Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-04-10
Five Mon and Woman Shot in St. Louis.


number Of The strikers gathered at tho
Relay depot and began discussion of the
general situation. AS time passed their
number increased to fully two hundrcd
The discussion became animated. and the
crowd more demonstrative, until somo one
proposed that they should go to the Louis
Vile and Nashville yards and drive cut The
new men employed there. The cry of ION
to the Nashville yards !" was caught ur,
and the crowd advanced. As ii proceeded
its numbers increased, some joining the
crowd simply as spectators, while others
were in full sympathy with the movement
until from 800 to 400 persons were advanc-
ing towards the yards. Arriving there, they
sWarmed into the yards and persuaded the
men at work to desert their posts, Just at
this time Louisville and Nashville freight
train YVES GLOW ! passing, guarded by eight
deputy sheritIs armed with Winchester RI
iles. Crowds Of men, women and children
had coDyregateti on broadway, where the
Louisville ana Nashville tracks cross the
street, and also upon the broadway bridge,
which spans the Cahokia creek, and in the
open space 10 the east. Just as this train
reached the broadway crossing The trouble
began. The crowd on The bridge began 10
veil &nl jeer at the officers, and il is assert
ed stones were thrown. which struck $50 or
| three Of them and it is also said that Il ris-
tul was discharged. The Deputies i.nmedi-
atcly levcled their rifles aud fired two vol
leys in the crowd on the bridge. -Four men
fell dead and one woman was mortally
wounded, none Of The mca, ii Is Gaid, were
strikers. The woman was the wife 81 Il
| striker
The greatest excitement Immediately PIE
vailed and ranGemonilIm re@ne.!. The
crowd He'd in every direction, and when the
deputies realized how fearful was the result
of their fire, they sought means Of escape by
rrishin. for tho bridge with Il view Of flee
inc to st. Louis. At the bridge tower, on
tho east sile, they were met by Mayor Joyce,
City Clerk Canty and third man. who
seized the deputies guns and cndeavored to
turn them back. One Of the deputies, in his
terror, fired upon the trio, killing i man
who stood between Joyce and CAVITY. Some
shots were fired by the remaining deputies
at the approaching strikers, and all started
over the bridge.
The scene on the bridge was Ole of TIC
widest confusion and excitement. Goal
teams and other teams with wagons were
galloping westward, and their drivers shout
ing to all pedestrians and teamsters TO run
back. Women and men on foot were run
ming toward the city and waving back ail
they met. while Immediately behind came
The deputies, pursued by the vanguard 81
| the crowd from East st. Louis, One of the
frightened guards threw his gun into the
river, while another hid his weapon in q
wagon that was in fall retreat. On arriv.
! ing in tho city the deputies went st once
] 20 the Chestnut street police station, where
they surrendered to the sergeant in charge
and were taken 10 the -Four Courts, "hcfc
they were placed in custody.
One account says: Some Of Tie deputies
WHO failed 10 make connection with the
crowd that rushed over tho bridge. tool:
refuge, chased by The mob, in The freight
warehouse and Offices o; tho Louisville anal
| Nashville and barred All TIC doors. The
warehouse was surrounded b. an immense
crowd who hootcd and yelled and urged The
men TO attack tho stronghold and drivo the
dcputie4 out. Men went among the crowds
urging others to procure arms and shoot I'll
the deputies they could find. Some O. tie
deputies, watching their opportunity, slip
ped out ami worked their way among the
| freight CARS unohseryed. They lef: their
|
| a Louisville and Nashville freight car back
ed down alongside the platform and took
| away the others to = place OF safety. Two
were sighted ~ the strikers, who had pro
cured arms, and were chased under the
! bridge. One Of them was Caught on the
| levee and was beaten 10 death by the mob.
Another was reported IL Lave "en shot az
lie waS escaping under Tie approach to lie
bridge As soon as it was learned that the
DEPUTIES were escaping from The freight
house, men insane with anger and excite
ment burst in the doors and searched the
house thoroughly. They secured some
Winchester rifles and, with others who had
shotguns and revolvers, searched the freight
cars and tho yards Of the Louisville aE,'
Nashville carefully for stray deputies.
I'VE got one OF the deputies" said a
Young man who seemed to bea striker; Eve
caught him and two others on the Ohio and
Mississippi walk on the Island. There were
Ave Of us. and we called on them TO halt,
which they refused to 10. We fired and
one Of them fell. He's lying lead Oh the
wall. up there now. The other two got
away, but vel! get thea al! tonight. These
fellows went have guns in their hands all
the time. Five of us killed that fellow.
They were on their way to the Ohio and
Mississippi freight house 10 take refuge iii i;
when we caught them
About half au hour after the shooting All
excited and angry mob gathered i'll the
square between tho City Hall and the police
station. II man named Dwycr, i gambler,
in no way connected with the strike, be-
came the centre of a crowd, who cheerad
the incendiary statements which he uttered.
lie urged tho men 10 hang and kill" and
was in the midst of an appeal 10 The mob to
follow him 10 The Oho anl Mississippi de
pot ''to hunt for deputy sherill:s,' when
John w. Hayes, Il member Of the general
eSecntiyc commil;c, Knights OF Labor, VI.
O'Nell and Knight Of Labor Brown arrived.
Brown mounted the stairs leading 10 the
station and yelled at The mob for attention,
but the Infatuated men answered him with
"Hang the ours u Kill them -
Hayes, who was standing at Brown side,
turned to prominent knight and asked
him 10 INTRODUCES Brown to the mob IS the
representative OF The general executive COM
mittee. The ruau replied in IL frightened
ypoppar ITr 1o tboyi1i hanu mo ~ Rrnun