The daily gazette., 1877-07-25
Readings Dire Calamity,
TEN CITIZENS KILLED AND
A LARGE NUMBER
" ...
WOUNDED.
UNSUSPECTING CITIZENS SHOT
DOWN IN THE STREETS WITH
OUT ANY WARNING.
The Strikers and Their Operations.

The Reading Eagle gives the following
particulars of the terrible calamity in
that city on Monday night, when the
soldiers fred upon the citizens at Sew
enth and Penn streets:
"Night had settled upon the city, and
after the work of the strikers at Seventh
and Penn streets was over, after the
tracks had been blockaded, after the
main body of the rioters had separated
for other points of operation, after thou
sands of peaceable aud law-abiding men,
women and children had assembled out
of curiosity to witness for themselves
what work bad been ACCOMPLISHED by
the railroaders, the military marched IN
from the depot through the cut and pros
ceeded TO Seventh and Penn streets, there
to fire into the assemblage of men, wo
men and children, innocent and unpros
tected, without warning and without
chance of escape, and ruthlessly hurry
olt of the world at least nine citizens,
and shoot down in cold blood "a large
numb of others.
he military entered the cut under
Walnut street and proceeded up to Sew
enth street, receiving a severe pelting
with stones on the march. Finally they
reached Seventh and Penn streets, when
suddenly and without any warning what
. ever, vollev after volley was fired in
quick succession, The report was that
those were blank cartridges fired into
the air, yet Valentine Graf, q black
smith, residing at 321 Pearl street, who
was standing on the Court street bridge
at the time, was shot in the shoulder
blade and dangerously hurt, and num-
ber of others were seriously wounded.
After the first vo lleys were fired, men,
women and children ran for their lives.
All along Seventh street people were sit
ting at their doors and windows enjoy.
ing the cool air of the evening. They
jumped and disappeared instantly, clos
ing the doors and windows after them.
AT SEWN AND PENN STREETS
there was the widest confusion. A large
force of policemen were on duty at that
point. They had succeeded in keeping
the pavements and sidewalks clear, anil
were in the discharge of their duty, as
directed. Before these generally cool
men could understand what was going
on, five of their number were shot down
from their posts Of duty and seriously
hurt.
1t was reported that the soldiers had
shot high or discharged their rifles in the
! air. The result of that sort of shooting
| is the woundiDg of the five policemen In
| the lever limbs. These officers were on
| uuuy imueutdCeiy III lTOuL VI Jut MILITARY
and were shot down by well aimed rifles.
Officer Abner Jones shot through the
back; will recover; Officer Rupp, two
| balls through the right leg below the
/ knee; Officer Odenweller shot through
| the leg above the leg above the knee,
great lost Of blood last night; Officer Hag-
gerty shot in the ankle and Officer Hart
shot in the leg. Bullets penetrated the
coats OF Chief Cullen and Ofhcer Weld
ner who had narrow escapes.
The neighbering drug stores were
transformed into hospitals, and mum Der
of them resembled bloody operating
grounds at the front after desperate bat
tie. Physicians. surgeons and druggists
were at once called into active service,
and the excitement ran very high as the
many scenes incident to caring for the
dead and wounded were witnessed by the
clamorous populace.
The result of this indiscriminate firing
| was that ten persons were killed and
over twenty wounded.
The soldiers who shot the people be-
long to the following companies: Com
pany b, Allen Rifles, of Allentow wn;
Company ID, Allen Continentais, of Al
lentown;4 Company e, Blue Mountain n
Legion, of Hamburg; Company f Easton
Grays. of Easton; Company FL, Stating
ton Rifles, Slatington; Company l, Cats
COMPANY IA 1NoiOh-
ampton county. The force consisted of
from 250 to 800 men, under the command
of General Reeder.
The military, after the battle was over,
drew up in line on Penn street below
Seventh, and subsequently marched to
| Penn Square.
The troops then marched out Fifth.
thence to the depot which they garrison
ed during the night. Prior to this num-
Der of sold ers laid down their arms and
asked for citizens clothing, at the same
time expressing themselves as being
thoroughly disgusted with such whole
sale butchery.
The strikers are still on the alert to
prevent the running of freig hit trains, on
the p. & r. road.
The tracks on the main line are torn up
at several places in the city and below
the city limits. Around Neversink it is
also stated that the rails are torn away.
Other distractions are on the tracks as
far down as Exeter station.