Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-28
MASKED RIOTERS.
CARS WRECKED AND MEN AS.
SAULTED BY THEN.
An Early Morning Attack by Riot
GUS Strikers-Severa1 Arrests
Made by the Police.

Early this morning masked men ap-
peared almost simultaneously on the lines
of the Suffer and Geary-street cable roads,
ready for mischief 1t was about o'clock
and the darkness was favorable to their
operations. They acted in accordance with
plan which had been, evidently, pre-
arranged, as the programme was the same
on both roads. Accounts as to the number
of men engaged differ, but there were be-
tween fifteen and twenty-five. The Suffer
and Geary-street roads began to run at the
usual time this morning.
According to Superintendent McCord
there had been six trains from Central
avenue before the trouble occurred. Near
Octavia street the seventh train from Cen
trail avenue coming toward the city en-
countered pile of lumber on the track,
Just at the brow of the hill and in front of
the Boys High School. The gripman of
the train No. 10, Martin Bowman, alighted
to clear the obstacle from the track. He
was Immediately
SET UPON BY MASKED MEN,
And was knocked down and beaten. The
conductor was frightened and ran, pursued
by several masked men, but was not over
taken. The train No. 10 was then I'M
coupled and the car and dummy were sent
flying down the steep grades in opposite
directions. There had been three passen-
gers on the train, but they got off when
the trouble began. Who they were the
Sutter-street officials did not know this
forenoon. There was also on the train an
other employee of the road who left it at
the sight of trouble. The dummy of No.
10 acquired great speed before it reached
the company's building at Suffer and Polk.
1t was heard coming, and those who saw it
pass say that it went like flash. The grip
kept it from jumping the track. Just be-
yond the building is a bumper with which
the grip of the dummy came into collision.
The grip was broken off short, but the mo-
mentum was so great that the dummy con-
tinued to run until it reached the up grade
beyond Polk street.
A CAR WRECKED AND DUMMY INJURED.
The car of No. 10, speeding down the
western grade toward Central avenue, had
not the clear track which had favored the
progress of the dummy in the opposite
direction 1t made clatter as it rushed
along, keeping the track and menacing the
eighth train from Central avenue. The
gripman of this train heard the car coming
and put on the brakes and jumped off be-
tween Fillmore and Steiner streets. When
the car of No. 10 reached the place, run
ming still at great speed, the standing train
stopped its progress. The collision was
witnessed by the trainmen of the eighth
train and one or two others. The crash,
when the car struck the dummy, was heard
several blocks distant. The front rail OF
the dummy was bent over and broken and
the car was effectually wrecked.
MASKED MEN ON GEARY STREET.
After the Sutter-street performance the
masked men disappeared. Either the same
men or others similarly masked appeared
on Geary street, near the junction of Geary
and Franklin. Train =, running into the
city from Central avenue, was in charge OF
Conductor Wright. There were two po-
licemen on the train, policemen Falls and
Whan. The street lights were out and the
train was running in the dark. There was
one passenger in the Geary-street car. Sud
denly there was a crash of glass. Stones
whistled through the air. The masked
men attacked not only the train hands but
the police officers. The conductor was
bruised and scratched. In his struggle
with an assailant the conductor pulled of
the mask of the latter. The mask was a
handkerchief perforated with holes.
The falling of the mask enabled the con-
ductor to recognize his assailant to be Geo.
w. Kelly, who was employed on the SUIT
ter-street road, which he left at the time
the strike begun. The gripman was pulled
off the car and roughly handled. The car
and dummy were uncoupled, and the
dummy started to run down the grade.
The car was stopped by officer Falls, who
then chased along Franklin street Kelly,
whom he overlook at Willow avenue. In
the meantime the other policeman had
chased and stopped the dummy. The crowd
of masked men disappeared almost as sud
denly as they had appeared.
SHOTS FIRED AT THE AssAILANTs.
During the chase after Kelly three shots
were fired by the police. 1t is not known
that any one was hit by the bullets.
The occurrences of early morning created
no little excitement at the offices and
among employees of the Suffer and Geary-
street roads. Police officers were on duty
on all cars as on previous days. Squads of
policemen were about the offices of both
roads. The newly employed gripmen and
police alike kept a sharp watch on the
track. At the Office of both roads firm de-
termination to keep the roads open and to
run them was expressed. Superintendent
McCord, of the Sutter-street line, said that
what had happened could not make any
difference in the running of cars.
THE ARRESTED PARTIES.
Police officers Lane and P A. Mahoney
heard of the trouble at Geary street and
listened to Conductor Wright's story of his
assault. From the description given they
arrested, at about 10 o'clock, young man
no,,,l at fha M, e
the Red Branch Hall, on Mason street, near
O'Farrell. There was a crowd of strikers
at the hall, and the officers were greeted
with cries of scab as they assembled the
stairs in citizens clothes. Thomas at first
was charged with assault to murder and
riot. 1t is believed that he struck the con-
ductor with some instrument before push
ing him through the window.
THE ACTION OF THE POLICE.
In an interview to-day Chief of Police
Crowley said that he was doing what he
could to protect property and preserve the
peace In consequence of the strike and the
enforced presence of the police along the
lines, good portion of the city is necessa-
rily left in an unprotected condition.
About $50 police officers have been on duty
for nineteen days consecutively since the
cars resumed running on the tie-up. Each
of the fifteen cars on the Geary-street line
and the sixty or more on the Sutter-street
is supplied with an officer. The men for
the Geary street line are from Captain
Shorts division, on Sutter-street from CAP
tain Douglas division. They are COM
PEELED to be on duty steadily twelve hours
instead of nine as ordinarily, and in con-
sequence no one wishes more heartily than
they that the strike may be brought to a
close.
The men Kelly and Thomas, by order of
Chief Crowley, were charged, in addition to
other charges with felony, under Section
5S7 of the Penal Code.
Three young men, striking Sutter-street
employees, came to the Central Station soon
after Thomas had been arrested, and they
too were arrested on suspicion of having
been concerned in the trouble. They were
charged with riot later in the day. They
gave the names of Frederick Nusbaum,
fxeoroa Small and William Morrison ra