Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-07-27
THE GREAT STRIKE!
Murder, Rapine, Arson and Violence
Unparalleled in the Annals Of
Our Country!

management of the road reducing their
wages by ten per cent. The striking
brakemen and iremen signalized their
movement by stopping the freight trains
upon the road and, by mob violence, in
timidating the men who stood ready to
take their places. From this beginning,
as if by preconoerted arrangement, the
strike, with it's attendant scenes of MUIR
der and rapine, extended to the Penn
sylvania Railroad, and thence rapidly to
almost every railroad in the country,
gathering into it's seething whirlpool not
alone the railroad men, but those num-
erous, degraded and desperate classes of
the community who revel in scenes of
popular disorder, and who have no mo-
tives but blood and plumber, until the
country stands trembling on the verge
of anarchy and revolution.
Reports of strikes, stoppages of trains,
disorder and mob violence in greater or
less degree come from nearly all the
railroad centers in the country, All the
trunk lines between the west and the
east are involved and embarrassed by
the refusal Of their employees to do duty
or to suffer others to take their places.
Many lives have been sacrificed, much
valuable property has been destroyed
and much suffering has ensued, but it
was at Pittsburg that the strike assumed
it's most savage and repellant aspect
From the mass of dispatches in the dali
ly papers we extract the following con-
nected account of the scenes of blood
and devastation enacted in that city:
PITTsBURG, July 22.-The terrible Or
deal Of excitement and terror culminat-
ed last evening in the riot, corner of
Twenty eight street and the railroad,
and with a terrible destruction of life
and property. At 3 o'clock yesterday
afternoon the Philadelphia troops arriv-
ed at the Union Depot, and at clock,
preceded by Sheriff Fife and posse
comitatus, started north along the rail-
road track to the spot where the rioters
were in force. The hill overlooking
Twenty-eigh street was lined with men,
women and children. The Sheriff at
tempted to make arrests, being support
ed by the Philadelphia militia. There
was no demonstration until the order
was given by Gen. Pearson to clear the
track. The dismounted Black Hussars
attempted to obey, but were
GREETED WITH JEERS AND A SHOWER
OF STONES
from the mob on the side of the hill.
The troops becoming maddened, the Or
der was given to fire. The first volley
was fired above the heads of the crowd.
This only added fuel to the flames, and
the Philadelphia soldiers received an
other volley of stones and bricks The
mob also drew revolvers and fired at the
military. without any apparent effect.
The military then directed another vol
ley, this time into the crowd direct,
with
MOST TRAGIC RESULTS,
for fourteen persons were killed, includ-
ing several women and children, and
about the same number were wounded.
The strikers, maddened almost beyond
Imagination, rushed upon the military,
which retired. Then the mob suddenly
left, and again at o'clock the soldiers
were in possession Of the railroad cross
ing. The main body of the mob had
moved down into the city, where they
Quilted Johnson's and Bowen's gun
shops. During the battle portion of
the Nineteenth Regiment. which had
been posted adjoining the strikers, were
badly used and several of their number
killed and wounded by the shots fired by
the Philadelphia Hussars The pud-
dlers, miners and workingmen in general
joined the mob, and with their assist
ance, the gun=shops were Quilted. Short
ly after this sortie, portion of the mob
proceeded to Allegheny, where they
BROKE INTO THE ARMoRY OF KNAPPs
BATTERY
and stole three of the cannon, which
they took to the round-house. They
next marched through the city with fife
and drum, firing their guns. Three of
the soldiers and two citizens were killed
during the evening.
Before the return of the mob tho
Philadelphia troops took shelter in the
und-house, with the troops quartered
there to protect it. The mob surround
ed it and swore vengeance. They VOW
ed that none should escape from the
building alive, and that the structure
should be burned over their heads.
During the night the mob burned sew
eral oil and fret ght trains between Law
renceville and East Liberty. loops sent
to relieve the soldiers were ditched
about eight miles from the city on the
Allegheny Valley Railroad. During the
night
ABOUT FOUR HUNDRED OARS WERE
and their flames liz GIFTED up the heavens
all night long There was no sleep for
our citizens, and mob-rule reigned SUI
preme, excelling in it's thousand-fold
horror anything ever experienced in the
bloodiest of scenes during the war.
During Saturday nj ht constant fire
was kept up with the besieged in the
round-house, and by daylight four more
OF the rioters had been killed. The mob
would roll train after train upon the
flames, and at one time over mile OF
track was ablaze, while the fremen were
compelled to desist from acting, at the
peril of their lives
THE BATTLE OF THE NIGHT
was kept up during daylight, and before
noon dawned, over fifty men, women and
children had been killed, and over one
hundred wounded. The military, during
the night, kill number of citizens, and
the cry for revenge went up long, loud
and deep. The soldiers succeeded in re-
capturing the cannon stolen by the mob,
but the latter were determined to dis
lodge and kill the visitors. Food that
was brought to the soldiers was destroy
ed by the mob. Long before the first fire
was made by the Philadelphia militia,
the Pittsburg soldiery stacked arms and
refused to fight.
About 10 o'clock in the evening
mob numbering several thousands had
congregated around the round house
They had previously captured the guns
belonging to Hutchinson's battery, To-
cal organization, and planted them so as
to command the round house. Several
solid shots were fired at the building
and
A BREACH MADE IN THE WALLS,
but when the Infatuated mob attempted