The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-04-10
A MURDER0US V0LLEY
FIRED INTO A CROWD AT EAST ST
LOUIS.
Winchester Rifles Come Into Play APP
parently Without Provocation-
Seven People Shot.

The Big Bridge Guarded and Illinois
ST. LOUIS, April lG.-A crowd of strikers
formed at the relay depot in East St
Louis, at 1:i5 O'Clock Friday afternoon
and advanced in the direction OF tie rail
road yards to stop work by tho new
men employed there, They were met
by guard of deputies who ordered
Them to disperse The mob refused,
and made rush for the yards, when
the deputies leveled their Winchestars
and fired, killing six of the strikers.
DETAILS OF THE TROUBLE
Following are later details of the tragedy
Upon the Broadway crossing of the Louis
vile s. Nashville railroa Is, standing upon
the bridge over Chatham creek there was
some 200 persons, mostly young
boys, and passing to and fro in the bridge
were women and chill lren. Some jerring at
tracted the attention of one of the men work
ing for the Louisville 4 Nashville and
he drew a revo,ver and fred into the crowd,
hitting man standing on the bridge and
whose body fell into Cohokee creek. Before
the crowd could break, two deputy sheriffs
were on the bridge, and one seized the first
man he reas he'd The man struggled to
break loose, when the other deputy, rushing
up, placed his pistol at the mans breast
and fired He fell dead Iy this time ten
men who had been hired for guards
by the Louisville & Nashville AMI who
were all armed with Winchesters, came up
the tracks from the yards and advancing
upon the crowd fired a voll,y point blank
into the crowd Five men and two women
fell dead. One of the women killed was
passing over the bridge on her way home
from st Louis. The crowd scattered
and ran in oil directions A
few moments later the men who
did the shooting, started across the bridge
toward St Louis.
Mayor Joyce gathered a crowd of police
and attempted to arrest them, when a
running fight ensued, lasting to the eastern
end of the bridge One man, said to be a
watchman on the bridge was shot
Reaching the bridge the guards threw
their guns into the river and fled to st
Louis Excitement Is running high and
there is no saying when more trouble will
occur. 1t is said the whole population of
East st Louis is arning and will avenge
the dead in a startling way.
Following is a partial list
killed and mortally wounded:
Pat Driscoll, laborer, not striker; Oscar
Washington, painter, not striker; Maj.
Richman Mrs. John Pfeiffer. The name of
the man afterward killed on the bridge was
J. f. Thompson, of St Louis, who was in
no way connected with the trouble.
THE LATEST.
The deputies who did the shooting-eigh,
in number-went to the Thrill district 20
lice station, in this city and surrendered
themselves and were tax en- in the patro
wagon to tho Four courts, where they wert
taken custody and were relieved of theil
arms, They say the crowd began firing
into them first and that they simply re
turned the fire.
After the first firing was over, and tht
strikers had become bent on revenge,
number of them armed themselves will
revolvers and advanced upon the Obit
& Mississippi railroad yards, wher
they surprised the deputies ON guard an,
fired into them, killing one
THE GREATEsT t EXCITEMENT
now preuai in Fast St Louis and the strik
| ers are fast armng themselves and are de
| terminel to avenge the death of those o
their number so wantonly slain, as they say
| The local executive committee of tn
| Knights of laJOr are on the seem attemp
| ing to Restrain the men anil tryin!
to persuade them to meet in Fan
nagan's hall, where they desire to advis
them against all further violence Tn
mon, however refuse, to meet them, claiinin,
that they will be surrounded by the depu
ties and fired upon again
A mass meeting of the strikers was, how
ever, held in front of the city hall, and wit
difficulty restrained by their leaders from aG
vancing in body upon the different raj
road yards and ATTACKING the deputies OF
guard.
CHICAGO, April 10-The following ha
been received from East st Louis dated
p m Friday: There has been no furthe
bloodshed up TO this hour in East st Louis
| Adjt Gen. Nanee succeeded in holding til
excited crowd of strikers in check whe
gathered with arms Militia have bee
ordered to the scena
"The deputy marshal who gave the con
mand to fire it is said was overtaken in tn
retreat to the bridge and kicked to deaf
and bis body filled with bullets from I'll
strikers revolvers The men who starte
the trouble by firing into the crowd wer
the guards hired by the Louisville & Nasf
Vile road"
SPRINGFIELD, Ills, April lO.-The GO
ernor's guard received orders to leave 4
East St Louis at 3:45 p m Friday.
THE WABASH AT WORK AGAIN
The foreman of the Wabash yards,
North St Louis, where the men went OF
Thursday on strike in support of IL
Knights of Labor, telegraphed to Moberl
Thursday night for new men to fill Il
places of the strikers, and Friday morniI
there arrived from that city eighties
switchmen and yardmen. They We're in
mediately put to work moving the bloc
AIDED freight in the Watssh yards, al
everything is now moving along there
smoothly as IL there had never been
strike
Master Mechanic Bartlett, of the Nilsson
Pacific railroad, Thursday sent to twent
three of the firemen who left their engin
during the first part of the strike, and ha'
been out since, notice that their servic
were no longer required by the compan