The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-10-02
ATTACKING A MILL.
Desperate Assault by Strikers in
an Ohio Town.
One Man Killed and Several Others
Badly Wounded.

A Martins Ferry Ohio dispatch gives
the following details of fatal collision be
tween strikers and workmen in an iron mill
at that place:
The forebodings of trouble between the
striking iron workers formerly employed i'll
the Laughlin mill at this place and the So
called black sheep working there, which have
been entertained by number of our citizens
for week pr two past have been
realized in a way which shows the
terrible earnestness of both manu-
facturers and men in the great contest for
supremacy now going on. For three weeks
past the propretors of the Laughln mill
have been getting up force OF men
wherever possible for the purpose of starting
up the works at the seventeen-cent scale.
These men, now about 100 in number, have
been taken to the mill and PROVIDED with
eating and sleeping accommodations on the
premises, beds having been put up in the
warehouse and n force of cooks, etc, pro-
Vided.
Large quantities of provisions were laid in,
and that portion of the mill presented the
unusual appearance of a trst-class restaur-
ant and with hotel attachment. a week ago
rumors of an intended assault upon the mill
by an armed crowd of strikers recruited from
this place, Wheeling. Bellaire, Bridgeport
Mingo Junction Brilliant, and other points
in the upper Ohio valley, reached the ears of
the propretors and they at once provided
means of defense. A force of twenty three
guards armed with rifles was put on duty at
the mill, the employees were armed, and every
precaution taken to prevent surprise.
This morning at o'clock it seems was the
time agreed upon, and shortly after that hour
crowd of between forty and fifty men,
armed with repeating rifles, revolvers and
shotguns, marched up the railroad track I'M
til within about POO yards of the mill, where,
under cover of the darkness, they halted and
prepared for the assault, while n squad of
half dozen hparinU larue basket.
which were thirty dynamite and giant
powder hand grenades went up on the rail
road to point just west of the company S
warehouse, in which the workmen were
asleep The main body advanced toward the
east face of the warehouse for the purpose of
making a diversion in the rear. Within
twenty yards of the building mill picket
challenged the crowd but the only reply
was one or two scattering shots The
picket again challenged, but was fired on
again, when he retreated to the cor
ner of the warehouse. Here Major
Anderson, stockholder and director of the
company, challenged the party. He likewise
was fired on, when he returned the fire. The
main body of the guards on the south side Of
the mill, twelve in number had by this time
advanced to Major Alderson's aid and n
brisk skirmish at once began between the op-
posing forces, which lasted twenty totwenty-
five minutes. Both sides were well armed,
and the firing was rapid and considering the
darkness, well directed. While this was CO.
ing on at the east side of the factory, the
party with the hand grenades on the
west advanced and threw half a
dozen into the building, when the men
were driven off by fire from within. Two of
the grenades exploded, but only slight dam
age done to the house and none at all to
the inmates By this time three men had
fallen on the side of the strikers and the lat
ter began to slowly retire, still keeping up a
we'll directed fire. After some further shoot
ing at long range they disappeared in the
darkness, taking their wounded with them
OF the guards at the works two were seri-
ously wounded. Thomas Duff had sixty-two
large shot in his body and limbs He will re-
cover Willard Baily received rife ball in his
right thigh His condition is serious Of the at
lacking party three, so far as is now known,
We're wounded. Thomas Dorsey was shot
through the body with a rifle ball His wound
is very dangerous. Joseph Stephens was
shot in the neck with rifle ball.
He died in the afternoon. Philip Ricelng
was shot in the right leg and right arm with
rifle balls, He will recover. Sheriff Sedge
wick was at once telegraphed for and is now
on the ground Fourteen warrants have SC
far been issued and six arrests made,