Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-06-15
A RAILROAD TRAIN ATTACKED BIZ
STRIKERS.

Works Attacked on q Chicago q Alton
Train at Brighton Park-Three Negroes
Taken from the Cars and Brutality Beat
| en-Judge Pillsbury Shot and Seriously
| Wounded.
Striking dock hands lately in the employ OF
the Joliet Iron & Steel Company boarded .
train Of the Chicago, Alton s. st. Louis Rail-
road at Brighton Station, about five miles from
this city, last evening shortly before six
o'clock, and attacked gang of ''scab'' labor.
ers, white and colored, who were on their way
| to Joliet from Bridgeport wharf. Judge Pills.
bury, of the I'd District Appellate Court, was
shot seriously, If not fatally, in the groin, and
three negroes and one white laborer were 20
terribly beaten with iron bars and stones that
the recovery of at least two of them is doubt
/ full.
The attack was planned and executed with
consummate skill both as to place and time.
| The spot chosen is where the Alton road cross
| es the Panhandle line. All trains are COM
PEELED to halt there until the albright signal
/ has been given by the fagman. OF to the
| right is Y, on which stock-yard trains change
| ends. From Western avenue to the railway
| station, perhaps 200 yards distant, the road lies
| through an avenue of trees thick enough to
| obstructa view of the track from the ada
| cent houses. Moreover the road makes q
| short curve there. The Y is laid on bank
| four feet above the bottom of the ditch, and it
| is believed that the conspirators hid them
| selves in it awaiting the approach of their vic
| Tins. Atall events, the telegraph operator,
| switchman and fiagman at the crossing say
| they noticed no unusual number of men
| around until not more than five minutes be-
| fore the Dwight accommodation train, which
leaves the depot at Van Buren, and Clark
streets, was due.
AS the train came in sight around the curve,
the road-bed in a moment swarmed with
rough-looking fellows, who, as the train halt
| ed, jumped upon the engine ard presented
pistols at the heads of Jones, the engineer, and
| the fireman and ordered them to bring the
| train to a dead halt. Others took position at
| the rear of the tender, and provided against
| the possibility of the train running away from
| them by drawing out the coupling-pin. The
obnoxious scabs were known t. be in the rear
car, which has been attached at Bridgeport
since the strikers have been resorting to vio-
lence. Into this car by way of both doors, Sc
lected parties of the mob poured, armed with
iron bars, stones and pistols. The workmen
were attacked and beaten without mercy.
Some who endeavOred to escape through the
windows and doors were assailed by the strik-
ers who held the track on both sides Of the
cars. Stones and clubs were rained upon them
as they ran the gauntlet around the cars, in
vain efforts to break through the lines How
any of them passed through the ordeal is the
most wonderful part Of it. Judge Pilsbury,
who had gone into the car with party Of
friends, and was playing eucher when the mob
entered, arose to see what the riot was about,
and had just got clear of his seat when he
heard the sound of the pistol and felt the
bullet. His injury was so bewldering to him
and to his friends that they lost account OF
what was going inside the car, remember
ing only the fierce yells Of the Infatuated as
sailants, and the terrified or agoniZed shrieks
of the assailed and injured men. How long
the assault lasted no one could reasonably cor
rectly estimate. By the time the passengers
in the forward cars had begun to realize what
the confusion outside meant the strikers had
satisfied their thirst for revenge and scattered,
firing their pistols in the air by way Of parting
salute.
The terrified workingmen could hardly be
rallied after the mob had left. They had scat.
tered among the gardens and houses of the
vicinity, hiding in abject terror. The serious
ly wounded were hurt chiefly about the head,
three at least having their skulls laid bare by
the vicious blows. If they had been white
men the strokes would undoubtedly have
proved fatal. The three seriously wounded
had their hurts washed and dressed as well al
the rough surgery of the neighborng residents
was able to do. Judge Pillsbury was carried to
the station and laid on q cot. He was much
Frustrated by the shock and complained of
numbness in his arm and leg on the side in
which he was shot. DR.. Corcoran of Albion,
N. Y. happened to be on the train and did all
for him that was possible under the circum-
stances Conductor Cy Adams telegraphed to
police headquarters, and also to the offices of
his company. A freight train just then ar
rived, and the caboose detached from the
train and the switch-engne on duty at the
crossing attached to it. In this way Judge
Pillsbury was brought to Chicago and placed
in the Washington Hotel, at Madison and Cam
al streets.
1t took the train hands forty minutes to get
all the workmen together again and proceed
toward Joliet. A few minutes after the train
resumed its journey Lieutenant Byrne land q
wagon-load of Second Precinct police arrived,
but all they could do was to take note of the
blood spots, with which the sides of the track
were literally spattered, and of the other marks
of the conflict All trace of the rioters was lost
and not man of the village of Brighton or Of
the railway employees could be found to say
that he would be able to recognize any of the
assailants. All that they were willing to say
they knew was that the attacking party did
not attempt to disguise their features and
were total strangers to them. They gathered
unseen, and were invisible as soon as they had
accomplished what they came for. The popu-
lace thereabout manifested great prudence in
talking over the matter. evidently having
much dread Of mourning the wrath of the des-
peradoes.
Judge Pllsbury, after being brought to the
Washington HOTEL received prompt medical
attendance. Dr. Andrews. who has the
wounded man in charge, was first seen.
"I have probed unsuccessfully for the ball"
said the doctor, "and find it will be necessary
to administer anesthetcs, as further probing
would be accompanied with great pain. The
wound is in the left hip, the ball entering
slightly in front and passing just outside of the
pelvis. The bone is not injured and there were
no large arteries severed, but some of the
nerves are cut, causing partial numbness in
the region of the wound. 1 do not consider
the wound necessarily dangerous but it may
yet prove very serious"
The reporter was admitted to Judge Pills
bury's room, where the Judge was found rest
ing quite comfortably. He said: II was re-
turning home from Ottawa. l was in the
smoking-car. and noticed the disturbance but
was not apprehensive of any danger to myself
I heard shots, and the first thing L knew had
a bullet inside OF me- 1t came so suddenly
that had no time to think of much of any
IL 10 <c,