Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-07-26
THE GREAT AMERICAN RIOT.
The Strike of Railroad Labor
ers Joined by a Mob
of 10000.
Loss of Life in Baltimore and Pitts
burgh.
Fifty Murders and Ten MILLIONS OF Property
stolen, Burned and OH erwIse Destroyed

Pittsburgh and Baltimore have SUI
fered fearful riots the past week. The
trouble begun on Wednesday and by
Thursday the militia we're called out
and the President was called on for
soldiers. At that time the most threat.
ening trouble was at CLIMBER and Md
Governor Carroll, of Maryland, order
ed two regiments of Baltimore troops
to go to Cumberland. The armory
of one of these regiments was sur
rounded by mob of rowdies, who
stoned the building, and, on the ap-
pearance of the soldiers, assailed the
latter. The result was that the SOL
diers fired upon the mob in the
streets. The mob subsequently gath
cred at the railway depot from which
the troops were to take train for
Cumberland and the riot was kept up
for several hours. The depot build
ing was fired and other outrages
were committed by the rioters. Many
of the soldiers were more or less in.
iured by being struck with stones and
other missiles, and in the retaliatory
musketry discharges of the assailed
troops dozen or more of the mob
were killed and many others woan.
ded. Finally the regiments were or
dered to remain in the city, instead
of proceeding to Cumberland. At
Cumberland the rioters had it all
their own way, and other points along
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
were guarded by United States
troops.
But the riotous spirit which started
with the strike on the b. 81 O. II. II.
ragged with ten fold vengeance by the
employees on the Pennsylvania Gem
trail and the Pittsburgh, TT. Wayne
and Chicago, at Pittsburgh. They
refused to let freight cars pass that
point and hundreds of laden cars ac-
cumulated there. They would not
allow any men to fire up or run the
engines. Thus large number of To-
comotives as well as cars were col
lected there. Governor Hartranft, of
Pennsylvania, sent soldiers there.
They undertook to guard the depot
and other railroad property but the
mob had no fear of them. They set
fire to buildings and to cars laden
with coal, oil and other freight. The
soldiers collected in one of the round
houses surrounded by the mob. Some
who ventured out to make their es-
cape were killed. The mob set fire
to oil cars and run them into the
house where the soldiers were with
the apparent intention Of roasting
them. Cars and buildings were set
on fire along the railroad for miles
and there were great fears that the
city would be destroyed. The SOL
diers were in some way Withdrawn
and tiremen were permitted to put
ont fires burning private property
but were in danger of instant shoot
ing If they threw water on burning
railroad property. The railroad RI
oters were joined by the roughs and
by many laboring men out Of employ
ment. Their number including wo.
men and children were estimated
at 10000. When cars and store
houses were broken open they car
ried away whatever they could get
their hands on. White kid slippers
were logged away by hrawny wo.
men by the armful and barrels of
flour kicked along by women carry
ing babies in their arms Boys car
ried away large gilt edged family
Bibles and girls carried eggs in their
aprons The work of devastation
went on without resistance and
citizens of responsibility looked on
from the hill sides astonished but
helpless. Property was burned to
the amount of from $8,00O,0OO to
100000 The roundhouses and
1875 engines were burned in them.
Soldiers were shot down and some
were stoned and hacked with axes
after they were down. Ten or a
dozen of them were killed. About so
people were killed in the mob. The
officers of the railroad left the city
for fear of their lives Altogether it
was the most desperate, brutal and
monstrous riot this Country ever saw.