Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-07-27

great arteries of transportation across the
country. was heralded by an address from
the employees of the road to the stockholders.
In this they said that their wages had been
reduced till many of them did not earn over
- cents day. They said g 1t is not the
depression of business that compelS your d.
rectors to starve us and our families, but the
unbusiness-like management of the affairs OF
your road and they proceeded to cite cases
of improbable contracts with car companies
and forwardcrs, and to arraign the manage
ment of the road for incompetency, or worse
The strike on the Baltimore and Ohio
road was Immediately followed by demon
STATIONS of violence at Pittsburg, the
strikers taking possession of the railroad
depot, and permitting no freight trains tC
move The troops ordered out were the
Allegheny County infantry, two batteries
and two troops of cavalry, and two brigsdes
of the First Division At Philadelphia, |, SOl
strong. including infantry, artillery and
cavalry, under command Of AlaiOr-Genera
Brinton. These arrived at Pittsburg during
the afternoon and evening of Saturday. The
strikers professed the greatest contempt fol
the military preparations, and mingled free
ly with soldiers. Two Pittsburg regiment,
refused to serve against the strikers and were
dishanded The matter began to assume a
Communist shape, and the leaders freely de.
clarcd that 20 600 working men stood ready
to Join the movement at a moments notice
The fighting began about O'Clock Satur-
day afternoon, at the freight depot at
2Sth street The mob including spec
tators there numbered not less than
5000 The Philadelphia Brigade march
ed thither from the Union depot. and
cleared the crossing amid the !jeers and
hootings of the strikers. Consultation
was then held by the officers in com
mand with Superintendent Pitcairn and the
Sheriff, after which the latter proceeded to
read the riot act. Having warrants for the
arrest of fifteen OF the ringleaders, he pro-
ceeded to make an arrest. The particular
man for whom the warrant was issued ap,
preached, waved his hat, and calling to the
crowd and strikers said. "Give them hell.
Immediately shower Of boulde-s was
hurled into the troops and one revolver shot
fired into the ranks, General Brinton then
ordered his men to fire, and the word went
along the line from platoon to platoon, and
the firing was repeated several times. Six
teen were killed outright by the fire or have
since died, and thirty or forty were wound
ed. The crowd fled in dsmav Immedi-
ately crowds of excited people sprapg up, as
if by magic, from all directions. uttering
imprecations against the Philadelphia troops
and loud and bitter threats that the COM
PAWS shops, depots and buildings should be
i: a IL ha bnnritr
By II o'clock the mob had gutted all the
principal gun stores in the city, and carried
off muskets, rifles, shot-guns, small arms
and cutlery to the value at least of : 100, 900
exclusive Of the damage to premises. They
then formed in line and marched up Pennsyl.
yania and Liberty streets to Twenty-eighth
street, where at least thirty thousand people
were assembled, and began siege OF the
round-house, where the First Brigade was
CHARTERED A regular fusillade was opened
at the windows of the round-hOuse, but NJ
shots were returned from the inside Three
of the soldiers who attempted to slip out
singly were shot and instantly killed. Two
citizens were also shot down on Libert,
street.
At ) O'Clock, a. m, twelye-pOund gun
which had been captured by the mob wa.
turned on the round house. hut without do
ing any damage. In the meantime persistent
efforts were being made to burn the round
house by running burning trains against
il, but these efforts failed. By day break
some ten or twelve persons had been killed
and twenty or thirty wounded. in addition
to those killed and wounded in the afternoon
fight. But few people went to bed during
the night. Terror seized all peaceably dis
posed citizens in the lower portion of the
city and Allegheny.
Cars of merchandise Of every descrip
ton were broken open and their con.
tents carried away by men, women and chill
dren, or given to the flames. Barrels of oil
would explode, and long lines of flame like
serpents would rush along the tracks licking
up everything cOmbustible in their path
Out of the roar of the hungry flames came
the rattle of musketrv and the sharp report
of revolyers and Springfield rifles, and over
all was heard the hoarse roar of awful i'm.
precautions from the ten thousand throats Of
men maddened by blood, drink and revenge
the burden Of which was - Death to the
Philadelphia soldiers the devoted nine
hundred hemmed in on three sides by roar.
ing torrents OF fire and pelted with cannon
shot and small arms There was danger
everywhere. Women with children in theiI
arms were shot down; the gunners OF the
attacking party were picked of by the sharp
shooters Of Brinton's command, and fell
about their pieces of artillery, to be carried
off to the hospitals or the undertaking offices
Shouts, yells, jeers and cheers mingled with
the groans of the dying and the sharp cries
of the wounded, while the flames surged and
leaped high in air or swept down to the
ground in long lines until it seemed as il
hell itself had yawned in the heart of the
city.
At last the sun rose, blood-red, through q
vast canopy of smoke that overhung the city
For nearly mile burning freight cars were
to be seen, while the thieves were actively
engaged in breaking open Others and pre-.
pairing them for the torch. On all the side
streets women were to be seen rolling away
barrels OF flour, sugar, molasses, and lard
Anon, man would roll along a barrel OF
whiskey until favorable spot was reached
when the head would be broken in and free
liquor dispersed from a tin cup. For time
the police arrested all persons found carrying
packages until all the cells of each and every
station house were filed to OVERLOOKING
This wholesale pluDdering was kept up
until late hour in the afternoon, arrests
having ceased from lack of room for prison
ers and their plumber
Word was passed along the ragged lines
OF the besiegers that the round house must
be fired. COmbustibles were arranged on
cars and burning train sent toward the
building. At $50 the fire from the burn
ing wreck of freight cars communicated
with the upper rOund-hOuse, in which 20
freight engines were stalled, and the build
ing and its contents were speedily destroy
ed, The value of this property is estimated
at S GOO, 900. The houses on the south
side OF Liberty street also took fire and then,
at last, the engines were allowed to play on
the flames ane extinguish them.
When the round house took fire, either to
burn or retreat were the only alternatives
left for General Brinton' = command Form
ing in close column, the brigade sailed out
OF the main entrance. with guns loaded and
bayonets fixed, and moved at double quick
down Liberty to Twenty-fith street. here
Il running fight began. There was scat
tering volley of small arms, when suddenly
Brinton rs command opened murdcrous fire
with Calling gun, moving gaps through
the dense crowd, killing ten or twelve and
wounding twice as many. The soldiers,
too, were being stricken down. At Penn
street they turned towards the United States
arsenal and retreated rapidly, but in toler-
able order. pursued by the mob. Reaching
the arsenal, they attempted to enter, but
the Federal commandant refused to permit
hem, and they continued their retreat to
and beyond Sharpsburg, where they finally
broke up into scattered squads