The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-01-09

WIN tu0 WOt nuCu t40b Cu ntoOu !
service, was resisted by intimidation
and where persisted 10, BY violencs
ln the meantime, early on the mort
ing Of the twentieth. upon the call .
the Sheriff. the Ad!utant General oil
dered the Sixth division of the M
tionsl Guard, General Pearson com
mandiDg. to assist in restoring OF
der of this division. aggregatinI
one thousand ond eighty-two officer
and men. but six hundred were gol
ten together BY the evening of tb
twentieth. Sd
Being informed by General Pear
son of the gravity Of the situation
and that be feared that the majority
of bis troops we're in sympathy will
the strikers. the Adjutsnt General or
dered the First division of the Ma
tionsl Guard, General Brinton com
maudine. to report to General Pear
son at Pittsburgh. The Adjutan
General bad previously set out fo
Pittsburgh. receiving, on the way
my telegram to proceed there ant
keep supervision of all troops order
ed out. He arrived at one o'clocl
on the morning of the twenty first
All traffic was then stopped on tht
Baltimore and Ohio, the Fort Wavne
the Allegheny Valley aud the Penn
sylvania railroads. The force in The
city was then about three hundred
and fifty men the Eighteenth regi
meot being at Torrens During the
morning. just before dsvbresk, The
Fourteenth and Nineteenth regi
ments and Brooks battery, under
Brieadier General Brown, were
moved to take position upon the bill
Overlooking the the tracks at Twen
~ eighth street, with Instructions tt
keep the bill side free of people, iu
anticipation of the attempt contemp
lating in the afternoon, upon the ar
rival of the Philadelphia troops, tc
clear the tracks and open the road
This movement was successfully ey
ecu ed and the bill occupied. at q
time when there were few or 40 peo
pie upon it, owing to a failure to car
~ out the instructions, the bill side
was covered by noon with an excl
ted crowd of men. among whom were
MANY women and children. Tbt
Pittsburgh troops were surrounded
by the crowd. and. in fact. became q
part OF it. The main BODY of the
strikers were assembled on the tracks
10 the Deighborbood of Twenty
eight street. The surrounding streets
and tracks. above and below. were
also covered with people At two
O'Clock. in the afternoon of the TWEEN
~ first. the frat detachment of the
Philadelphia division, SIX hundred
and fifty strong, under command o.
General Brinton, bringing with i,
two Gatliug guns and large quan
rity of ammunition, arrived at the
Union Depot. After short delay.
to feed the soldiers, the movement to
open the road began. Proceeded BY
the Sheriff and accompanied by the
guns, the troops were marched down
the tracks between the lines of freight
cars. For some distance the road
was comparatively clear, but, as the
column approached Twenty-eighth
street it met a constantly increasing
crowd through which it forced its
way into the dense mass at the foot
of the bill The lines pressed the
crowd slowly and with difficulty
back on either side Of the road, un-
til that portion of the tracks enclos.
ed by tie hollow square so formed
was clear.
An attempt of the Sheriff to arrest
some ringleaders who had been prom
iuent in previous ousrages raised a
commotion, during which stones
we're thrown by the mob. The
troops were ordered to charge bayo-
nets and in doing so came into imme.
diate contact with the pressing and
excited mass Several pistol shots
were fred and q volley of stones
thrown frem the crowd, from those
on the hillside as well as others, and
violent attempts were made to wrest
the muskets from the soldiers. Hav-
ing been wedged in among a surging
body Of rioters, growing more and
more aggressive, many of whom
were trying to crowd the soldiers
from the ranks or wrench the mus
kets from their hands, and as few
mume ITS more would have broken
the ranks and involved the individual
soldiers in inexlricsble and hopeless
confusion among their foes. the SOL
diers fired. Under the circumstan-
ces, they did right to resist the at
tempt to disarm or overpower them.
A soldier is stationed or commanded
to move as a soldier, and has the un-
doubted right in the execution of bis
order, to prevent himself from being
forced from the ranks or disarmed.
As soon as relieved from the pres
sure, the commands of the officers al
ouce stopped the firing. From prox-
unity to the crowd, the firing was
wild and high, as we'll as disultory,
and took effect, principally, upon the
bill. Psnic-stricken, the crowd up
ON the hillside and adjacent streets
and Immediately surrounding the
soldiers, scattered in all directions.
carrying with it many Of the Pitts
burgh soldiers, and the main BODY of
rioters fell back along the track In
the melee, fifteen or twenty soldiers
were wounded, the majority with
pistol balls, and number Of the mob
killed and wounded.
At this time the troops were uu-
doubted masters of the situation, and
q determined advance in all direc-
tiuns and cooperation of civil author
ilies, would have driven away every
vestige Of the mob, and by activity
and care might have prevented il
from re-ssssIb bling. As 1t was,
though unskiIlfully executed, the
produced the result in.
tended; but, though offered . guard
fer each one, the railway officials
we're unable TO move their trains
from the impossibility of hnding en-
gineers and crews who were willing
to man them st that time. The
troops held their ground an hour or
two during which time the rioters