The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-04

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carried the wounded men aboard the train, which
backed into the Union Depot, where the wound
ed were lying when the reporter saw them.
From another source the following was OBJ
tained 1t was the determination of the strikers
that no trains should run the Missouri Pacific,
injunction or no injunction. It was arranged
that. should the train pass through Fort Worth,
it must be stopped elsewhere. To this end,
number of strikers had been detailed to watch
the road south of the city. The train arrived at
the crossing, when it was tagged by the strikers.
Not obeying the fag the strikers next
resorted to throwing switch. AS
the man approached, and threw the switch
he was fred upon by the posse, aud the fire was
promptly returned by the men in ambush. This
narrator says it was not the intention of the
strikers to resort to any violence unless forced
to, but when they were fired upon they returned
the fire. They were well armed, and their work
shows that they were pretty good marksmen.
One thing may be set down as settled" con-
tinued this narrator. ''and that is, train will
be allowed to pass over the Missouri Pacific un-.
til the demand Of the strikers for arbitration is
acceded to-"
been predicted has come to pass The striking
Knights of Labor and the officers of the law have
met in deadly conflict Two officers fatally
wounded and third shot through both thighs
are the casualties on the side of the law Of
the strikers, so far as can be ascertained, only
one has been wounded. It was announced yes
terday by the officers of the Missouri Pacific
that trains would move to-day or that there would
be bloodshed. The strikers, the other hand, had
put it down as settled that no trains would
be allowed to pass over the Missouri Pacific
line until tho demand of the strikers for arbitra-
tion was conceded. There are only six men
among the strikers here who were formerly en-
ployed by the Missouri Pacific. the Missouri Pa
cifo and Texas & Pacific having pooled their
Fort Worth business so that freight was handled
and trains moved almost exclusively by the
Texas & Pacific employees. The places of these
men have long been filled, but they dared not
make fight on the Texas e Pacific because
that road is in the hands of receivers. Last
night the sheriff and his deputies were
busily engaged serving writs on
and injunctions against the strikers
and their confederates, and by the time the
morning dawned, most of them had received an
official notice to keep away from the yards of
the Missouri Pacific railway, and warning them
against interfering with the servants of the COM
pany in their efforts to take out trains. The ef
feet of the writs was to keep the yards clear and
at 9 o'clock this morning not man, save the
employees. could be seen in them. In the streets
near the yards, however, could be seen knots of
men, who had collected to see what would be
done
To-day, at IL o'clock, the officers began to col
lect at the Union Depot, and numbers of them
were stationed in the yards. At 10:15 o'clock a
dozen or more of them went to the round house,
and In a few minutes engine 54, 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
movements Of the engine, or to prevent 10 from
coupling on to caboose which was standing on
a side track Having done this the engine was
run on to the main track and then backed up
the road to Hodge, from which place it
was to pull freight train into the city.
For nearly two hours the crowd awaited the re-
turn Of the engine with the train from Hodge,
and as the minutes rolled by they amused them
selves In various ways. The raw weather could
not scatter them, and the men, wrapped in heavy
overcoats. were continuously stamping their
feet to keep warm. At 11:30 o'clock the engine
left Hodge, and at ll35 o'clock steamed into the
yards. The train consisted Of the caboose and
ten cars loaded with coal AS the train ap-
preached Sixteenth street. crowd rolled out
halted on the line Of 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 passed
on and by the Union Depot and continued on
its journey south.
The suggestive silence that marked the pas
sage of the train through the city was not with
out its sequel When the train left the depot it
was under the protection of posse of twelve
officers, commanded by Jim Courtright, special
deputy marshal Some of the officers were
deputy marshals, while others were members of
the regular police force. The train proceeded
slowly to the crossing of the Fort Worth and
New Orleans railways, about mile and half
south of town. whore it stopped, as is custom
ary. 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 discovered five men with Winchester
rifles, partly concealed in the weeds a
few yards distant. The entire posse advanced
toward the men in ambush. They had reached
the switch alongside the track. when they
ordered the throwing up of hands. The COM
mand was obeyed, but as the hands came up
they brought Winchester rifles. The officers
were armed only with revolyers They de-
manded the surrender of the strikers. Both
sides opened FIRE almost simultaneously, there
being no more than two seconds between the
time the first and second shots were fred After