The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-07-18
The Baltimore and Ohio
Strike.
OUTRAGEOUS PROCEEDINGS
OF THE STRIKERS
The Military Called Out by the
Governor.

BALTIMORE, July 17.-Late last night Vice
President King telegraphed to Gov. Matthews |
of West Virginia at Wheeling, that the trains |
of the company were stopped at Martinsburg
by fremen on strike, who had driven from the
engines those who were willing to work On the
companys terms that the firemen had been
taken from their trains by the rioters, and the
trains in both directions were held by mob
and the town authorities were powerless to sup
press the riot Mr.. King appealed for aid to
enable the company to transact business.
A message from Gov. Matthews, dated at
Wheeling, II 10 a. m, says:
There are two military companies at Martins
burg armed with supplies and ammunition. /
have telegraphed aid-de.camp Col. Faulkner to
aid the authorities with these companies to ex-
ecute the law and suppress the riot. will do
all / can to preserve the peace and secure safety
to your trains and railroad operations Colonel
Faulkner is directed to look also TO Opequan.
HENRY M. MATTHEWS.
A special from Martinsburg says Col. Faux
per with IS men of the Berkeley Light Infant
Nv Guards, arrived with loaded muskets, took
charge of one of the west bound freight trains
that had been detained by the strikers, and
placing his men on board of the train attempt
ed to move it on its way west The strikers and
their friends were at the company's yard in
large numbers, and assumed threatening at
| titude. AS the train started on its way through
| the town in charge of the engineer and one of
| the newly appointed firemen, the men were fir
| ed upon by the mob and one of the soldiers was
wounded. The military returned the fire at
| once and killed one of the rioters. This was
| followed by the widest excitement. Tie strik-
ers then removed the couplings of the cars, rem
dering it impossible to move the train. At 1890
/ a. m. the rioters were still holding their own
and preventing trains from leaving.
Another account of affairs at Martinsburg is
Il that when Col Faulkner with his men took
charge of the train, the strikers and their
Il friends gathered in force not less than 400,
armed with every conceivable weapon, and as
| the train was about to start they rushed upon
it and cut the couplings of the cars. Col. Faulk-
| ner called on them to desist and ordered them
back, but his orders were received with jeers
| and threats. The colonel then threatened he
| would order the soldiers to fire if they did not
Immediately desist. Hardly had the words
fallen from his lips when the rioters fred upon
the soldiers and wounded one man. The COM
manding officers Immediately gave the orders
| to fire. The soldiers, acting like veterans, obey
ed orders. One of the rioters was killed out
right and others are supposed to have been
wounded, as several were carried off the ground
| by their comrades.
There was some displacement of switches
this morning, but nothing of a serious charac-
ter occurred at the station or tracks Of the
railroad within the city limits. No freight
trains left Baltimore today and none will move
till the blockade at Martinsburg is removed
The strike is said to be confined to firemen
and brakemen; no engineers, conductors or
other employees have taken part. Dispatches
state that the strikers are in absolute control Of
everything. The military under Col. Faulkner
sympathizing with the strikers have been
withdrawn. No freight trains are permitted to
| pass east or west, but passenger trains are not
molested and are running on time.
| A special from Martinsburg, dated - 30,
says that the rioters are still firm and determ-
ined and that the presence of the military only
serves to further exasperate them. The town
| is wild with excitement, and the strikers and
their friends. numering fully 1000 men, are
marching about. bidding defiance to the mill
tary and the authorities, Some 70 or 80 en-
| gineS are congregated here and none are al
| lowed to depart. A committee from the strk-
ing fremen have notified the engineers that in
case any engineer shall attempt to take train
| out of town he will be Immediately shot. At
noon a cattle train bound for Baltimore at
tempted to start, whereup0n the rioters fiocked
| on board and with drawn revoiyers at the heads
of the engineer and fireman, compelled them
to run the train into the stock yards where the
cattle were unloaded. Passenger trains are
not interfered with as the strike is entirely con-
fined to transportation men. So far the strik-
ers have everything their own way, and the
military are passive and awaiting further or
ders from the governor, which have not yet
| come.
WHEELING, July 1.-THE Governor has OF
dered the Matthews Guards from this city to
| proceed to Martnsburg to help quell the rio
at that point. They leave this afternoon.
NEW YORK, July ia switch was misplace
| ed at Locust Point, on the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad, it is thought by the strikers, and this
morning an engine was badly broken and the
| trestle broken down in consequence. :
| Up to 10 o'clock tonight no further violence
| occurred on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in
| the city or vicinity. Perfect quiet and order
prevail. Small squads of police are on duty.
| All passenger trains have arrived and departed
on time. Three freight trains also left but it is
| not expected to pass Martinsburg. No further
difficulty seems to be apprehended here at pres
ent. Between this city and Martinsburg there
is no disturbance. At Martinsburg the strikers,
numbering about 100, have absolute control,
and refuse to allow any freight trains to move,
but the passenger trains are not stopped. From
Martinsburg the strike has extended west to
| Wheeling on the main stem, and also on the
Parkersburg branch, numbering total of 500
men. AT Wheeling about twenty struck At
| Grafton violence was attempted but WAS
| promptly checked by the civil authorities. AT
Keyser the new men were forced from the
train by the strikers, who threatened to shoot
any one attempting to move them. At Martins.
| burg 20 trains, consisting OF about 1900 freight
cars loaded and empty, two thirds bound east,
one-third west, are he'd by the strikers. Be
tween 500 and 600 cattle were on the eastern
bound trains, large portion of which were
turned into the stock yard or adjacent past ures.
Many cars are laden with grain. Gov Mat
thews of West Virginia is now at Grafton
with the Matthews Guards numbering go men.
The statement that one of the rioters at Mar
tinsburg was killed this morning by the fire OF