The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-07-24
A HAND TO HAND FIGHT.
An Encounter Between Police and
Strikers in Cleveland.
Several Workingmen and One Po-
licelnan Fatally Injured.

Details Of the terrible encounter between
striking workmen-mostly Poles and Bohe-
mians-and the police in Cleveland, Ohio,
are given in dispatches from that city as FOL
lows:
A riot occurred this evening between the
strikers and police, in which a number of the
strikers were severely injured and several po-
licemen badly hurt, one of them fatally. The
circumstances connected with the riot are as
follows: This morning the report spread
throughout the Polish and Bohemian settle
ment that the rolling mill company would
start up the plate and wire mills The police
noticed that great uneasiness prevailed among
them, and seventy policemen were sent out
to the works to anticipate any trouble
which might occur. Garsuch, the socialist,
went out to the Polish and Bohemian dis
tricts and called upon them to come to
a meeting which would be held in the after
noon at the Peach Orchard" the favorite
meeting place of the strikers. At o'clock
crowd of at least 1000, consisting of strikers,
their wives and children, met at the Peach
Orchard" and listened to Garsuch. He stated
to them that he had been informed that the
rolling mill company had started
called upon them to advance to
through the Enclosures and drag the men from
their work. He said they should not remain
towards, but fight, and il the police or any
other body of men stood in their way TO
sweep them from their path. The speech
soon had its effect, and the men. determined
to make an attack upon the mills, and with
the cry of "Bread or blood they commenced
their march to the mills. The women girls,
and children who had been in at
tendance at the meeting, instead of going to
their homes, followed the men, who in about
20 minutes reached the mills. A high board
fnDpp ~ md
strikers, about 1000 strong, gathered at the
southwest gate. The narrow street was
Choked with men, women, and children. In
side the gate stood force of IS police, under
charge Of Deputy Superintendent McMahon.
The crowd surged forward for few minutes
when suddenly POO or 800 sprang forward
and began to tear down the gate and fence.
The women, many OF them with babes in
their arms, urged the men forward. With
a crash the gate fell in, and in an instant
the police charged the rioters The scene
which followed cannot be described The
onslaught of the police was terrific With
their heavy clubs in their hands they did tor
rible execution, The few strikers who had
followed the gate as it fell went down before
the blows of tho police. Their friends
closed the gap and used clubs and
knives freely on the police The officers
pressed forward. men going down with their
heads a mass of blood under the blows OF the
clubs The women urged the men, and the
fight was desperate one. The women rushed
right under the blows of the police, and when
ever striker fell they carried him to the
rear and from thence to his home.
News Of the fight spread like wildfire The
strikers had with remarkable tact thrown a
force across their rear and although 5000 or
5000 people stood watching the fight no as
sistance was given and the police had to fight
alone. The battle waged tiercely for half an
hour when the strikers suddenly retired
leaving six OF their number in the hands of
the police. The men are all badly injured.
Two OF them, Joseph Pollock and John
,Wilskoska, are fatally, injured, their
heads being smashed in. They
will die before morning The others-Thomas
flanders, Charles Doolittle, John Keska, Mi.
chael Kocek and John Ryan-are almost bat
tered to pieces, but it is thought that they are
not fatally injured. The women succeeded
in carrying away a number of the injured
men. 1t is estimated that from forty to fifty
are badly hurt. They are hidden in the Po-
fish and Bohemian quarters. The poll ce
also suffered. Officer Manzelman was
struck on the head with club and his
skull was fractured. His injuries are
considered fatal. Officer John Caldwell was
struck in the face with an iron boulder, and
his nose was smashed and his face badly cut
Officer Frank lies was struck on the head with
a cinder and in the face with club He is
badly cut and bruised. Officer Fred Wood
was struck on the kneecap by striker who
had been knocked down by the officer But
he raised up on his elbow and struck the oil
Ger terrible blow. Officer Jake Reese had
his wrist broken. About fifteen other officers
were struck with clubs and rocks but
they received only slight injuries. Not q
single shot was fired on either side
as soon as news OF the fight reached the
Central station force of eighty-fve men
was Immediately dispatched to the scene of
the trouble, and when the officers reached the
place the men who had done the fighting were
resting and everything was quiet. IT is
learned that the strikers made the attack in
order to force the men in the plate mill to
leave their work. Captain Smithnight
was ordered to hold his battery
in readiness to move at n moments notice
The Superintendent of the police said that
he would not call for help until tho police
were driven off. Isaac Bessels, one Of the
men who returned to work at the plate mill,
dropped dead during the fight from heart
disease, supernduced by fright Hc was at
work in the mill at the time and thought tho
strikers would break into the mill and muir
dor him. He was fifty-liye wears of npe