The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-12
THE BAYONET RULES
AND PEACE REIGNS AT TROUBLED
EAST ST. LOUIS.
Eight Companies OF Militia Sent On
After the Mischief Was Done.

Incendiaris1n. Riot and Bloodshed Hold
High Carnival for Awhile by the Big
Bridee-List of Those Who Were Shot
Commencement of the Trouble-Train-
men Going Back to Work Under Mill
tary Protection.
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill, April l2.-There
have been day AMI night of excitement in
East St Louis All was quiet until half
past . Friday afternoon, when posse
of fifteen armed deputies in the pay of
the Louisville & Nashville Railway com
pany, provoked by the taunts Of mon, wo-
men and children, fired upon an unarmed
crowd at the Broadway crossing of the
Louisville & Nashville read. Seven per-
sons were either killed instantly or received
wounds from which they died later and
four were seriously injured. When their
work was done the deputies fed for their
lives One was caught and beaten nearly
to death by the mob. The rest escaped,
most OF them seeking safety at
the -Four Courts in st Louis, where they
were locked up Tn, shooting caused the
most intense excitement, and the strikers
and their sympathizers were thirsty for re-
venge With tie greatest difficulty the
leaders OF the Knights Of Labor persuaded
the men to restrain themselves. No further
violence was enacted On Icing informed
of the situation Governor Oglesby at once
ordered eight militia companies TO the scene
Friday night orders were issued to two
more companies. Several military com
and Nashville early in the evening, and it
was thought their arrival would quell all
riotous pro eedings
A few moments tefore midnight fire
broke out in the Louisville & Nashville
yards, several cats Icing fired at about the
partment, and in response 10 an appeal from
Mayor joyce two Ell lines were sent over
from st Louis Tn strikers did nothing
until the fireman hal got their hose laid and
gone TO work. Then they commenced cut
ting the hose and intimidating the iiremen.
The e threats had the desired effect, and the
fireman returned to st Louis, leaving the
fire in possession
Soon after the fire in the Louisville &;
Nashville yards hal broken out flames shot
into the air in the neishborbood of the Cairo
Short line yards Several cars had been
fired in there and the flames had spread
from them to the Cairo Short line round
house Simultaneous with the appearance
a., fro bro 10
three other points, and it looked as though
all the railroad property in the town was to
be DESTROYED The strikers went around
carrying clubs and pistols, and no one saw
fit TO interfere with them The militia were
not visible at any stage OF the proceedings.
THE yIcTITS
As usual the dead were innocent specta-
to.s, the strikers escaping almost to a man.
Subioined is the list of the dea |: Oscar
Washington, painter, % years old, married,
shot through the breast; John Bonar, EN-
ploye of the city water works: VI years old,
shot through the heart Pat Driscol, ira k
man, 81 years old, shot through tie abdo-
men; unknown man, shot on Dyke Avenue
bridge and fell into Cahokia creek, body
not recovered; C. E Thompson, resident of
st Louis, shot through the groin on the
bridge approach; Mrs Mary Pfeiffer, house
wife, shot through the back; Maj Hickman,
deputy, 81 years oil, shot through the
shoulder and ably wounded, has since died.
The wounded are: James A. Chasney, dep
uty marshal resident of Nashville, Ills.
shot through the leg and skull fractured;
Gussie Clinehein, aged years, shot in the
hip not dangerous; Mayor Maurice A.
fro It-b
a gun; Tom Murray, a boy, shot in the
mouth.
BEGINNING OF THE TROUBLE
As near as can lie ascertained the trouble
at the bridge occurred as follows: The posse
of deputies guarding man, halted at this
point. becauss of the crowd, which began to
get very abusive, applying insulting
epithets and daring them to shoot The
man called Cowboy" was with the deputies,
and he was picked out as a special target
for abuse The posse carried their guns in
their hands, and when the center OF the
trestle was reached they halted and formed
into line From the position they occupied
they had full command OF Dyke avenue
bridge and broadway crossing The crowd
was entirely exposed, many sitting, other
standing, but nobody offering any violence
Just at that moment When the posse
halted they were about thirty yards
from the crowd, and the man who
bad first spoken, and whose name is
Hewlett, ordered the crowd to disper.e
This order WIS received with ieers and
laughter, and several young men and BOYS
sitting on the Cairo Short Line tracks about
fifteen yards south Of the crowd, and the
same distance from the posse, picked up
stones and hurlel them at the deputies
Several of the men were hit and the boys
reiterated behind the switch house and con-
tinued throwing the missiles At this
| moment John Boner, an employee of the
city waterworks, standing at the east end
of the Dyke avenue bridge, stopped to pick
up a Stone. The deputy called the Cow
boy saw the move, and raising his Win
chester deliberately took aim for sacoad
and then fired. Roner droppei on the
bridge, shot through the heart Then the
firing became general
The greatest excitement Immediately pre-
vailed and pandamonium reignei The
| crowd Red in every direction and the depu-
ties realizing how fe Irful was the result of
| their fire, sought means Of escape by rush
ing for the bridge, with view of fleeing to
this city. At the approach, and just at the
bridge tower on the other side, they were
met by Mayor Joyce, City Clerk CAVITY, and
third man, who seized the deputies guns
and endeavorea to turn them hack One OF
the deputies, In his terror, fired upon the
trio, killing man named G. T. Thompson,
who stool between Joyce and CAVITY Some
shots were fred by the remaining deputies
at the approaching strikers, aud all started
over the bridge.
THE SHOOTING DEPUTIES STORY.
| Mr. Hewlett, who was in charge of the
posse which commenced the firing, said the
posse was in the Louisville a. Nashville
yards and the strikers at the Market street
crossing 1--WE ran the train through al
right, but after we got 1t through the
trouble commenced A fellow called out tc
Sam Jones, one of the deputies, You red
headed -, We won't allow you to live tt
get out of town. l arrested ths
man and ordered the crowd
10 disperse. Stones were then thrown
and one came by my shoulder" Here Hew
lett asked the other deputies how many Of
them had been hit, and Jones said he hat
been hit twice with stones Luster said b.