Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-10-09
THE PACKERS STRIKE
A RIOT AT CHICAGO IN WHICH SEVERAL
AREREP0RTED INJURED.

! Fhs Disturbance Soon Quelled-An Address to the
Press From the Wcrkmsn In Which Fair Play
fG the Strikers Is Asked-Psdges
Against the Use of Violence.
CHICAGO, ILL, October 8.-The great
strike of the employees of the Chicago
Packing Houses against the proposition
to return to the ten hour working day be-
gan this morning The packing house
owners had put up printed notices notify
ing the men that beginning next Monday
their men would be expected to work ten
hours instead of eight hours day. This
morning committee of 1900 men employ
ed by the Chicago Packing and Provision
Company waited on the foreman of the
works and demanded that the notices be
taken down. The demand was refused and
the regiment of workingmen at once left
the building and were soon Joined by the
500 men employed in the Silver Horn
Works. Thus reinforced the large force
went in q body to the Armour Works to
induce the men to stop work. There was
great excitement at the yards. Hun
dIeds Of men were standing about
PinkertOn headquarters this morning max
ing application for positions as guards.
Mr.. w. A. PinkertOn was very reticent as
to his intentions but said that he had not
yet received any call for special police
for the purpose of guarding the stock
Yards. The crowd of strikers failed to i'll
duce the Armour employees and Anglo
American workmen to stop work and de
parted without attempting anything COM
pulSory.
ARIOT.
This afternoon q large body Of addition
al workmen went on u strike and riot
occurred at the works OF John MOvill.,
when a number of persons were hurt. The
entire police force of the town of Lake, has
gone to the scene, and two PinkerOn men
armed with rifles have gone to the scene.
Shorty before two o'clock, evidently by
preconcerted action, all the men employed
by the following Stock Yard Packing
firms refused to work and joined the strik-
crs: Armour K Co., John MOrSell, j. I.
Hickey q Co, John Cudaty, International
Provision Co.. ana the AnglO-American
Packing Co. There are between six and
seven thousand Of them making about
eight thousand in all who struck through
the day Some of MOrrels men after going
out decided to return to work. The
strikers at once invaded the place to COM
peli them to quit, and employed violence,
which for time took on the dimensions
of serious riot. The police are now at
scene and hope to restore order.
Affairs became more quiet after the ar
rival of the police 1t was rumOred that
some OF the Morrcll employees were injured
by the attack made upon them, but none
seriously. Three hundred Pnkerton men
are guarding the houses tonight.
The representative of the SilycrhOn
Packing House declared that New York
and othern Eastern buyers were sending
their orders to Kansas City, which ncccS-
STATED the change to the same hours here.
Armour K Co posted notice tonight mo-
tilying their men to come and receive their
pay tomorrow. 1t is deemed positive that
the houses all contemplate keeping closed
down for a short time ut least.
A STATEMENT To THE PRESS.
s. w. Meek, Attorney for the Executive
Board of the X. of l.. tonight i'll behalf
of the wOrkingmen involved issued the
following statement to the press:
"Thc posting of the announcement of 4
return to the ten hour system on Thurs
nay by the packers without explanation,
caused the men employed by the Chicago
Packing and Provision Company, and Sill
berhOrn K Co, to leave their work, rot
for violence and mob rule, but thoroughly
organized for determined resistance in u
fair and honorable way; and they ask
that the people be not prejudiced against
them by hate and erroneous reports OF viO-
lence written to serve the interests
OF the packers. The wOrkingmen
have taken their stand only after every
otter of fair and honest settlement of
their differences has been refused by their
employers. Contracts embodyiug the
agreements already had between the
packers and their employers have been
rejected by the packers, and it is simply
a question of the packers keeping their
agreements. They are
ON TRIAL
and not the wOrkingmen.
The action of the cutters in returning
to their work and carefully clearing up
aud completing their work in hand by the
direction OF their leaders shows
both the spirit of fairness
with which they regard the interests of
their employees, and the absence af all de-
sire on their part to cause loss or waste Of
the necessities Oflitc. 1t shows moreover
the perfect organization, never before at
tanned by the wOrkingmen, portion of
them returning to their work for definite
time by the direction of their leaders for
the express purpose Of saving their em-
ployers from loss of perishable property.
The workingmen involved ask of the pub
lie only fair and honest Judgment on
their action and to remember that their
interests are the interests ofthe whole peO-
pie in America.
THE PINKERTON MEN.
At ID. m. los BlnkertOn detectives SIt
down to supper ut the Transit House with
Winchester rifles between their knees.
Captain Foley in charge said that by to-
morrow he would have 500 men about the
yards rs an emergency committee.
The PinkertOns arrived ut the yards at
4 O'Clock, via Lake Shore Railroad and
were greeted by derisiye yells from
crowd of 1000, which filled the street
The men went to the Town Hall
and were all sworn in rs specials.
Then they were taken back into the cars
The crowd made it so unpleasant, hOwev-
er that Capt. Foley formed his command
into four companies headed for the Transit
House. The strikers expires the idea that
the Packers have deep laid scheme to fill
the house with new men willing TO work
at ten hours. 1t is said that to this end
the employers had been collecting men at
outside points, for months.
THE FEATURE OF THE STRIKE q
to-day was the beef men coming out at
Armour's. This was a surprise to the
narEars who annarently intended to con-