The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1877-07-26
Terrible Riots !
In Pittsburg and
Baltimore! !
Great Destruction Of
Life and Property!
Strikes on the B. & 0. and
Pennsylvania Railroads.
THE STRIKES SPREADING
AND OTHER RAIL
ROADS INVOLVED,
GENERAL STOPPAGE OF
FREIGHT ON ALL THE
LEADING LIVES.
State Militia and y. S.
Troops Called Out.
Scenes in PHtSbUIg!
A REIGN OF TERROR |!
MOB RULE FOR "a HOURS /!
Fire ! Robbery ! and Murder! !
Order at Last Restored and
the Excitement Subsiding,

On our third page will be found
the details of two of the most terri
BILE riots chat have ever occurred in
this country, growing out of strikes
among the fremen and brakemen in
the freight department of the B. &
0. and Pennsylvania railroads. The
trouble began with the former road,
and was caused by a recent order re
ducing the wages of employees 10
per cent, in consequence of which
the men engaged in the strikes com
planned that they could not make
enough to support their families, and
were compelled to resist the reduc-
ton. In the case of the Pennsylva,
MIA road, it seems that in addition to
a recent reduction of wages, the en-
ployees were required to do increas
ed work without extra pay therefor.
The engineers and conductors of the
freight trains, and all the employees
of the passenger trains on both roads,
seem not to have taken any part in
the strike, though no doubt sympa-
thizing with the men engaged in it.
The strikers on the B. & @. rail
road refused to allow the passage of
freight trains in either direction un
til their demands were complied
with, though they permitted the pas
senger and mail trains to run as US
ual The railroad officials appealed
to the civil authorities for protection,
but they were unable to control the
strikers, and the Governors of West
Virginia and Maryland called out
the State militia. The troops were
attacked by a mob in Baltimore, and
in self defense fired upon their as
sailants, killing a number of them
and wounding others. The Cover
nors of both States then called on
the President for U. S. troops, to aid
in restoring order, and they we're
promptly furnished, and at last &C.
/ counts there had been no further Vi.
olence, though the strikers continu,
ed to prevent the passage of all
freight trains at Grafton and other
points, and thus the main business
of the road has been brought to q
stand-still.
The strike on the B. & o. road
was followed on Friday by strike
on the Pennsylvania road at Pitts.
burg. Here also the civil authori
ties proved unable to protect the
railroad, and the State militia were
called out by the Governor. Sever
al hundred troops were sent from
Philadelphia, who arrived at Pitts
burg on Saturday. The sheriff O.
the county undertook to arrest the
ringleaders of the strike, with the
aid of the troops, when the latter
were furiously assailed by the moi
and the sheriff was shot dead. TIL,
soldiers fired on the mob, killing sew
eral, and unfortunately among the
number a woman and child. Infuri
ated by this, the mob rapidly increas
ed in numbers, and drove the sol
diers into the railroad round house
where they were besieged for severa
hours, and finally burned out by th'
mob, chased and fired upon, severa
: being killed and many more wound
ed, before they reached a place o
safety. The mob now had things al
their own way, and set fire to tn
depot, broke open and pillaged car
E of freight, set fire to all the railroa,
buildings, and for several hours tn
work of ruin and destruction wen
on without interruption. The de
struction of railroad property is i'm
, mense-amounting to four or fv
millions Of dollars. At length th
D better class of citizens rallied, an
D organized themselves for the protec
ton of the city, more troops arrived
and order was finally restored.
9 The strike soon extended to til
various connecting lines of the Penn