National Republican., 1878-07-27

In riot occurred at Fourteenth and b streets
southwest shortly after noon yesterday. Notice
having previously been given to laborng men
In various ways not to work for seventy five
cents day In digging for the foundations Of
the new building for tho Bureau Of Engrav-
ing and Printing, at the southeast corner of
the Monument Lot yesterday morning largo
numbers of unemployed mon, mostly colorcd,
began to assemble in the vicinity OF the site Of
tho proposed building. During the morning
two or three men were engaged plowing over
the ground aud the work was not interrupted.
About ono o'clock nine men, six white and
three colDred, with carts, started the work of
excavation.
This was the signal to the strikers, who had
assembled to the number of about 1000
gang went toward tho men who were wOi king
aud, seizing their shovels, told them TO quit
work. This the niuo at first IefISed to do, but
a shower Of stoues made them change their
minds, and most Of them surrendered without
resistance. Two or three of the mgn wcie
slightly injured by flying stones. Thomas
Babbugton, white one of the workingmon
when his shovel was seized, drew back the i'm
plement, and appeared to be about 10 dispute
the matter, hand to hand, with his assalants
He was struck with a stone In the lower part
of the abdomen and badly injured
He then Withdrew from the work with tho
others and walked to his home, In tho north.
eastern part of the city. There was much ex-
citemcnt and there might have been more
trouble, but tho police who came quickly upon
the grounds, soon succeeded in dispensing the
greater portion Of tho mass Of men who had
assembled. Knots Of men, all Of them evil
IDENTIFY sympathiZers with the attacking party,
! remained about the spot all the afternoon,
probably for the purpose Of making sure that
no attempt was made to resume work upon the
l = i A.
crowd on the question Of wages. One of Il EN-,
a colorcd man, said that they had no work all
winter; they had been waiting many months,
and now the contractors wanted them to work
for scventy-hvc cents day.
Tho following notice, written in lead pencil
| OH piece Of white paper, was pinned upon u
board fence at the entrance to tho grounds:
NOTICE To THE LAnoRING MEN.
No man Is allowed ~ work on these works unless
receiving the amount OF sl.jO. Hereafter II any
man j. found working for less he shnll be stoned or
shot IN death. This Is ordered by the secret com
mittcC. numbering from 1000 to 1000 strong
CHAIRMAN OF SAID COMMITTEE.
When REPUBLICAN reporter examiner
this poster, shortly after tho difficulty on the
grounds, piece containing the signature had
been torn of the corner. 1t had evidently
been torn of by parties who did rot want the
| name made public. Some men who had seen
the poster before 1t was torn said that the
name was Loughcrty. Others said 1t was
Shaunncssy, and one or two held out for Nc
| LOughlin.
On the same fence few feet from the no.
| ticc printed above, was another written on an
old book cover. This read rs follows:
NOTICE TO ALL woRKiNGMEN.
| WAsHISGrOS, D. e., July d. 1878.
All that wants work at soycnty.iiye cent, II day
SAMUEL TARTY.
Second. Tina. a resolution was adopted by the
| tttfVt hat
guc+ to work for loss than $50 per day shall DO
taken from the rolls and be considered not in har.
mony with his brother laborcrs.
| 1t appears that tho first notice printed above
was there all day Thursday. The latter WIS
posted yesterday.
| Several groups Of laboring mon remained
around these notices during tho afternoon,
and whenever the wind disturbed them some
of the number carefully pinned them up
again. Although thus solicitous about tho
notices, they all proicsscd ignorance about
| their authorship aud about the secret com.
mittcc. They were all busy canvassing the
| situation, and were not at all backward in OK.
| pressing their sentiments iu favor OF attacking
| or "Sl 30 per day" party.
Said one. "HusScy may pull them down to-
night" Jerking his thumb over his shoulder
| toward the notices..
II guess everybody knows it now" re.
spondcd another
| Everybody will know 1t" continued third.
Everybody in the country will know it.
| The wires are working"
| when General Grant comes back we'll elect
him President" broke in another, changing
| the subject.
NO. we won't" was the surly response Of
rough-fSted man. Hes not the plum for u.s.
| We don't want any icc.cream people. They
don't know what laboriny folks want"
A MISUNDERSTANDING.
The understanding among the men who
! drove the labOrcrs from their work seems to
be that seven of the laborers were to receive
but seventy.hve cents aday, and the other two
| of whom Ilabbington was one, were to receive
| II day for their services. There was evi-
IDENTIFY u misunderstanding on this point, ~ by
statements of Mr.. Husscy and others the price
TO be Daid for labor was ~ per day. The gem
tluman who made tho estimates for Mr.. lIus-
s''y assured our reporter that in them all the
men employed, even the water r-carricr, were to
be paid 81 per day.
WHAT THE STRIKERS SAY.
Men who were among the party that drove
the labUrcrs from the work state that they
were provoked to violence by the action of the
contractor Mr.. Hussey; that Mr.. liusscy ap.
preached them while they were pcaccable, and
with an oath. ordered them to stand back and
let his men work. This made them angry
They also relate with much satisfaction that
MessrS. liussey and GleaSOu when hOstilities
in Az appearance again.
CONTRACTOR HUssEY's STATEMENT.
Mr.. William Hussey, the contractor, in re.
ply to qu stiOns from REPUBLICAN reporter,
made u statement in substance as follows:
Yesterday morning he set nine men, only q
portion OF those to he employed, at work at 81
per day, the prevailing rate paid to laborcrs
Mr.. HusScy was there at seven o'clock when
the men went to work breaking ground Later
in the day, about haf.past ten o'clock, he had
occasion to go to the ground again. At the
corner of Tenth and u streets he was met by
a haokman named Billy Williams, who made
some insulting remark. Mr.. liusscy pro,
cecded to the lot and found Williams still
following him. When he reached the
lot Williams joined another white fellow. viii
liams said to the crowd that had gathered
"close lin." Mr.. Hussoy asked him what
he was making so much noise about
Williams replied that he was not making any
noise. The crowd pressed around. Mr.. Hussey
told them that they had better go about Their
business, and not interfere with that Of Others
There was no disturbance at that time, but con
siderable talking. Mr.. liussey then went II
Police Headquarters TO see Major Morgan
but, a. he was not in, saw Captain
Brock, aud asked to have men there
at one o'clock when his laborcrs would re-
sumo work. About ten minutes to one o'clock
he went back TO the lot. There were only two
or three policemen there. An unknown white
-