly gained strength and NUMBER,
ard it is estimated that before they had cotn-
plete.l their undertaking The company com,
armed men. From fickeys Point they won't
to Sto.t'1 Mil. where Mr. Mcdonald, the Super
intendent of the works, was overseeing fow
men. These fled at the right Of the approach
ing army. Mr.. Mcdonald. with two others, got
info . rkin. and it was viii, considerable ditH-
Guilty that they made their escape.
This completed the job. The rioters wero
the victors. md tho works were in their hands.
MnjAmin THmble, = train-man. in attempting
to get to the city, WEE stopped short distance
promptly drew revolver and declared his in
tention TO rast, dead or alive. The men
ste3ped back und Allowed him to go on. We
understand that these mon designed attacking
| Mr.. George Williams, ono OF the contractors,
as he rassed mp the line, but their plan was
frustrated.
After 4 time the crowd commemorate reteat,
majority retiring to the ehanties along the
works. and quiet again reigned
In the afternoon, Sheriff Bishop, aecompa'
MED By four or fire men, went up the line .
distance Of about two and Il half miles, and
succeeded in arTnsting six Of ths men whc
were implicated in tho not ht this end Of tho
route. Three others were sfterward arrested
here in tho eity, making nine in Ill. Tho fol
lowing are their nauea Gus. Peterson, 0ht
Nelson, G. r. Dergham, John Burk, G. 8. T.n
son, Sand Berg, Andrew Peterson, A. Hagley
md Andrew Oren. These are al Swedes, sui
mostly young men. They Arn now lodged 1t