Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-07-26
The Strike and Riot.
THE PiTTsBURG RESPONSIBILITY
From the New York Tribune.

Rather than try to repant yesterdays terrible
picture with added detail aud color, let me at
tempt to fix where it belongs the res possibility for
that dreadful Sabbath saturnala of flame and
blood 1t is not to be expected that the journals
and people OF Pittsburg can Judge fairly in re-
gard to these frightful events Their minds are
of necessity warped by excitement and local pride
and by the strong prejudice current here against
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Only men outside
the range of these influences can hold with even
hand the balance of just criticism, and they might
well shrink from such duty. | was at first dis
posed, hearing the chorus of denunciation of the
| Philadelphia troops, to think that they were to
blame. 1t seemed as if they ought not to have
| fred on the mob Saturday, and on Sunday, when
the combat reopened, that they should have fought
their way back to the passenger depot and de-
Tended it from the incendiaries instead of retreat
ing to the country. But fuller information leads
to different Judgment
From the moment of their arrival these troops
were made to feel that they were in the midst Of
an int sely hostile population. Everywhere they
were hooted at. They came as matter Of duty
to protect rublic and private property, and they
were treated like invading vandals. The Pitts
| burg troops gave them no assistance, but evident
| ly sympathized with the rioters. When they
moved forward to disperse the mob they were
| first fired upon, and received besides, voey of
stones from the hillside. They only fired in re-
ply by orders, and soldiers have to obey orders
without questioning their wisdom. The fact that
innocent persons, minglin with the mob IS spec
tators, were killed, does not affect the case, for
such is the result of all collisions between mobs
and soldiers executing the law; and yet on this
account there arose a frantic cry for vengeance
on these men. Ii seemed as if the whole city was
crazy for their blood. They were even denounced
| in the Sunday papers, pandering to the passlon
of the mob, as Philadelphia roughs v hen, 10 fact
they are among the finest citizen sodery in the
county, and have repeatedly proven their disc
| pine and courage.
| The rioters closed in upon them with cannon
and small arms, intent upon massacrelng every
man of them. Nota finger was raised in their be-
half by the local military nor police no wonder
that they determined to leave the civ to its fate
| have an account of their retreat from an impor
tsnt eye witness, by which it appears that they
moved out of the city in good order covering
carefully their Calling guns, marching with a
: slow step, and by commsnd of their officers, re-
framing from firing on the mob, which was keep
ing up desultory fusilade upon them, until they
got out of the recently settled Districts where
there were women and children Then they
turned and gave their pursuers yolley VIII icn put
them to flight. In this march they lost seven men
killed
There is no difficulty in finding where the blame
really belongs. The conduct of the two Pitts.
burg regiments was dsgracefu Ifthey had done
one half their duty the cars would not have been
fired nor the depots destroyed, A resolute bear
ing on their part would have arrested the whole
shameful catastrophe. But what did they do
They actually dsbanded, skunk of to their homes,
took of their uniforms and left their brother Ma
tional guardsmen from Philadelphia to be butch
cred. The behavior of the police was beneath
contempt ! cannot learn that they tried to sup
press the mob. As to the citizens land by that
name do not mean miscreants, men who actual
ly did the burning and plundering), they appear
to have looked on the fearful havoc as a spectacle
until the fire menaced their own property. The
most charitable view possible to take of their con-
duct is that they were stunned by amazement in
to supineness and cowardice. Five hundred organ
lied as special police yesterday morning would
have saved five millions of property and better
still saved Pittsburg from ndelible disgrace.
L. M.-The excitement has rapidly subsidized
to-day, and there have been no acts of lawess-
ness except an attempt to pillage the freight
on the South Side, which was speedily suppressed.
The municipal authorities appear to have the city
well in hand. quiet night is expected. The To-
cal troops have kept under arms all day, and have
been marched about to make an impression
the violent classes. A large force of veterans of
the late were armed this morning by the
Mayor, and added considerably to the show of
force. gang Of about 900 miners coming
down the river, with threatening intentions, were
stopped aud turned back n the suburbs by a force
under Gen. Negley.
All accounts OF yesterdays riot agree that the
railroad strikers were not concerned in the burn
ing and pillsge Some of them went TO the May
or and wanted TO be enrolled in force for putting
down the mob and saving their property, saying
that the question of wages could be settled
when peace was restored. The conduct of Maj
Gen. Pearson, the local militia officer who took
command OF the troops on Saturday, is denounced
on all hands. He has disappeared from the city,
gong oil on a steamboat. 1t is said there has
been complete revoluson Of feeling among the
business men in relation TO the behavior of the
Philadelphia troops. Yesterday they had no
friend. Now the best citizens say they did their
duty. and ought to have been aided
Much alarm is felt by the tax paying communi-
ty account of the liability of the county to be
ssddled with all the losses inflicted by the rioters
on the railroad company, amounting. it is yarousy
estimated, al from five 10 ten millions. 1t is also
feared that the trade Of the city will suffer heavi
ly, and that the company will punish il by reduc-
ing 1t TO a way-ststion, and running all its through
business around 1t.
| The MOB AT PHILADELPHIA.
(From the New York Herald)
Colonel Scott had rcconsidered his decision of
last night not to attempt to send out any freight
trans, and this morning gave orders TO the des-
Patcheis 10 make ready. The crowds at the Cal
lowall Street bridge began assembling very early
in the day, and from The expressions and menaces
of the mob it was plain that they intended to pre-
vent the starting Of the freight if they dared.
BY half-past nine o'clock there were fully FIVE
thousand people on the bridge and the western
hills. L nder the bridge were about fifty en-
pl0yes, sullen looking and keeping by themselves
When asked TO work they would saw.
"Yes, we will, but they would not stir from the r
seats. They we're troublesome to the police and
1t took large squad to watch them. Captain
Wood could not get the despatchers to put them
to work quick enough, so he waited until the
Chief came. The latter demanded of the des-
pateher that he pick out bis men and the balance
must leave. The dispatcher did so, and then the
Chief formed his men in line and gave orders to
nate .ne uacM ,, Inns anu oiiIge ceareui Tue
were ugly and ilnstured, and some Of them, with
the crowd, showed fight. At Glass Hotel, corner
Of 1hirty-frst and Haverford the mob made a
stand and scofed at the police, who had been very
patient up to this time. About five hundred men