The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-04-08
BLOODY WORK IN TEXAS.
BATTLE BETWEEN THE STRIKERS
y AND THE SHERIFF'S POSSE.

the Mob-A Sheriff who would Start n
Train or Die in the Attempt.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS, April s.
What had been predicted has come to
pass. The striking Knights OF Labor
and officers of the law have met in dead
lyseonflict. Two officers fatally wound
led and a third shot through both hips
argthe casualties on the side OF the law.
or the strikers, as far rs can be ascer-
tanned, only one has been wounded. 1t
WAS announced yesterday by the officers
|of. the Missouri Pacific Railroad Com
pany that trains would move to-day or
that there would be bloodshed. The
strikers on tile other hand had put it
down as settled that no trains would be
allowed to pass over the Missouri Pacific
line until the demand OF the strikers for
arbitration was conceded. It will be
remembered that there a:e only slx men
among the strikers here who were for
smerly employed by the Missouri Pacific,
| the Missouri Pacific and the Texas Pacl-
lie having pooled their Fort Worth
t'buslness, so that freight was handled
and trains moved almost exclusively by
t the Texas Pacific employees. The
places OF these men have long been
filed but they dared not make a fight on
| the Texas Pacific because that road is
IN the hands of n receiver. Last night
The sheriff and his deputies were busily
engaged in serving writs of injunction
AGAINST the strikers and their contcder-
ates, and by the time this morning
dawned most of them had received an
official notice to keep away from the
yards of the Missouri Pacific Railway,
and were warned against interfering
with the servants of the company in
T their efforts to take ont trains. The
effect of the writs was to keep the yards
clear, and at O'Clock this morning not 4
man save the employees could be seen in
them. In the streets, however, near
the Yards. could be seen knots Of men
who had collected to see what would be
done to-day.
E.-At 10 O'Clock the officers began to
collect at the Union depot and numbers
|. |.osthem were stationed in the yards. AT
lC.l5 o'clock a dozen or more OF them
went to the round.house, and in few
minutes Engine 81, loaded down with
armed officers, pulled out and steamed
lun 10 the Missouri Pacific yards. AS it
ratified past the crowd, collected on
either side of the road, derisve cheers
went up from a hundred throats, but
/ not a man attempted to interfere with
"a = q, ,SSp,eyements Of the engine or to pre-
;s7enS il from coupling on To The cilyoose,
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 point it
was 10 pull a freight train into the city.
For nearly two hours the crowd await
ed the return Of tile engine with the
tram from Hodge, and rs the minutes
rolled by they amused themselves in
various ways. The raw weather could
not scatter them and the men. wrapped
in heavy ovcrcoats, were continuously
stamping their feet to keep warm. At
80 O'Clock the engine left Hodge and
at l.35 O'Clock steamed into the yards.
The tram consisted of a cab0Osc and ten
cars loaded with coal. AS it approach
cd Sixteenth street the crowd rcclcd out
but halted on the line of the right of
way and remained there, and not Il man
made Il move toward tho train, but at
the lower end of the yard three woma;l.
wives of the strikers. appeared Oh the
track, one of them armed with a rcd
flag, which she waved as a signal for
the engineer to stop. No attention was
paid to this. and the tram passed on and
by the Union depot and continued OH its
journey south.
The suggestive silence that marked
the passage Of the freight train through
the city was not without its sequel,
When train left the depot it was under
the protection Of Il posse OF twelve
officers, commanded by jim Court
wright, special deputy United State:
marshal. Some of the officers were de-
putty marshals and others members o.
the regular police force. The train pro-
ceeded slowly to the crossing OF the
Fort Worth and New Orleans Railway.
about a mile and half south Of the
town, where it stopped as is customary
before crossing. The switch was founo
open, and two men stood near the cross
ing. The officers approached the switch
and as they dldso they discovered five
men with Winchester rifles partly con-
cealed in the woods a few yards distant.
The entire posse advanced toward the
men in ambush. They had reached the
ditch alongside the track. when they
ordered throwing up of hands. The
command was obcycd, but as the hands
came up they brought Winchester rifles
The officers were armed with only re.
voiyers. They demanded the surrender
of the strikers. Both sides then opened
fire almost simultaneously, there being
not more than Il lapse OF two seconds
between the time the first and second
shots were fired. As to which side fired
first cyc-witncsses differ. After the
first fire the posse advanced and con.
tinucd firing. The strikers rctrratcd
hohind snmr niles of tics. The posse.