Huntsville gazette., 1886-05-08
A GALLANT FIGHT.
Disciplined Police VS.. Mob Law
lessness in Chicago.
Howiing Mob, Bent on Destruction of
Property, Met and Dispersed BY
Handful of Police-The Pistols of
the Latter Tell Their Tale.


makers, congrcgated near Clark Bros.'
planning mill in the Twenty-second dis
trict yesterday afternoon. They were
nearly all foreigners, and many wore bits
of red ribbon on the lapels of their coats.
Shorty asste4stvo O'Clock a man, coatless
and hatless, mounted an empty freight
car standing near the throng and pro-
cecded to address the men in German.
He said:
"Let every man stand shoulder to
shoulder, and we will win this fight We
must have our rights. Strike while the
iron is hot. Drive the sca5s out of the
yards, and let us show Mccormick that
he can not hire non-union men and keep
them at work, while we, the bone and
sinew of Chicago, are forced to hear our
wives and children crying for bread
Arm yourselves and prepare for the
worst"
The speakers harangue was greeted
with deafening cheers.
At this moment one of the proprietors
of the Hinglington Planning mill thrust his
head out Of the window to learn the
cause of the uproar. Almost ins tantly a
thousand men burst into the yard of the
company and surrounded the building
from which the head had protruded. A
storm of stones and brick beat upon the
roof, and the windows were demolished
as if by an earthquake.
This work of destruction having ap-
peased their wrath, the mob returned to
the car, from the top of which member
Of the Lumbermen's Union was trying to
qnell the disturbance.
Mr.. August Spies, the fiery editor Of
the Arbeiter Zeitung, was then intro
duced. While he was in the midst of
virueEt attack upon capitalists, the toll
ing of the bell in the distant tower Of the
Mccormick Reaper Works broke on the
ears of the twelve hundred men. s'Now
for the scabs," shouted one. "Let's
drive 'em out of the building and kill
'em," roared another. The excitement
was electric. There were cheers from a
thousand throats, and then the noise
grew into mighty roar. "Off to Nc
Cormick's," was the cry The men and boys
then rushed down the tracks in resistless
body, and swept over the vacant lots in
solid phalanx. The roar grew m1ghter
in volume as the mob poured down upon
the huge somber building at Western ave.
nue.. MyriadSof women and children. who
swarmed from the side streets were borne
on by the maddened men. At half-past
three O'Clock the mob inundated
the large grass plot in front
of the Mccormick works. Officer
West, who was on duty at the big
gate, warned the invaders to leave. He
faced the bowling horde and placed his
hand upon the handle of the revolver in
his hip pocket Before he had time to
draw the weapon a thousand rocks filled
The air and fell about him like hail. They
crashed against the high board fence be-
hind him with terrific noise and sang
warning as they sped past his helmeted
head. The storm was too hot for the Of
ticer. He lodged the missiles as best he
could, but the mob drawing nearer, he at
last bent his head and tried to
make his escape by dashing through
the ranks of his assailants. He rushed
forward in a perfect storm OF stones.
When he reached the first line of the strik-
crs he was subjected to merciless beat
ing, but being man of splendid physique,
he continued his race until he had pierced
The last ranks of the mob. Then he start
cd west on Blue Island avenue. He was
prltcd with stones at every stride until
he fell exhausted nearly a block away.
Embodencd by the flight of the brave
officer, the strikers surged up against the
walls of the factory. "Kili the scabs,"
roarcd one of the leaders as he hurled a
boulder through one of the windows
where a second before a pale face had
been pressed "Tear down the build
ing" shouted another, who was waving
a huge club in his hand. Almostinstant-
ly the great factory was subjected to an
ominous siege. Stones crashed through
the windows and clubs carried away the
sash. Nothing escaped the fury OF the
mob.
"Now let us drive out the scabs,"
roared a man with a red handker chief
knotted about his neck. The mob
pressed forward with yell. Just as it
was about to burst into the yard, the
Hynman street patrol wagon dashed
down the dusty road. Twelve officers
were in the body of the wagon, and sit
ting beside the driver was Sergeant En-
right Shouts of derision greeted the
officers as they clambered out OF the olue
vehicle and drew up IN line before lhe
strikers who were now maSsed on the
sidewalks and in the roads. The officers
stood shoulder to shoulder for mo-
ment, and then the command to
advance was given. Inc uoZen
officers stepped toward the twenty thou-
sand angry people before them. Each
man carried revolver in his right hano.
The mob remained firm.
''DISFERsE, OR WE WILL FIRE,
shouted Sergeant Enright. The reply
was a shower of stones that whlstled
unpleasantly about the little oand IN
blue. The officers wavered for moment
before the onslaught, and then ieveied
their revolvers at the crowd. The par
rels of The weapons glistened, there was
a flash, and then an explosion followed
that startled the horses in the car parns
two blocks away.
During this fusilade Officer Tom Con
den was hit with a brick. Enraged at
the misfortune of their comrade, the OH
GERS fell upon the mob with reyolvers
and clubs. The rioters were prepared 10
retaliate. They fired at the officers iroin
ambush with weapons of all patterns anu
caiiber. Bullets whistled right aDd iell,
and of to the southwark q bali dozen