Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-16

W4 80 -
few railroad shopmen, three or four
Of whom tenaciously remained on duty
aud the troops. A detachment Of the
Danville battery arrived this morning
to take charge of a Calling gun
brought from Springfield. The Fifth
Infantry, FROM Verden, arrived at IL
am, making nine companies of
infantry and a gun detachment, con-
shutting the force on the ground.
ST. LOUIS, April 10.-Unusual quiet
prevails to-day in the Missouri Pacific
and Iron Mountain railways. The
strikers are few in number, preserve
perfect order aud contine themselves
to a calm discussion of yesterdays
tragedy in East st. Louis. They all
deplore the hasty firing of the deputies
but admit the strikers were partly at
fault. They say that they will profit
by the lesson and resort to no violence
in any case. The usual number Of
five freight trains have been sent out
to-day, over both roads, without inter.
ference.
Shortly after IL o'clock a striker
named Alexander Sweeney was chal
lenged by asentry named Kent, private
in Company G., Fifth Infantry. To an
injunction to ''move on" he drew a
revolver, and remarking, "You are
too pretty to Shoot" turned 20 walk
away, but turning abruptly fired at
Kent. The latter simply dubbed his
musket and knocked away the revolver
and took the man in charge. He was
placed among the others arrested. The
affair created 40 special excitement,
although the shot was fired directly in
the line of the troops and civilians
about the depot.
The total number of cars burned
was forty-two, representing "a total
loss of about $4,000, exclusive of
merchandise. OF the fourteen cars on
the Illinois and St. Louis road, all
were loaded and their contents were
utterly destroyed. Nine coal cars and
nine loaded box CARS are
on the Cairo Short Line road
near the river, and still more
than 500 cors by actual count line the
five tracks and were indisputably
doomed to destruction. The st. Louis
fire department despatched two fire
steamers to the scene, but a watching
crowd cut the hose and warned the
chief of the fire squadron to return to
St. Louis, which injunction he obeyed.
In the Louisville q Nashville yards
the condition Of affairs was very sim
liar. The yard was filled with cars,
and Immediately adjoining a long row
of wooden structures, awaited GER
tain destruction by the spread of the
flames. Four distinct fires were
nov in progress at the L. s. N. yards,
on the A. & 2. track, on Illinois & St.
Louis and two other points on the
Cairo Short Line, The incendiaries,
who lighted the fires on the latter road
procured from one of the cars several
tarrels of oil, which were employed to
commence the blaze among the cars.
The entire work of vandalism indicated
knowledge and generalization, with
no one to lend a staying hand
to stop the destruction until the
small detachment of troops put in
an appearance, and then the
fires were confined to their compare
lively narrow areas. The work of the
soldiers, in this respect at least, proved
very effective.
A general manager of one of the
70 IDS, who witnessed the scenes of
last night, thought that the property of
all the railway companies would posi-
lively have been wiped out before
morning but for the intercession of the
soldiers.
The hotels in the city and the pro-
prietors of shops have been warned
not to entertain or harbor any Of the
soldiers, which is the occasion in part
for the closing of all the hotels,
with exception of the Martell house,
which has been taken as headquarters
for the officers commanding the troops
This afternoon large crowds have
assembled on Broadway, and thus far
the troops have not in any way caused
their dispersion. They have failed to
make any demonstration and there is
not deemed any likelihood of a serious
collision, although such a happening is
not deemed impossible by the local
officials. The chief dread is that
J the ability to protect miles OF
railroad cars from the torch
J will require, in the opinion OF
the commanding officers who have
been over the ground, a larger for
j, Of troops than the one now on the
grounds, as the guards are widely sep.
! arated and are in small detachments.
, . AS an illustration of the predominant
. feeling, the Cairo Short Line Company
. will be compelled to send its yard
workmen fly miles out from the city
to escape the. boycott which the hotels
and BOARDING houses are threatened
; from harboring any men, now strikers
, The coal miners along the entire
line of the Illinois s. st. Louis. four
, hundred in number, have gone out, IN
, it carrying out the purpose OF
the Knights of Labor in carrying Il {
fight in that direction.
} ST. LOUIS, April los. D. Barry, of
: East Saginaw, Michigan. a member OF
, the general executive board of Knights