The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-02-05
ON THE WAR PATH
italian Lsborers on the G. & C. Road
seize Train.

4
! ties was run down from CressOn to r point
! directly In front Of Mr.. Richard Denny's
/ house IN Allegheny township. When the
/ train reached that point the men in charge
! found The track IN front blockaded with a
/ lot Of ties, stumps and logs, piled upon the
/ rails, and when they stopped the Italian la
/ oorers who had been working on the road.
/ and who had congTegated at that point, pro-
/ ceeded to obsruct the track in the rear Of
the train Ia similar manner and declar
1 no that "they would prevent any run.
! ming on the road until they received
/ their pay" AIlatttemptsto remove the OBJ
/ StFuctions we're prevented by the laborers,
/ and on Monday night Judge Dean, of Holt
| daysburg, director Of the road. drove to
this place and had warrants issued for about
sixty of the men snd placed IT. Sheriff Gray's
hands.
/ On Tuesday morning Sheriff Gray pro-
/ ceeded to summon q posse coDuaitatus and
/ our usually quieS town IN a short time was
/ al alive vita excitement: wild stories Of
the desperate character OF the Italians were
( tod and retod, and each time their Gesper-
/ ate character was added to- until those who
had any reasonable excuse, such as color
/ blindness, chronic or acute diseases, or any
/ defect in their wind OF limbs that would
prevent their rurrinE, avai'pd themselves
Of it and were excused md allowed to stay
at home to protect the toyrn. About
3 forty picked men, the bone and sjuew of
ihe town and surrounding couutTv, all
armed 10 the teeth Ike Texas cowboys,
~ company with Judge Dean and sheriff
Gray, started for the seat Of war. Every
available gun that could be secured in the
town was brought toto requisition, and those
who could rot get guns were supplied with
rcvolvers.
Large bodies move slowly, and long before
we had got our courage up 70 the tension
necessary to accompany the Sheriff, every
frearm in the town had been appropriated.
and we therefore went nnarmed, intending
to keep pretty well to the rear, taking care
of the wounded and occupying about the
same position that the Christian Commits
sion did IN the tate war.
\ number Of the men went overland TO
Cresson in sleighs, and the balance were ta-
ken down on the ter o'clock train, where
about twenty FIVE additional recruits from
Lilly ard Ganitzin were added to the force
of effective fighting men On reaching
CTe5sOu a telegram was sent to the Penn
syiyania railroad authorities asking them to
allow Mr.. Snyder to Tua the train down 10
the scene Of hosHIites. In the mean time,
Rev. Z. a Bush, Of L0TCt'O arrived al Cres-
son of the train going east. and after con-
suIting with Sheriff Gray and Judge Dean
concluded that he and Mr. Gray would drive
over TO the scene OF hUstilites and first try
to solye the dificulty peacefully. In short
time after thew started a dispatch was re-
ccjvcd directing ConfuctoF Snyder to run
mis- train down TO the seat sf war.
Fifteen minutes running brought Us
down TO the beIeapuered train, where, as
our tiain approached with our heads out
OF the windows We beheld the Italians
pulling lot of ties off the track 10 allow Us
to approach. Our train halted when with
in about fifty yards Of The besieged train,
where we could see the Italians standing
around in conference with Father Bd,h and
Sheriff Gray. II was soon understood that
there was to be 10 fighting, the Italians CIV
ing us 20 understand in the best broken
English at their command that they wanted
money and bread. y bout seveuty-fve
haIf-clad, half-starved men, strangers 10 a
strange and. " no had been working from
one to five months without receiving any
"
from sixteen to seventy dollars as the only
recompense for his work and who had been
ieft 10 "rCo-, hog, OF die until it would suit
the convenience of some party to pay them,
were protesting that they did not want any
lighting They he'd been brought there to
labor, rad performed their work and when
done had 20 money to GO away they did
not want 20 90 without their pay, and could
only stay 10y subsisting on the charity Of the
residents of the GeIEbbOrhOod. Mr. Bernard
Wise, an old citizen, stated that he had
gept five of them from starving for The past
two weeks, and that o.. Sunday last one OF
them ca,ae 10 him crying, begging him to let
them have sEothsr half bueheI IF POTATOES
aud some bread Offering his watch as n
pledge for tbe payment Mr.. Wise sent
him away with buskel Of potatoes and
some bread, feeling ceItajn that Il they ever
get their pay he VIII get his. The citizens
all sympathize with The msu, who ha sc been
most lanefuIlv dealt with and say That
they have behaved well toward them. very
seldom interfering with them or tbeh prop
arty
After the obstTuctiUns had been removed
from lhe track, which took but few min
utps. the engine OF tie first train, with sew
eraT men. ran down about half q mile fur
ther where the track had also been oo-
structad, but found no men ut that poiat
and after clearing of the track returned
A short conference between Father Bush
and the laborers was then held, and on his
assurance that they would be paid, they
-ePueE 10 ne satisfied 90 wait a few days
more. one italian was arrested by con-
stable from Lilly. securely handcuffed and
brought into to car, but amid :he unanimous
cries OF the posse" to ''let him co. the
boudcuffs were un locked aud he was turned
loose. and thus ended the first chapter of
the Italian riot oB the Cressou & CoalpoIt
railroad
The party returned to Ebens5urC, where
tbqv yDere greeted by their wives, families
and sygeethearts with genera rejoicing. II
vouId he out Of place to mensjon Individual
acts of heroism where all behaved so no6iy
hut we baye no doubt that when the history
Of the labor riots in this country comes TO
be wr!ttcn that several cf our citizens Will
be Eoaorably mentioned.
THAT the Italians did wrong in interfering
vifb the tram is certain, but farther thao
e,at they committed no acts oe Violence TO
spv.of the fFainmen, destroyed 80 properly,
ami even assisted IN carrying @afer for tue
engine while sbe train was standing there.
That they have been more sinned against
than siunlng was the opinion OF every person
on the ground Rnd Il they were paid what
i instfv udhanessiy due them so that they
v.JuId h,. aoIe 80 l7a ve, or bay food IL th-y
remained there would bs no. more tTudbie.
Tb., railroad company claims 10 have paid
Contractor Frealsud, who had snb-let the
contract to an Italian named Val VOLTA,
,0bom Mr. Freeland claims he has paid.