Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-04-11
TROUBLE AT HENDERSON.
Almost A Riot.

able TO complete the work required
by their contract to be done up to
this time. This caused the Bridge
Company to bring suit against the
contractors and the trouble detailed
below resulted. The Chanccry Court
at Louisville decided that the con-
tractors, O'Connor and Mccullough,
should give bond of 100000 for the
further faithful performance of their
contract. The bond was given but
this still failed to satisfy the Bridge
Company which is the L. Il n. rail
road company under different
name. The 70 lowing account is
from the Reporter, of Tuesday:
yesterday morning, we are in
formed, Mr.. O'Connor, on reaching
his Office, saw force Of men rcmov-
ing ropes or timbers, On one Of the
temporary structures belonging to
the contractors. Aiming himself, he
hurried forward and ordered them
to desist and leave or he would shoot.
They stopped work and left at once.
Meantime the news got abroad and a
crowd began to collect, and " hen we
reached the grouad, little after
) O'Clock, there were probably sever
ii hundred men there and more con-
SANITY arriving. Mr.. O'Connor doub-
ly armed, occupied position on one
Of the piles of stone, and the hands
who had been brought on the cars to
b, put to work were quietly lounging
on the hill and along the railroad
track. We heard that General Man
ager Durham was in the crowd, but
we did not see Inn. Pretty soon,
however, Superintendent IIege and
Mr.. Nichols, the resident Engineer OF
the bridge, came up, and after calling
Mr.. Ycamau, the Company's local
attorney, to one side and holding a
brief consultation with him, collected
a parcel of hanls and proceed
ed down to the railroad track.
Mr. O'Comor had in the meantime
come up and entered his Office where
he was engaged in conversation with
Judge Cunningham, his attorney. Ia
4 few moments, some person ran 20
the Office and Informed Mr.. O'Connor
that the cable, which was fastened to
the rails, was being cut, and he hur-
ricd out and went down on the lover
side of the railroad, bat before his
arrival the wire rope had been cut.
and Mr.. Nichols then came UP on the
outskirts of the crowd, and went to
another cable fastened TO post just
below Mr.. O'Connor's Office, and.
placing the cold chisel on it, ordered
one or two men with hammers t..
drive it. A few heavy blows cut til,
wires, and Mr.. Nichols then jumped
into Mr.. Marion Duncan's buggy and
drove away before Mr.. O'Conmoi
reached the ground. This was for
tunatc circumstance, for no ONT
doubts, and indeed Mr.. O'Connor
says, that he would have been shot i
he had been seem"
Considerable excitement was cr''
ated, and the Henderson police force
were called to assist the contractor,
in the protection Of their property
Mr.. Durham and other officials o
the L. & n. were arrested and pu
under bond to commit no trcspass OF
the bridge site until the matter wa
settled in the courts. Forty spccia
policemen were detailed for duty i
the event of another attempt to re
move the buildings and tools Of til
contractors from the site.
No furthur demonstrations hav
been made and everything is quie
at the present writing.
The following later particular.
taken from the Evansville journal {
yesterday, indicate that the contraC
: tors have been forced to yield to III
II Bridge Company:
+ "Reports from Henderson were tl;
V the contractors had surrendered an
e the Bridge Company had possessio
e Of the work, and about forty me
: were at work under their direction
c The dissolving Of the injunction ;
Louisville, it was said, would be 70
8 lowed by a suit for damages by IL
. contractors, Mccullough Il O'Cor
3 nor, and that the amount would |
l placed at from 100000 to $4,000
7 The trouble seems to be over, and
4 was thought the Bridge Compan
y would push the bridge to completion
o and that the masonry work would |
= completed ready for the iron by IL
4 time the keystone Company wei
a ready for it. The bridge, when con
S. pletcd, will cost at least $2,0O0,000.
o will be of inestimablc value to Il
e railroads running into Evansvil
IS and Henderson, particularly the
is Il n. That road has heretofore bee
l. handicapped on Western business b
l. long and tedious boat transfer fro
IS Henderson to Evansville, and on til
rs account could not compete for S
IS Louis or Western business. ri
l. completion of the bridge will
Is away with this transfer Railro;
IL men in this city seemed mut
; pleased at the turn affairs had take
as they are getting anxious TO see Il
bridge finished, and thought wi
TO the money ready, and anxious
of have it finished, the Bridge Cor