Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1877-07-28
TiiE GEE.IT I.4BOR >THIh T..
B'oodshed, Eobboy and D.<ir"c,toa Of Adi',p'
Of DoiinS lIodh Of ProPnjy.

West Ni>sinia last week, has spread al over
the North to the Mississippi rivcr and Is likely
To extend even 10 the Pacific coast aid 1t i,
no, confined alone To- the railroad employees :,
but Is bcIrg participated IN by all classes Of
laborcrS. The account Of the work Of the
rioters at plit>bur., where the greatest damage
has been done 80 far, is so lengthy and
exciting that we surrender our space 10 il
without comment for the present and without
entering into details of their work at other
places. We copy from the press dispatches
PITTsBURG, july 90 The crisis of the
railroad strike in this city rs indicated in the
dispatch of Saturday night, was reached
yesterday afternoon about o'clock, when the
Philadelphia troops who had been sent here
To suppress strikers fired upon the crowd.
The terribly fatal effects of shots fired by the
troops exasperatcd the citizens as we'll rs
strikers, and in less than an hour, the band
of working men from the rolling mills, coal
miners and various manufacturing establish
ments established a scene of conflict, de-
termincd To have revenge on the troops and
railroad officials. 1t was stated that Gen.
Pearson, Commanding troops of the State
guard, had directed the troops to fire before
any resistance had been made, and the tact
that many of those killed ami wounded had
gathered on the hillside merely as spectators
served to increase the bitterness of the crowd.
By three o'clock in the evening mohs were
moving about the city in various districts,
sacklps stores 10 secure arms, breaking into
the arnorieS of the military companies, and
preparing themselves 10 execute the threats
freely expressed Of massacreing the entire
Philadelphia command. by this time, the
military had withdrawn from the railroad
crossing al Twenty-eighth street, where the
hrs, conflict took place, aud were ordered to
one Of the round>houses. where they could
find better protection. About 10 o'clock in
the evening a mob numbering several thousand
had congresaied about the round house.
They had previously captured the guns
belonging TO Huchnsons battery, a local
organization, and planted them so as to cons
nand the round house. Several solid shots
were fred at the building, and breach made
IN the walls, but wher the infurialed mob
attempted to rush into the building, the
military were ordered TO fire. The voley of
muske,ry which followed, and the rumor that
the Calling guns of the command were being
brought into requisition, caused panic, and
the mob fled for several squares, the military
in the meanwhile keeping up the fusilade.
The rioters, however, were soon treasured,
and as thousands were hocking to their assist
ance they returned to the attack. Finding il
difficult TO dislodge the military from the build
ing, they resolved to burn them out An
order to this effect was issued, and il was
carried into execution with a fiendish alacri,y
by the rioters. In consequence of the blockade
which had existed for two days, the sdinss in
the outer depot yard as well as those extend
ing eastward some three or four miles, were
crowded with freight cars filled with grain
produce and merchandise of all kinds, besides
which number of ladened oil and coal cars
were piled up in the mass. While a portion
of the mob surrounded the building in which
the military had ,aken refuge, large bodies
proceeded to set hre 10 the oil cars and in a
moment the huge columns of black smoke
which rolled upwards in every direction, told
the work of destruction had commenced The
sight of the flames seemed to literally craze
the rioters, some Of whom rushed wildly
about with flaming torches IN their hands APP
plying them to the cars indiscrimnately An
promptly responded, but the rioters. who had
complete control of the city, refused TO permit
them to make any effort to extinguish the
flames. They said they were determined to
destroy the railroad companys property. but
to do no injury to that belonging to private
citizens. They kept their word, too and
when lumber pile belonging to a citizen
took fire, the rioters themselves turned in and
helped 10 extinguish the flames and remove
the lumber to safe place. Train after train
was fired by the iniurated crowd, but the cars
were so far distant from the round-houses that
ii did not seriously affect the military, although
their position was one OF peril. Finally,
large party of strikers captured car filled
with coke, which they run from the Allegheny
Valley Railroad track to siding connecting
with the Pennsylvania r. r. They then pro-
cured large quantities of petroleum oil, and
pouring IT over the coke, ignited the materials,
and in very few moments the car was
mass of fire, and it was then pulled aeng the
tracks and forced against the round-h
The building was soon ignited, and the
soldiers were now compelled to prepare to
fight their way out through the frenzied mass
Of humanity clamoring for their blood. The
building did not burn as rapidly as was desired,
and the mob, bent on revenge, rushed out the
road and sent burning trains towards the
doomed building From midnight till o clock
this am. the main efforts of the crowd were
directed to firing the buildings and cars, but
about half an hour later the mob which had
been besieging the military. left for some I'M
explained reason. This afforded the troops,
who were in actual danger of being roasted
alive, opportunity to emerge from the building,
and they succeeded in reaching Liberty street
in very few moments. They quickly FORM
ed and marched up to sd street and thence
to Pennsylvania Avenue and Butler streets
Their objective point was the United States
Arsenal on Butler street, where they expected
to obtain shelter. While turning into Butler
street, however the leaders of the mob had
discovered their retreat and fully 1000 armed |
and supplied with ammunition, followed in |
pursuit Some of the troops fired at the |
either accidentally or intentionally as
they were moving along, and this added fury |