Huntsville gazette., 1886-04-10
BAD WORK.
The Law1ess Excitement Over the Strike
at Fort Worth. Tex, eliminates In q
Deed Of Blood--A Train Waylaid and the
Ohicial Escort Fired Upon--A Sanguinary
Fight--The Awful Results.

Oficial Escort Fired Upon--A Sanguinary
Fight--The Awful Results.
FORT WORTH, Tex, April 4.-The
! lOng-expected conflict between the con-
| stituted authorities and the lawless ele
ment that has carried things with such
high hand here came Yesterday.
At 1915 a. IN. dozen or more officers
went to the round-house, and in a
| few minutes engine 81, loaded down with
armed officers, pulled out and steamed
| up to the Missouri Pacific yards. As it
ratified past the crowd, collected on either
side of the road, derisive cheers went up
| from hundred throatS, but not man
attempted to interfere with the move
ments of the engineer or prevent it from
| coupling on to a cabo0se, which was
| standing on side-track. Having done
| this, the engine was run on the main
| track and then backed up the road to
| Hodges, from where it was to pull a
| freight into the city. For nearly two
hours the crowd awaited the return of
| the engine with the train from Hodges.
| AS the minutes rolled by they amused
| weather could not scatter them, and the
men, wrapped in heavy oyercoats, were
continually stamping their feet to keep
| warm At ii 80 O'Clock the engine left
| Hodges and at 1895 O'Clock steamed
| into the Yards. The train consisted of
| the cabOose and ten cars loaded with
| coal. As the train approached Sixteenth
| street a crowd rolled out, but halted on
| the line Of the right-of-way and remained
| there.
Not man made move toward the
train, but at the lower end of the yard
three women, wives Of strikers, appeared
| on the track, one of them armed with
red flag, which she waved as signal for
! the engineer to stop. No attention was
| paid to this, and the train proceeded
slowly to the crossing of the
Fort Worth & New Orleans rail-
way, about mile and half
south of town where it stopped, as is GUS
tomary, before crossing. The switch was
| found open and two men stood near the
crossing. The officers approached the
switch. and as they did so they discov-
cred five men with Winchester rifles part
ly concealed in the weeds few yards
distant The entire posse advanced toward
| the men in ambush. They had reached
| tDe SWltCIl, dlOH1Slut Lut NutH tHC
| chief of the posse of deputies called out
| for the fellows to throw up their hands
| Instead of complying, the men in am
| bush suddenly sprang to their feet, and,
bringing Winchesters to bear, fired vol
ley at the officers. The fire was returned,
and both sides fired again and again; but
their aim must have been bad, judging
from the results. AS the firing proceeded
the mob retreated in very bad order
to rank of tie timber, enscOnced
behind which they were comparatively
out Of danger They made momcntary
stand there, but were dislodged and broke
on wild run for the sycamore bottoms
and were soon lost sight of.
The deputy sheriffS did not follow
them, but gave their attention to the VIC
Tins 1t was found that Richard Towns
end, special deputy sheriff, was shot in
the back as he stood on the engine, the
ball passing through his left lung and
coming out on the left side.
Charles Sneed, another deputy sheriff,
was shot near the ear, the ball coming
out on the opposite side of his head near
his mouth. Both OF these men will die.
Police Officer John Fuford was shot III
| both thighs, one of the balls ranging up
ward into his body. His wounds are
dangerous.
Jim Courtwrlght is claimed to have re-
ceived two bullets through his hat, but
escaped unharmed.
The wounded men were put in the ca
boose of the train and brought back to
the city Fulford, after having his wounds
dressed. was taken to his home and the
two other men to the Missouri Pacific
| hospital.
afn1a II INT t1,a aff fnpt, nr1n
of the strikers, who was in the attacking
party, was brought to the city shot
through the thigh. His name is Tom
Mace. He was a switchman here at the
| time the strike began He was weak, and
constantly called for water. He was
| taken to his home, near Polk stock yards.
| in the southern part of the city.
| 1t is stated by parties who were on the
| train when the trouble occurred that
three of the strikers fell beneath the fire
! Of the officers, two Of whom did not rise
| after falling.
| lady who lives near the spot where
| the fight occurred recognized one OF the
| men who ran off into the river bottom,
| and saws that he carried a Winchester
| rife in each hand. He has been engaged
| in the carpentering business in this city,
and is regarded as an out and out COM
munist. His arrest is only matter OF
| time.
| As to the number of men engaged in
the attack on the train reports are con-
| iicting. Some place the number at ten,
| others at twenty-five.
| The event, of course, caused the Wild
| est kind of excitement in this city, and the
! citizens seemed suddenly aroused to
realizing sense Of the situation. Shortly
after the details of the affair were known
| in town about hundred Of the best.
known citizens congregated at the depot
| armed with Winchesters, and announced
| that the trains should run at all hazards
| if the company desires to run them
| The city is raging with excitement. and
| the people appear not to know what to
| do. Mayor Smith was asked his opinion
on the situation aud simply answered
lawful
Mace, the wounded man, was put
| in iail i'll the evening and will be
| strongly guarded. No other arrests
have as yet been made. The
Knights of Labor claim that the first shot
was fred by the officers, but the weight
| of the testimony is against the PROPOSE
| +;or T,;rn Wilson who WA on the