Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1876-08-10
The Nuisance.
of the Citizens of Iowa =
Organization for Self Pro-
lection.

lection.
The Davenport Iowa. Demo
crdt prints a long article alleging
an actual incursion of an army of
tramps, the purport of which may
be learned from the following ex.
tracts
Dispatches were received in
this city today by Mayor Rose
from ]. Meredith Davies, that 500
men were coming this morning,
and that the Mayor of Rock Is
land had issued a proclamation
calling upon the citizens to take
measures to organize to protect
themsel, es and their interest. On
receipt of this Mayor Rose consult
ed with Hon. I'll. III. Benson and
others, and it was proposed to or
ganize the "Veterans OF the War
for the Union" into a company
it being suggested that in u little
time 100 disciplined men could be
got who could be depended upon,
and would do more effective serv'
ice than 500 men unused to han
ding arms. The matter was
nIaced in Mr.. Benson's hands, and
he was organizing a company to
patrol the city at night and pro
tect life and property. In the
meantime Mayor Rose went to
consult Col. Flagler, commanding
the arsenal, with a view of getting
arms and ammunition.
The conductors on the St. Lou
is trains are meeting with consid-
cradle trouble from tramps along
II cir line. As conductor Purcell,
of freight train No. Z, was coming
north yesterday, several hundred
boarded his train at Beardstown
and could not be induced to get
off. He telegraphed to Monmouth
for the agent to have some assls
tance on hand to remove them.
A number of citizens turned out
and the train was rid of about
200. But after the train had star
ted others were observed hidden
in boxes, and considerable persua-
sion had to be used to get them
off. They claim to be harvest
hands and want to get to Iowa.
The citizens along the line COM
plain very much of thefts and
other depredations committed by
these men.
Conductor Dannah, of freight
train No. 13,which arrived here at
1920 p. m, says the Rock Island
Union of this morning, reports
that 800 tramps boarded his train.
He was, OF course, powerless to
prevent them and they rode on
to Moline, where they got of.
Two hundred of the number were
arrested there, and the other 100
lost no time in starting for Rock
Island, from which place many of
them made their way across the
bridge to our city. The town is
full of them.
It was only day or two ago
that an express train on the Chica
90 & Alton road was thrown from
the track at Millertown, ILL.,. by a
gang of tramps, the engineer and
fireman badly bruised and several
of the passengers injured. Had
the Rockford road refused to carry
the crowd that boarded the train
and took possession of it at Mon
mouth and Beardstown, there is
little doubt that bloodshed would
have been the result. We are in
formed that crowd of them sur
rounded the engineer, and told
him that if be did not haul them,
they would tie him and run the
train themselves. On the arrival
of the train at Moline this morn
ing it was met by posse of citi.
zens, with Marshal Hawes, and
some of the passengers say that
men-in uniform with muskets, were
among them, aud a row, occurred
iu which three of the harvest
hands were hurt-one very Sc
verely on the head. Vigorous
measures must be taken to meet
the exigencies Of the occasion"
l. NJ O,,4,r &c